Kiwi canoeist Patrick Washer narrowly missed a semifinal appearance on the first day of the 2016 ICF junior and under-23 canoe slalom world championships in Poland overnight.

The 18-year-old, competing in the under-23 division, clocked a clean time of 93.58secs in his second run to finish 12th, just 1.24secs outside the top-10 who qualified for the C1 semifinals.

Tauranga canoeist Patrick Washer just missed a spot in the C1 semifinals at the under-23 world championships in Poland. Photo by Glenys Travers/Glenys T Photography.

Washer also led the New Zealand charge in the first round, finishing 29th, with the top-20 progressing after a 94.57sec run that included two 2sec time penalties. C

allum Gilbert was the next fastest Kiwi in 38th, with James Thwaite 53rd in the first round on the Wisla River course just out of Kraków.

Thwaite improved in his second run to finish 36th, while Gilbert was 31st.

Josh Bell was the best of the New Zealand junior contingent, finishing 46th and 23rd in his two runs with seven touches in the second run conspiring against his semifinal ambitions.

Otis Rayner was 52nd and 31st in his runs, with Callum Aitken not far behind in 53rd and 37th.

Gilbert and Aitken will back in action tonight, meanwhile, as the K1 men's division begins, while Kelly Travers and Kaydi O'Connor-Stratton will be chasing the semifinals of the under-23 C1 division.