"I've slotted into the New Zealand training group and it's awesome to see the Kiwis paddling really well out here. They've spent a lot of time on the course over the last month and you can see that they're looking real competitive and quick on the water."
Gibb (C1) and Butcher (K1) will have familiarity on their sides, having based themselves in Prague over the Northern Hemisphere summer, although Gibb has been struggling with a rib niggle.
"The C1 field is looking strong, with some of the Olympic boats looking to cap off a good season and a lot of younger paddlers looking to make their mark on the senior level," Gibb said.
Butcher and Gilbert have had strong seasons so far, with bit turning in career-best performances on the world cup circuit.
Gilbert reached the semifinals in all three previous rounds and finished 18th at the junior world championships, while Butcher had made one world cup semifinal and finished 15th at the junior worlds.
Unlike Butcher and Gibb, Gilbert had just returned to Europe for the last two races.
"I've been home for five weeks, catching up on some study, but am feeling really fresh after returning to Europe and looking forward to the next World Cups," Gilbert said.
Nicholas also spent time in Rio, supporting siblings Ella and Bryden who were representing the Cook Islands in canoe slalom, while Randle also competed at the junior worlds.
Local Czech paddlers all loomed large for the rest of the field, following a dominant performance at this event last year. Last year, Jirí Prskavec (K1 men), Katerina Hoskova (C1 women) and Stanislav Jezek (C men) all won their respective titles in Prague.
However, the last nine K1 men's world cup races had been won by nine different men, while Germany's Ricarda Funk currently leads the women's K1 standings after winning the world cup race in Ivrea earlier in the season.
Following the world cup rounds, New Zealand would host the next big event on the world schedule, with the inaugural WhitewaterXL invitation event to be held in November at the new Vector Wero Whitewater Park in Auckland.
Dawson and Jones were among a handful of world-class ambassadors for the event, with several Olympic champions and a number of top Europeans already confirming their involvement.