Eckhardt, of Hobart, joined Noemie Fox (NSW) and Alexandria Choate (WA) to finish a close fifth in the women’s K1 team event – an excellent result given it was Choate’s first run on the course in a kayak.

“It was interesting, it was fun,” Choate said. “I knew they are both really good, so everything would be fine, I wouldn’t kill them by accident. But also I knew I needed to catch them all the time. So it was good fun.”

Fox, Eckhardt and Demelza Wall combined later in the day to finish tenth in the women’s C1 team event.

Australia’s day had an unlucky start, with Steven Lowther breaking his paddle in the C1 men’s team event.

Despite the setback, Lowther, fellow West Australian Brodie Crawford and Hobart’s Daniel Watkins still managed to finish ninth.

“We didn’t know,” Crawford said. “We noticed Steve was taking some odd lines in some spots, but we just kept pushing and sticking to the plan.”

“I think if that hadn’t happened, and judging by the time Brodie and I had, we would have been right up there,” Watkins said.

Crawford and Watkins teamed up with Angus Thompson (NSW) in the men’s K1 team event, but a missed gate penalty relegated the trio to 20th position.

It was the first time Crawford had competed in a K1 for three years.

“Obviously I don’t do a lot of kayak, but I wanted to do it for the boys,” Crawford said.

“I had a bit of a spill, but we had a good time. I’m pretty comfortable in the water, but there’s a few nerves I think.”

Individual events are next on the agenda, with heats in the men’s and women’s K1 and C1 races.