It almost became a reality four years ago in Athens.

Chinese Jiang Yonghua topped the women's 500m time trial with the new Olympic record of 34.112!

No one would expect that Anna Meares of Australia, the last starter, could break it. She renewed the newly-born record and broke China's cycling gold dream in the Olympics.

From then on, people turned their eyes on a new rising star -- Guo Shuang, the world's fifth-ranked rider in sprint and double gold medalist of 500m time trial and sprint at the Doha Asian Games.

Born in Inner Mongolia, Guo started cycling at the age of 13, and after only one year, the talented newer won both 200m and 500m time trials.

Guo went to the Beijing Asian Cycling Training Center in 2001 and was sent to the World Cycling Center in Switzerland one year later, where she met her first foreign coach Frederick Magne.

"On first sight I was drawn to the cute girl. She is smart, talented, and able to understand you quickly. She is the best student I have ever had," said Magne.

Training overseas has proven to be effective. At the 2003 World Youth Track Championships in Moscow, Guo snatched the gold medal in the women's 500m time trial.

The luck had been being with the Chinese rider: she won gold medal at the National Games in 2005, two gold medals in 500m time trial and sprint at the Asian Games in 2006, two bronze medals in sprint and keirin at the World Championships in 2006, and two silver medals in sprint and keirin at the World Championships in 2007.

However, Guo suffered a heavy blow at this year's world championships, where she was placed fifth in sprint.

Before strong rivals such as Willy Kanis of the Netherlands, Jennie Reed of the United States, Natallia Tsylinskaya of Belarus, can she realize the Chinese cycling's gold dream at the Olympics?

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)