After winning two World Cup races in June, canoeists Yang Wenjun and Meng Guanliang are no doubt gold medal favorites for Beijing Olympics in August.

"We competed with nearly all the world top crews in the World Cup regattas, but we triumphed over them," said Meng Guanliang. "This made us very excited."

"At the World Cups, our training was proven very efficient," he said.

The straight wins in the flatwater World Cups, the last major events before the Summer Olympics, have boosted their morale as they are seeking their second Olympic gold.

Four years ago in Athens, Yang and Meng won the men's canoe double (C2) 500 meters in a photo finish, bringing home China's first Olympic gold medal in the sport.

"We are faster and in better form compared with four years ago, but there is still room for us to improve and we haven't reached our best, said Yang Wenjun.

Meng took one year off after the National Games in 2005 and returned for the Beijing Olympics in October 2006, only to find he had to train harder to lose weight.

The 31-year-old was over 100 kilograms then, compared with less than 90kg in 2004.

He did not pair with Yang Wenjun until early this year. Chinese sports officials believed that the duo had a better chance of winning an Olympic gold when working together rather than separately.

"I returned because I could not resist the temptation of the Beijing Games, as one could have only one chance in his lifetime to compete in the Olympics on home water," Meng said.

"If I missed the Games, I could regret it all through my life," he said. "I wanted to strive for a second Olympic gold and leave no regret for my sports career."

The two insisted that there would not be problems with the line-up despite the three-year separation.

"There will not be any problems with us. We can do better in the run-up to the Olympics," said 25-year-old Yang.

Tens of thousands of home spectators may also help them make their dream come true in August.

Coach Marek Ploch, however, warned them against the enormous pressure brought by the home crowds. The Canadian said he had told the pair to get prepared for the loud cheers of supporters.

Yang said he would rather see loud cheers as a motivation. "We'll face loud cheers and seas of our national flags," he said. "We'll prepare for the worst, but we are here for our second gold."

In order to help the two defend their title, the national canoeing team has equipped them with six research coaches to help them improve performance.

Meng admitted that as the Beijing Olympics neared, the training would become much tough.

"We'll work out a better team and adjust our form to leave the best for the Olympics," said Meng.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)