Canoeing: Luuka Jones hoping to continue Rio de Janeiro love affair at Canoe Slalom World Championships

Kiwi paddler Luuka Jones. Photo / Getty

Luuka Jones is hoping to continue her Rio de Janeiro love affair when she competes at the Canoe Slalom World Championships this week.

The Kiwi paddler, who begins her campaign overnight, recorded a career best result in the city at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning a silver medal in the K1 discipline.

Jones has been in Rio for the past few weeks, with the world championships being held at the same venue where she claimed her famous piece of silverware.

The 29-year-old will compete in the K1, C1 and extreme K1 at the world championships, and says she definitely has a soft spot for Rio.

"I was quite stoked to come back here and had a few days off to go and check out the city before I started training.

"I love the course and I was just really happy actually to have the world championships outside of Europe."

With competitors not allowed to test paddle the course once it's been set, Jones notes that familiarity is a big help.

"We just have to look at the course from the side and do our analysis and then go out and race, so it makes it quite tricky, but if you've spent lots of time here you've hopefully done some of those configurations and it's a lot more familiar come race day."

Jones' biggest rival in Rio will be defending K1 world champion, Australia's Jess Fox.

Fox has been in a league of her own this season, but Jones argues all it'll take is one good run to pip her.

"I'm capable of putting down a good performance but probably not as consistently as her. If I have a really good run out here then for sure I can do it."

New Zealand have a five-strong team in Rio, consisting of Jones, fellow Olympian Mike Dawson, Finn Butcher, Jane Nicholas and world championships debutant Jack Dangen.

Jones and Nicholas are in action overnight.