The future of rowing in China hangs on whether the Olympic host can earn its maiden gold medal in five months' time at what remains a fringe sport here, according to local athletes.
"If we make a breakthrough at the Beijing Games, rowing will become a top-priority sport," said Asian Games gold medalist Zhang Dechang, coxswain for the men's eight. "If we fail, rowing will continue along the way it is. It may even go downhill."
China's Long March for an Olympic rowing gold has seen it go through almost two decades of trial and error. Although it has captured two silvers and two bronzes in that period since the women's coxed four earned their first medal at the 1988 Seoul Games, it has never led the field.
A gold medal in Beijing would result in the prestige, funding and popularity that rowing so badly needs to migrate Chinese children away from dreams of joining the NBA or the national basketball, volleyball or water polo teams.
Of the 14 Olympic classes, China won eight berths from last year's World Championships in Munich, where Chinese crews won one gold, one bronze, and two fifth-place and two sixth-place finishes.
Of the remaining six classes, mostly men's events, China still has a chance of featuring at Beijing's Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park depending on how they fare in two Olympic qualifiers in April and June.
Igor Grinko, the Lithuanian-American who coaches China's men's team, thinks his wards have the self-belief to make it happen.
"The crews feel they can win it," he said.
"At the World Championships, there isn't much difference between the first six boats that cross the finish line," said Wang Yue, coach of the women's pairs.
Zhang Xiuyun, a 32-year-old veteran who finished fifth in Munich, will fight before a home crowd for her last Olympics in the women's single sculls against younger rivals like Michelle Guerette of the United States. Other top prospects for China include Tian Liang, 22, and Li Qin, 26, who won the women's double sculls at last year's worlds, as well as world champion 25-year-old Xu Dongxiang in the lightweight class.
Zhou Yinian, the 54-year-old women's head coach, has led Team China through three Olympics. He disputes the contention that the upcoming Games will effectively decide the future of Chinese rowing.
"We still have the National Games to pump up local teams to continue rowing, but I admit that the influence of the sport could remain limited," he said.
