While the State Nautique Olympique was the first Paris 2024 Olympic site to be "inaugurated" and delivered back in June 2019, the venue - originally known as the Basin Olympique de Champfleuri - has been hosting rowing competitions for more than 30 years, and it will also stage the Paris 2024 canoeing events.

Victories in the men’s and women’s eights - the latter a stupendous contest in which the first four boats finished within 0.24 seconds of each other - enabled Britain to draw level with the Italians on three golds, with both nations also finishing with two silvers and a bronze.

A total of 13 other nations took home medals in the 14 boat classes in what was a World Rowing test event for Paris 2024.

Men’s double sculls athlete Dimitrios Papazoglou, who helped earn one of four silver medals for Greece as racing finals were brought forward by a day after forecasts of adverse weather conditions, admitted that the fact they were racing on the Paris 2024 course made the event extra special.

“Knowing that next year there will be the Olympic Games in this Olympic stadium, it is one of the best feelings to represent my country here," he said. 

“I can raise my flag and that is the best pride.” 

As well as being a key marker for next year’s Olympic Regatta, where the first medals are due to be won on July 31, these Championships produced a race in the women's eight that will be remembered for many years as the British crew, winners of a silver in this event last time round, went one better in a race that looked ready to be won by one of four boats.

As the race entered the final 500 metres Romania had taken over the lead from Germany, and the defending champions United States had moved into third place from Britain.

Germany eventually moved back ahead of Romania, but only finished with silver as the British boat - comprising Ailish Harkin, Aggie Burt, Alice Colclough, Tess Peake, Helena Purves, Niamh Comerford, Emily Myers, Isadora Kennedy and cox Sophie Wrighton - managed a final surge that earned gold by a margin of 0.09sec.

Britain clocked 6min 26.00sec, with Germany recording 06:26.09, Romania holding on for bronze in 06:26.14 and the US finishing fourth in 06:26.24.

This was the high point of performance for the British women, winners of a medal in every event.

The British men’s eight soon added the team’s third gold, again relegating perennial rivals Germany to second place.

Italy had began their medal haul early on in the session when they picked up gold in the men’s coxed four shortly after the United States had made a successful defence of the women’s coxed four title.

Romania won the women’s pair, with Turkey, European under-19 champions. taking the men’s equivalent.

Italy sprinted past long-time leaders Britain to take the women’s four title, and Germany narrowly failed to earn victory in similar fashion on the men’s four, moving from fourth to second in the closing stages but being unable to row down Romania.

Further success came for Germany in the quadruple sculls as they took gold in both the women’s and men’s boats.

Britain’s women produced another gold in the women’s double sculls against a strong Greek boat, while the men’s double sculls was won by Italy’s European champions Josef Giorgio Marvucic and Maichol Brambmilla.

Romania’s Bianca-Camelia Ifteni won women’s sculls title, with the men’s sculls gold going to Turkey’s Halil Kaan Köroğlu.

The Canoe Sprint and Para Canoe International Open is set to be held at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium from August 30 to September 1 before it hosts the Canoe Slalom World Cup Finals, scheduled to run from October 5 to 8.