Olympic champion Yang Wenjun of China advanced into two finals at the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Guangzhou Canoe World Cup here on Friday.

The 23-year-old came out with two first finishes in the heats of men's single 500m and 1000m Canoe and took direct berths in the finals.

"This is the first time China hosts a Canoe World Cup, I will do my utmost to get better results," he said.

He won a bronze medal in the men's single 500m Canoe at the World Championships in Szeged, Hungary in August, which is the best result China has ever achieved in the event.

"This shows that we still have much potential and gives me more confidence," Yang said.

In the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he paired with Meng Guanliang to win a gold medal in the men's double 500m Canoe, which is the first ever gold for Chinese canoeing and even China's water events.

World Champion Zhong Hongyan also went into the finals of omen's single 500m Kayak directly. In Athens, The 28-year-old veteran came by a fourth place in the women's double 500m Kayak pairing with Xu Linbei.

On the first day for the three-day competition, China has six boats going into the finals.

This is the third and last Canoe World Cup this year, featuring 27 events.

Source: Xinhua