Rowing events being held in Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park entered its day five on Wednesday, predominantly featuring an unprecedented chase for the finals to be held over the weekend.

Semifinals A/B races of five events including men's single sculls, men's double sculls, women's single sculls and men's four were launched in the park.

Chinese 32-year-old rower, who won a silver medal in women's double sculls at Atlanta Olympics in 1996, came first into the limelight by winning her semifinal race first. She produced a remarkable form reversal in Wednesday's race.

In the semifinal races, Zhang Xiuyun remained in the top-three group for the most of the race. She started her sprint in the last 500 meters and finished the 2,000-meter journey about one and half lengths ahead of the second boat.

"I basically tried my best in the race because I took the semifinal as the final. I am in good shape and have enough power," Zhang told Xinhua in the mixed zone.

In the races of men's single sculls, boats from Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Czech Republic, Britain and New Zealand qualified for final A to be held this weekend.

Swedish rower Lassi Karonen told reporters that he just felt great in the race.

"This is my first Olympics. I found some more power in the middle of the race. It is a tight and exciting race and I will try my best to win in the final," he said.

British rower Alan Campbell, who had won two World Cup contests in Germay's Munich in 2006 and 2008, said that his main task after the semifinal was to get fully recovered for the final.

"Anyone of us can win it. Some have a bigger chance," he commented on his and his rivals' chance of claiming the title in the final.

The men's four events demonstrated a close race. Britain, Slovenia, Australia, Czech Republic and Germany snatched the final berths on offer in the semifinals.

The British crew, who had ruled at the last two Olympics, finished the race with a result of 5 minutes 54.77 seconds. The Netherlands which has continuously been knocking on Britain's door and the current world champions New Zealand were excluded from the finals.

The Czech Republic, however, stepped onto the scene. It finished the second in the semifinal of group B.

"We consider it a small miracle. In our heat we came last, in the Repechage we did slightly better, but to come second in this is pretty good," Czech rower in men's four Milan Bruncvik said.

He attributed their triumph in the semifinal as "a combination of luck and the desire to win".

Wednesday races closed with a repechage of women's eight. Four out of the five boats obtained their tickets for the final, leaving Germany behind to the second batch.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13,2008)