Joe Clarke joked he can’t ‘let the side down’ after Team GB’s ‘powerhouse’ canoeists got off to an Olympic flier in Paris.

Adam Burgess sealed a scintillating silver medal on Monday 48 hours after Kimberley Woods had bagged bronze for Britain’s first gong of the Games.

And on Tuesday, Rio 2016 K1 canoe slalom champion Clarke kicked off his campaign by battling into the semi-finals at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

Clarke, 31, admits it was ‘not his finest hour’ after leaving himself with work to do after a sluggish opening run but recovered to keep his hopes of a second gold medal alive.

The Stoke star hailed his teammates for getting the British medal train rolling and hopes to emulate their early heroics as the K1 competition heats up.

“I think we’re in a great space, the team is doing so well and that feeds positivity into all of us,” he said.

“What a powerhouse we've been so far so and long may it continue.

“I called it beforehand that we were going to do well, and that prediction is going well so far.

“Hopefully I don’t let the side down!

“I know I’m fully capable of making the semi-final, but knowing that you can and doing it are two different things.

“Pressure comes from the crowd, yourself, the media, the training and hard work that goes into it, but I ticked the box and got the job done, so that’s all that matters.

“Pressure is a privilege – it’s a privilege to be reassured because there's a reason you’ve got that pressure.

“The media spectators, competitors and everyone knows that you’re the one to beat.”

Clarke made history in Brazil eight years ago as his brilliant K1 gold marked Britain’s first medal in the event since Campbell Walsh scooped silver back at Athens 2024.  

He missed out on selection for Tokyo three years ago but ever since, has emerged as one of the most consistent performers on the international stage.

Clarke grabbed a hat-trick of World Championship titles between 2021 and 2023 – including an emotional gold on home waters in London – and arrives in the French capital in red-hot form.

That leads to inevitable pressure but Clarke, who also became a father last year, insists he never loses sight of why he first set foot on the choppy waters in the first place.

“I’m still trying to enjoy myself - but it's a little bit harder with the pressure,” added Clarke, who is over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support.

“I started the sport and absolutely loved it on say one, and 20 years later I’m still absolutely loving it.

“That’s how I get my best results and performances - you can see me on the start line smiling and the crowd were firing me up.”

With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, including vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport.  To find out more visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk