Kayaking duo Andrew Roy and Scott Bicknell are certain paddling with the silver fern at this year's world championships is a positive sign of things to come, as they head towards the Olympic Games.

Andrew Roy and Scott Bicknell on their way to winning the K2 200m title at the national champs in Rotorua last month. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services.

The Tauranga pair have been named among the 23-strong NZ Kayaking team to hotly contest the 2014 World Cup and 2014 World Championships and continue their steady progress up the international kayak ranks.

Joining the pair is Bay of Plenty's world and Olympic champion Lisa Carrington - out to defend her K1 200m title.

The selection signals 18 hard months of training and competing in the K2 200m, but Scott knows the hard work is only just beginning – despite having been selected countless times for the NZ team.

'I guess it really hasn't sunk in too much because I know how much work we have to put in during that time frame before we head off,” says Scott.

'We will train at least twice a day, every day and maybe ramp it up to three at some stage, so it's quite an intensive programme.”

The squad fly out for three World Cup meets scattered throughout Europe - Italy, Czech Republic and Hungary – during May before returning to NZ and then flying to the World Championships in Moscow, Russia in August.

The 25-year-old says for the Kiwis the Australian team of Ken Wallace and Lachlan Tame remain the benchmark after previously racing them a number of times in the last two seasons.

At last month's New Zealand canoe sprint championships in Rotorua, the Kiwis actually led the illustrious Australians of Wallace and Tame midway through the K2 200m race before the Australians posted 33.57seconds to the New Zealand pair's 33.88.

'They are close to winning the B Final so that puts them in the top 10 in the world. So if we can get near them that's a good start for us.”

For Andrew, the selection is his first taste in the NZ Open squad, after competing at the Junior World Championships in 2011, but admits this is another step towards loftier goals.

'It's another stepping stone towards that [the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro] and it will be good to get some good race experience in ahead of next year's worlds, which is Olympic Games selection,” says the 21-year-old.

'We haven't raced at world before but we have raced the top Australian crews that are ranked right up there and we had come close to them so hopefully that's a good sign.”