The weather was nearly as flawless as the running of the first heats of the men’s paracanoe events that kicked off the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships here today. Under a hot sun with just the lightest breeze, 45 men from 27 countries raced toward tomorrow’s finals in K1 200m LTA, TA and V 200m LTA.

The competition matched the intensity of the temperatures in Men’s V1 200m Paracanoe LTA class, where less than half a second separated the top three finalists. Inserting himself in the longstanding rivalry between Patrick Mahoney (GBR) and three-time V1 500m champ George Thomas (NZL), was the unheralded Brazilian De Jesus Da Conceicao. Despite a missed paddle stroke that he said temporarily took him out of his rhythm Mahoney finished with the top time of the day, 54.183 followed by Conceicao’s 54.535 and Thomas’ 54.42.

The nine top finishers from today will join Women’s Paracanoe, and the Men’s Paracanoe A, for finals tomorrow

Sizzling times were also a feature of men’s K1 200m Paracanoe LTA where Romanian Julian Serban, 42.265 finished ever so narrowly ahead of Andrea Testa (ITA), 42.537. In third place was Poland’s Mateusz Surwilo with a time of 44.152.

The competition wasn’t nearly as tight, relatively speaking for a World Championship, among the top finishing men in today’s K1 200m Paracanoe TA. Austria’s Markus Swoboda posted a 43.854, nearly six seconds ahead of Tomasz Mozdzierski (POL) who crossed the finish line in 49.774, followed some two seconds later by Marco Re Calegari (ITA) with 51.899.

No matter how they finished, all competitors agreed conditions were perfect today and, as Mahoney put it, “the Hungarians now how to put on a show."