Chinese rower Zhang Xiuyun won the semifinal race in women's single sculls race in Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on Wednesday, securing her Olympic berth into the final.

She completed the 2,000-meter race with a result of 7 minutes 31.33 seconds.

"I basically tried my best in the race because I took the semifinal as the final," Zhang told Xinhua in the mixed zone.

"I am in good shape and have enough power," she added.

On her rivals in the group, she said: "Some of them won the World Championships. But I only got some medals in the World Cup contests. This is a semifinal race. Maybe some of them did not try their best or still kept some of their secret rowing tactics. But the final is coming and I will do my utmost to show the best side of me."

She also said that she began to sprint in the second half of the race.

"When I was still 750 meters away from the finish line, I heard loud cheers from so many spectators. Their cheers made my happy and excited. I then began to sprint and row faster and faster. They really did me a good favor," she said.

She said that she followed the leader of the race in the first half of the race as a tactic and began to accelerate and surpass her rivals in the second half of the competition.

Zhang said that in the two intervening days before the final, she would train as usual, just hoping to keep herself in the expected shape.

"Of course, the training would not be as much as in the pre-regatta period," she added.

On her physical conditions, she said that she was suffering from a heart problem and she was very satisfied with the result and with the fact that her heart did not bring any big problem for her.

As for her plan after the Beijing Olympics, she said that she would rest and at present she was not in any position to consider a plan of going for another Olympics.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13,2008)