China took home three golds and a silver at the World Rowing Championship in August,their best results ever. The red-chip performance shows the country's ambition of scoring a breakthrough in the 2008 Olympics.

China began participating in the Olympic rowing competition at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. In Seoul 1988, China brought home a silver and a bronze, their first medals at the Games, and twelve years later, missed gold again with a silver and bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Cao Jingwei, China's team manager, believes the good form at the 2006 world championship have boosted the team's confidence to grab their first gold medal in Beijing 2008.

"The lightweight women's double scull has stayed level, gaining two champions at previous World Cup stops and then the championship," Cao said. "The lightweight men's quadruple coxless have leapfrogged to first from 6th-place in this year's World Cup match, winning 1.83 seconds clear of second-place France. "

"We are training hard, and the nation will see the results in 2008, " Cao said. "The development of a sport is not scaled by Olympic medals, but we'll strive for a gold."

China led the medal board of the championship with powerhouses Germany and Australia, each taking three golds. While Germany, Australia, and host Britain dispatched an over-100-rower contingent each, China sent a 65-strong team.

But Cao knew his team's advantages in the sport are limited

"Chinese rowers are tall and lanky and quite fair at the lightweight class," Cao said. "While in the regular class, European and American rowers are much taller and bigger with a better ratio of body and legs. That puts us at a disadvantage."

Besides the difference in body shape Cao indicated finances as another factor hindering the team's improvement.

"Rowing is a costly sport in training and playing matches," Cao said. "As China lags behind in boat-production technology, all our boats were made in Germany. " "With the money for a boat, you could buy an Audi A6," he joked.

In spite of the cost, rowing has its own appeal to non-athletes.

"The women's and men's coxed eight teams are selecting coxes, "Cao said. "This is the only opportunity for civilians to compete with athletes at an Olympic venue."

"There will be some weight and height limits on coxes. Moreover, coxes should have an open and inspiring character and act as the rowers' assistant coach and administrator. "

Rowing has been an Olympic sport since 1896, and there will be 11 rowing medals to be won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. China established a rowing federation in 1973. 

(China Daily September 7, 2006)