The trio - with Grant Bramwell in the K4 1000 metres - collected four gold medals between them at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and are now looking to utilise that wealth of experience to benefit a new generation of kayakers.

The national canoe sprint championships on Rotorua's Blue Lake from February 26-28 provide the perfect opportunity for the sport's elite and developing paddlers to test themselves.

Athletes have an added incentive to perform, with selection to trials for a place in the New Zealand team to compete in the 2010 World Cups and World Championships on offer.

Performances in these events will provide an important benchmark for kayaking's high performance programme, which is targeting success at the London Olympics in 2012.

Ferguson's son Steven, who has been in commanding form over the domestic season, must start favourite in both the elite men's K1 500m and 1000m events.

However, he will be expecting some stern competition from former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Ben Fouhy, making his comeback to the kayaking after a year's break from the sport following his fourth place at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

McDonald has recently started coaching at the North Shore Canoe Club, mentoring an impressive group of paddlers who should dominate the open women's events.

Olympian Erin Taylor should start favourite to win the K1 200m and 500m events, but will be pushed by the ever-improving Lisa Carrington, who gained her first ever victory over Taylor in the K1 200m event at the last domestic race held in December.

Thompson is also putting his knowledge and experience into the development of the sport, and will be leading a large group of young athletes from Poverty Bay.

Event organisers are expecting the championships to be the biggest in the sport's history, with a wide range of events from 100m to 4km boosted by the chance McDonald and Ferguson may reprise their double gold medal-winning combination from 1984 and 1988 with an appearance in the masters K2 events.