Liam Heath claimed British gold in the K1 200m event ©ICF

Britain's Liam Heath laid down a marker ahead of Rio 2016 with a breakthrough 200 metres K1 gold medal on the final day of the European Canoe Sprint Championships in Moscow today.

Heath, a London 2012 bronze medallist in the K2 200m event, won by almost half-a-second from Sweden's Petter Menning.

Aleksejs Runjancevs of Latvia took bronze.

He will compete in both events in Rio after replacing London 2012 champion Ed McKeever in the K1 boat.

"Winning gold is the highlight of my season so far," he said afterwards.

There was almost a British double as Jessica Walker missed out by 0.148 seconds in the corresponding women's event.

Olesia Romasenko of Russia, pictured earlier this year, claimed the women's C1 200m title ©Getty Images
Olesia Romasenko of Russia, pictured earlier this year, claimed the women's C1 200m title ©Getty Images

Turkey's Lasma Liepa claimed victory in 40.792 as Walker placed second ahead of Slovakia's Ivana Kmetova.

There was a home victory in the men's C1 200m event as Russia's Andrey Kraitor crossed the line first in 39.080.

Lithuania's Henrikas Zustautas placed second with Belarus' Artsem Kosyr third.

Kraitor's Russian team-mate Olesia Romasenko took the women's C1 spoils in 47.616 while there was Serbian victory for Nebojsa Grujic and Marko Novakovic in the men's K2 200m.

Other winners included Germany's Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze in the women's K2 200m and for Hleb Saladukha and Aliaksandr Vauchetski of Belarus in the C2 200m.