Tokyo Olympian Adam Burgess revealed that a flurry of discomfort and nerves created the perfect high-pressure environment for a fifth-place finish at the Canoe Slalom World Championships.

The paddler posted a time of 99.80 seconds in the men's C1 event on his home waters of Lee Valley White Water Centre, but it was not enough to challenge for the medals.

Burgess, 31, was sat in third place with just three paddlers to go but slipped out of the medals as Slovenia's Benjamin Savšek took the crown in a blistering finish.

And, despite missing out on the podium, Burgess stated that reaching the final in front of a home crowd was still a moment to cherish.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience of racing a home Worlds in my back garden," he said.

"There's been a lot of pressure and a lot of nerves, and it's been really uncomfortable at times, but these are the moments that really make you feel alive.

"I'm proud with how I performed today, it might not be the results I wanted but there was some great adaptability to keep the run alive on a really hard course.

"The time difference for me today was big, I need to be a little bit more watchful in some areas going forward."

Burgess has built a consistent season on the water this year, fighting to keep up with the best in the world whilst managing a new boat design.

The paddler switched boats halfway through the season to a newer design and believes it was one of the biggest and best risks he has taken in the build up to a possible second Olympic Games next summer.

"I need to build more familiarity with my instincts on the water ahead of Paris," he added.

"Fourth in Tokyo is unfinished business and I still wake up in the night sometimes thinking about it.

"I changed boat design halfway through this season which was a bit of a gamble but I'm happy with the decision and I think it's paid off.

"The changes are quite radical as well; I've gone from something quite wide and flat to something very round and narrow.

"I felt a little forced into the change because most of the field jumped into this design and were flying the first half of the season, so I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about and it seems to have made a big difference.

"I'd really like to feel really set and solid in this boat ahead of Paris next year.”

Fellow Brit Ryan Westley narrowly missed out on a place in the final with an agonising 11th place finish.

Westley battled back from injury at the beginning of the year to clinch European Games C1 gold and qualify Team GB for a spot in Paris 2024 and admitted that his Worlds performance had immediately had taken a hit on his motivation.

"It's very frustrating as I know I've been so good here in the past," he said.

"I medalled here eight years ago, so it looks like I've wasted a lot of time over the past eight years because I thought I had a chance here today.

"Hopefully by the time I head out to the World Cup in Paris I will have forgotten about it but at this very second I don't have much motivation to race in canoe slalom."