Vietnamese canoeist Diep Thi Huong (Photo: VNA)

Taking place in Japan from Thursday to Sunday, the tournament is also a continental qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

On Friday morning, Huong competed with the seven strongest Asian paddlers from Taiwan (China), Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Japan, and South Korea.

The 23‑year-old Vietnamese excelled, coming in first in 2 minutes and 18.178 seconds.