New Zealand rower Mahe Drysdale, who took three consecutive world titles since 2005, has set sight on his first gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.
In the Olympic trials, Drysdale beat compatriot Rob Waddell, Olympic champion in Sdyney, to secure the country's only slot in the men's single sculls event. Waddell lined up with Nathan Cohen in the men's double sculls event.
Asked if he was under huge pressure after beating Waddell, he said:"Not really. The real pressure comes from myself, and I just want to perform to the best of my ability."
The 30-year-old made his first Olympic appearance in Athens and posted a fifth place in the men's four final.
"It (The Olympics) gives you the experience and you know what to expect," he told Xinhua after an one-hour training session on Sunday afternoon.
"You got to realize it is quite different from the world champs and any other regattas," said the single sculler, "Obviously, there are more distractions and it is pretty awesome being in the Olympic village."
Among New Zealand's best bets on golds, Drysdale hoped to continue his dominance in the single event at Beijing Games.
"I hope to dominate again, as it's been a pretty consistent period for me over the last three years," he said of prospect in Beijing, "but first we need to get through the heats and quarter-finals."
He acknowledged: "It's hard to know when you come to the regattas as each one has done his job. I don't know where I am at the moment."
"Someone may be faster than me and maybe I won't win."
Drysdale noted that Ondrej Synek, Olaf Tufte, Alan Campbell, and Marcel Hacker could be his tough opponents. "These guys have always been in the finals every year since 2005 and they all beat me at some point," he said.
He won the World Cup in Poznan, but was beat to second place by Ondrej Synek of Czech in the World Cup in Lucerne in June. Norway's Olaf Tufte was Olympic gold medalist in the single sculls event in Athens.
Drysdale started rowing in university, and gave up after graduation. He came back for rowing in 2001 after watching Waddell winning the single sculls event in Sydney in 2000.
The two-time Olympian arrived in Beijing on Monday and now has two training sessions, one hour each, in the morning and afternoon, at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.
"We got a good team of coaches and also athletes like what we are doing out here," he said, "We are racing and compete against each other and that is the strength of our program."
He acknowledged that high temperature and humidity was a big shock during his first few days in Beijing, but adding that he was starting to get used to it.
After taking many world titles, Drysdale said he was getting more and more famous. "A lot of people know who I am, but probably I am not as big as some of the superstars in China."
"Rowing is a big sport in New Zealand, and we do well in rowing, especially at the Olympics," he told Xinhua, "It is one of the six Olympic squads, and a lot of people took notice of us and supported us."
(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2008)