Chinese favorites Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun earned a direct berth in the Olympic men's C2 500m canoeing final by topping the heats on August 24.

A clocking of 1:38.916 showcased Meng and Yang's strong potentials to make history for Chinese canoeing who desperately needs its first ever Olympic medal.

Meng, gasping after a stiff competition, said, "We did a good job. Our opponents are very tough, but we beat them."

Meng, 2004 Duisburg World Cup champion, did not reveal his goal. However, Meng and Yang, obviously, have set their sights on a historic Olympic medal.

China's top rowing and canoeing official Wei Di, who was upset about a medal-less show by Chinese rowers, said highly of the two canoeists, saying that the combination of experienced Meng and emerging Yang proved a success.

Liu Aijie, deputy leader of the Chinese canoeing team, said that the duo firmly stuck to the competition plan.

Marek Ploch, coach of Meng and Yang, said the duo just planned to win their heat or at least placed second.

"Before the race, I had a meeting with my athletes and set up a very simple and straight task, to make it to the top two," he said.

Looking at the final, Ploch said, "We are gonna put on a tough fight and never give up."

Another hopeful duo, Xu Linbei and Zhong Hongyan, placed second in the women's K2 500m heats to reach the final, with a target on a medal.

"We are ready for the final," said Xu.

First at the 250m mark, the pair finally came out second, giving way to seven-time Olympic champion Birgit Fischer, who will be going for her third gold in this category. She also qualified for the women's K4 500m final, paving the way for her eighth Olympic title.

Fischer, 42, still feels young.

"It should be nice to win a medal, but it is not the most important thing in my life. It is important for Carolin (her partner), so I want us to win," she said.