Great Britain flew out of the gates with three medals as the 2024 ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Cup series got under way in North Macedonia.
It marked the squad's best-ever day at the Word Cup, with every paddler making it through the morning sprint heats and into the early-evening finals where more history would be made.
Alex Sheppy claimed a first men's World Cup medal in 12 years with a superb bronze after a storming run in the men's kayak final.
The result – and exertion – left him almost speechless.
“It's crazy, it’s cool,” he beamed.
“It was just a really good run. I committed and pulled hard and on the rapids I stayed committed.
“I was dead at the end, I didn’t have anything left. I'm chuffed.”
Kerry Christie, a classic specialist, followed a stellar 2023 season by taking a magnificent bronze in the women's kayak.
“I'm very pleased,” she said.
“I don't do a very good sprint very often, but this seems to be one of those times!”
She then added her second medal with sister Emma as the Leicestershire siblings claimed their first senior World Cup gold in Saturday's finale – the women's canoe double.
Tackling the shorter 250m course on the Varda River, in Veles, paddlers faced a flatwater sprint before navigating a short technical rapids section to the finish.
Andrew Crowhurst had got the ball rolling for Great Britain in the event opener – the men's canoe heats – and eased into the final as the seventh-quickest qualifier in 42.07secs.
He would match the position in the evening final, this time hitting the finish line in 42.93, with Italian Tommaso Mapelli the clear winner in a rapid 40.16.
The Christie sisters (Nottingham) went next in heat one of the women's kayak.
Emma clocked 42.63secs, good enough for 11th-quickest, before older sibling Kerry scorched straight into the final with the fourth-fastest time of 39.33, just 0.44secs behind Swiss leader Hannah Mueller.
It was the first time Kerry, a three-time gold medallist at last year's Junior and Under-23 World Championships, had qualified automatically for a final from the first heat, leaving her well set for a medal assault later in the day.
Younger sister Emma would join her in the final, picking a nice line through the course in the second heat to register an almost identical time of 42.66 in her second run to secure the final qualifying spot.
Emma was fifth to go in the final and was not quite able to match her earlier pace, clocking 43.59 which slotted her into second place in the early running, and a final finishing position of 11th.
With heat one qualifiers going later, Kerry was the fourth-last paddler down the course and went to the top of the timesheets, breaking the 40-second barrier once again with 39.99.
And the GB paddler was guaranteed her first individual World Cup medal when Emma Lacoste went slower – now it was just a matter of which colour.
Next paddler down Mathilde Rosa, of Italy, went quickest with 39.62 and stayed there as Hannah Mueller clocked 39.74, leaving Kerry with a brilliant bronze medal.
The positive news continued in the men's kayak with all three Brits easing through to the final in the second heat.
Alex Sheppy underlined his status among Britain's top sprinters with a fine run in the first heat, clocking 34.55.
It left the Devizes Canoe Club paddler just three-tenths-of-a-second outside the top five automatic qualifying berths.
Freddie Brown put down an explosive run to cross the line in 35.72 which put him second-fastest after 18 starters before ultimately finishing in 11th.
Nottingham Kayak Club's Nick Boreham also secured a top-half finish in heat one with a time of 35.92 for 14th place.
Boreham went marginally quicker in heat two, his time of 35.89 sealing the sixth of the 10 remaining qualifying spots.
He was duly joined by both his team-mates as Brown went almost half-a-second quicker second time around with 35.26 to finish fourth, before Sheppy topped the timesheets with a run of 34.62.
Boreham was first Brit off in the paddler and clocked 36.87 for 12th before Brown went quicker, in 36.45, to go two places better than his team-mate for a top-10 finish.
But Sheppy saved the best until last.
The sixth-last paddler to go, Sheppy was one of the few to improve his time from the morning's heats, tearing down the course in 34.23secs to go almost a second clear at the top.
It was a pace Francesco Ciotoli and Leo Montulet could not match, but Nejc Znidaric then replaced the Brit at the top.
But when Linus Bolzern went slower, Sheppy was guaranteed a medal, with Frenchman Titouan Doreau just edging him out of silver medal position.
Defending U23 women's C2 world champions Emma and Kerry eased into the canoe double final, clocking 45.02secs.
It left them second-quickest, only two-tenths of a second adrift of pacesetters Margot Beziat and Emma Lacoste, of France.
In the final they easily overhauled the time of Czech pair Ela Strechova and Alexandra Plachtova by 1.30secs with a run of 46.58secs.
Beziat and Lacoste started strongly, but problems at the finish left them trailing in third and sent the Christie sisters, once again, to the top step of the podium.