Olympic gold medallist Jean van der Westhuyzen is back on top of the podium after taking out the men's K1 500m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Hungary.
Adding to his silver medal from the men's K4 500m final on Saturday in Szeged, van der Westhuyzen flew to the finish line to clinch Australia's second gold medal in the international season opener.
Natalia Drobot's claimed victory in the women's K1 500m while Tom Green, who won gold paddling with van der Westhuyzen at the Tokyo Olympics, finished third in the men's K1 1000m final.
The men's K4 crew of Jackson Collins, Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen and older brother Jean bagged silver behind Hungary in the 1000m event to round out a promising start as the Australian team builds towards the LA Olympics in 2028.
With fast conditions on the water, two-time Olympic medallist van der Westhuyzen also beat his personal best with a time of 1:35.81.
"It’s always a pleasure to be out there racing. I’ve come second and third a couple of times in that race so I’m really happy to come out with the gold," 27-year-old van der Westhuyzen said after his individual triumph.
Drobot flew from the start gates to lead throughout the 500m final, holding off New Zealand's Aimee Fisher to seal the victory.
"It was really nice to start the World Cup off really strong. It was nice to be able to put down a good race. I finished that race and I just had fun and that was the main goal." she said.
The team's next World Cup event is in Brandenburg, Germany, from May 14 -17, with Australia's para canoe athletes also competing.
