London, England – Slovakia's Michal Martikan began his quest for a fifth Olympic medal on Sunday by posting the best time in men's canoe singles heats at Lee Valley White Water Centre.
Martikan had the quickest time in the 17-man field, completing his heat in 90.56 seconds.
Great Britain's David Florence, a 2008 silver medalist in Beijing, finished fifth, while two-time Olympic champion Tony Estanguet of France was seventh.
Only the top 12 of the 17 athletes move on to the semifinals. American Casey Eichfeld finished 14th.
Men's kayak singles were also held on Sunday, with German Hannes Aigner posting the fastest time at 83.49 seconds. World No. 1 Peter Kauzer of Slovakia was fifth, while 2008 bronze medalist Benjamin Boukpeti of Togo just snuck into the semis at 14th.
The top 15 of 22 kayakers advanced. Scott Parson of the U.S. finished 16th and Canada's Michael Tayler was 20th.
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