Paddling in the shadows of golden girl Jessica Fox, Melbourne's Tim Anderson finished a creditable seventh place in the Paris men's K1.
With his teammate Fox winning two gold medals from two events in Paris, Anderson was looking to capture his own slice of the spotlight.
Making his Olympic debut, the 30-year-old improved on his semi-final showing early on Thursday, moving three spots up the rankings in a hectic final.
Giovanni De Gennaro became the toast of Italy when the veteran pulled out a flawless run with hometown hero Titouan Castryck falling 0.20 seconds short to the anguish of the full house at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
France were bidding for a second gold after Nicolas Gestin's triumph in the C1.
Spain's Pau Echaniz won the kayak bronze medal with early favourite, Brit Joseph Clarke, dropping to fifth.
Anderson said while a podium spot was his goal, he was happy with his consistency.
"I am really happy with the way I conducted myself, my paddling was really nice.
"I made a few mistakes but it's pretty rare that you don't, especially in the final.
"I'm kind of happy and kind of a bit like, there could have been more."
