New Zealand kayaker Luuka Jones has continued her impressive build-up to the London Olympics making the semi-finals of the latest canoe slalom world cup round in Pau, France.

After making the semi-finals of a weather-disrupted first round in Cardiff last week, the 23-year-old came out firing in her qualifying runs on Pau's purpose-built course.

New Zealand kayaker Luuka Jones.

Her 100.98sec first run was the third-fastest of the morning, with a two second penalty touch pushing her back to fifth.

A slightly slower second run was still good enough to qualify her for the semi-final in 12th.

"The semi-final today was tough - I was gunning the top section then got off-line and struggled to get back on," says Luuka.

"I lost a lot of time in a couple of the up-streams, which was disappointing and meant I had a slow run time but I'm not too worried as there are good things to take from this race and I am really pleased with where I am at."

Her 128.35 time included a penalty touch and pushed her back to 26th overall. Spain's Maialen Chourraut took out the final, ahead of local paddler Carole Bouzidi and Great Britain's Elizabeth Neave, but Jones is delighted with her consistency this season with her second Olympic campaign just over a month away.

"I've made both semi-finals this season quite easily and I also know now that with a good semi-final run, I can definitely make the finals, which was less of a possibility in the past couple of years.

'It is great to be putting down fast times and making big improvements in the Olympic year and so far, it's been a good build-up toward the Games. It would be nice to lay down a good semi-final run and make the final at the next world cup in Spain next week."

Fellow Olympic-bound Kiwi Mike Dawson also made the semi-finals with a slick 92.40second second run putting him 19^th, but hit trouble in his semi-final and eventually finished 39th.

Frenchman Etienne Daille won the men's K1 final in 100.17secs, ahead of Jan Vondra from the Czech Republic and Austrian Lucien Delfour.