Olympic gold medalist Rob Waddell of New Zealand has set his sight on a second Olympic gold medal in the Beijing Games rowing event.

"I come here for the gold, but the race could be very close," Waddell said at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Park, venue for the Olympic rowing, canoeing and marathon swimming events.

There are six to seven boats which are very close, and among the strongest rivals are Slovenia, France, and China, the 33-year-old said.

Waddell retired from rowing after taking the men's single sculls title in Sdyney in 2000. He stayed out of the sport for seven years as a sailor and only returned at the end of last year.

"I enjoyed rowing and wanted to come back to compete at the Olympics," he said when being asked why he made a come-back.

After losing to three-time world champion Mahe Drysdale in the Olympic trials, he lined up with Nathan Cohen in the double sculls event.

The crew won two 2008 World Cup regettas in Lucerne and Poznan and has become the strongest contender for the Olympic gold medal.

"The half-year training doesn't make me disadvantaged because I am more focused, more driven and more determined," he said.

Waddell, who arrived in Beijing on Monday, started training on the Olympic water course on Wednesday for his dream. He trains two sessions, about one and a half hours each, in the morning and afternoon.

To stand on the top of the podium, the New Zealand rowers even brought along with them ice vests to help them cope with the hot and humid weather in Beijing.

Darryl Reid, physical therapist of the New Zealand rowing team, said: "It is now winter in New Zealand and the weather is very mild. Our rowers need the cooling vests during the training to better get used to the hot summer weather here."

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2008)