The Tasmanian qualified fourth fastest for the final, and would've been second quickest if not for a two-second penalty for a gate touch.

And unfortunately, two more touches in the final pushed her down to sixth in the final.

However, despite missing out on a podium spot, Eckhardt was happy with her performance in Krakow.

“I was really happy with my paddling in general today, I think I really stepped up the pace,” she said.

“Unfortunately, a couple of touches kept me off the podium, but generally I’m really happy with the way I’ve been paddling. I’m feeling a lot more confident and definitely feel like I’ve improved from last year.

“Next year will be really exciting, especially on one of my favourite courses in Tacen.”

The 22-year-old has learned a lot from this week and revealed she had been battling a shoulder injury during the competition.

“Every race like this is a massive learning experience, I’m definitely going to take a lot away from this week,” Eckhardt said.

“I didn’t have the best lead-in, with actually hurting my shoulder about three days before the race started, so I’ve been having physio three times a day to keep that under control.”