Rio de Janeiro: Fuelled by his painful omission from the men's K4 crew that will defend their Olympic crown, Australian sprint kayaker Murray Stewart is a man on a mission.

The 30-year-old was part of the triumphant London boat and was desperate to go for a second successive gold medal in Rio.

Murray Stewart of Australia wins the Canoe Sprint Men's Kayak Single 1000m first semi-final. Credit:Clive Brunskill

But hit by glandular fever in April, which meant he was unable to compete in any of the World Cup regattas, selectors decided to leave him out of the four.

At Lagoa Stadium this week Stewart is only competing in the men's K1 1000m and stormed into Tuesday's medal race as the fastest qualifier, beating home a semi-final field that included Danish world champion Rene Poulsen.