Chinese Olympic gold hopeful Guo Shuang was out of the women's sprint final for gold, beaten 2-1 by Anna Meares of Australia in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Falling off her bike in the deciding race, Guo bravely stood up to compete. She almost saw the chance to enter into the final after beating the Australian, but the Chinese Olympic hopeful illegally maneuvered Meares out of the way and then she was relegated into the second place.

Guo Shuang took the lead 1-0 by winning the first race with a clear advantage. However, Anna Meares who carried Australia's last chance of a track cycling medal, did not want to surrender that easy and tied the match 1-1 after the second race.

In the other semifinal, Victoria Pentelon is simply too strong for her opponent Willy Kanis of the Netherlands, eliminating the Dutch woman with a decisive 2-0 win.

The 27-year old Briton, who had smashed the Olympic record in the qualifying round, will take on Meares in the final for gold, while Guo Shuang and Willy will fight for the bronze.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)