The 21-year-old, who finished runner-up to Hungary’s Danuta Kozák at last year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro, qualified sixth fastest with a time of 2min 06.576sec on Lake Budeasa.

"This season has been getting better and better - my focus has been more on education, so my shape hasn’t been what it was supposed to be like," Jorgensen said.

"My coach tells me when we get to the senior worlds I will be in the shape I was in at the Olympics, so I hope so.

"There is some pressure, but I think the biggest pressure is from myself."

Under-23 European champion Hermien Peters of Belgium was the quickest in 2:03.676, followed by New Zealand’s Aimee Fisher in 2:04.128.

Peters set her time despite paddling into a strong headwind.

She is now looking forward to final, which is scheduled for Sunday (July 30).

"I've already had a good year - I’ve already won some medals at World Cups," Peters said.

"I didn’t really train for this competition because my focus is on the seniors, so this is more like a hard training session."

Fisher is one of the most improved paddlers in the sport this year, having already strung together several impressive World Cup performances, including a runners-up finish behind Hungary’s Dóra Lucz in the 200m.

As well as being second fastest in the 500m, Fisher was fastest in the heats of the 200m.

Her time of 43.296 bettered Lucz’s 44.143.

"It’s been awesome - I’m just making the most of every day," Fisher said.

"It’s really exciting because there’s a lot of really cool young paddlers coming through at the moment, so it’s pretty challenging.

"There’s lots of good racing."

Lucz said she was hoping to use this weekend as good practice for the upcoming ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Czech village Račice from August 23 to 27.

"It’s a step before the senior worlds, but I like racing so I’m happy to be here," Lucz said.

"My World Cup win gave me confidence and now I believe I can do this.

"But I also know I have to work.

"The girls here are very fast."

In other results, Ukraine’s Oleh Kukharyk was fastest in the men’s under-23 K1 500m in 1:46.808.

Belgium’s Artuur Peters was the next quickest in 1:46.184.

Hungary qualified fastest for the final of the men’s under-23 K4 500m in 1:26.236.

Germany were the quickest in the men’s junior K4 500m in 1:27.556, while Russia’s Arina Anoshkina and Svetlana Chernigovskaya were the fastest in the women’s under-23 K2 500m in 1:54.032.

Belarus’ Alena Nazdrova and Kamila Bobr were the quickest qualifiers in both the women’s under-23 C2 500m, in 2:09.832, and C2 200m, in 50.268.

Hungary’s Virag Balla was the fastest in the heats of the women’s under-23 C1 200m in 50.903 with Canada’s Katie Vincent second in 51.196 and Nazdrova third in 52.043.

Lithuania’s Henrikas Zustautas shaded Rio 2016 medallist Isaquias Queiroz Dos Santos in the heats of the men’s under-23 C1 200m, clocking 43.520 to better the Brazilian’s 44.032.

The first finals of the ICF Sprint Under-23 and Junior World Championships are due to be contested tomorrow.