By sportswriter Ji Guohua

     ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese cycling team is eyeing a historic breakthrough by winning a gold medal in the women's 500m time trial of track cycling at Athens Olympics.

    "Of course we want a number one place," Wang Yongqing, Chinese coach of women's 500m time trial, told Xinhua.

    The hope pins upon the 31-year-old Jiang Yonghua, who set the world record of 34.000 seconds in the discipline at 2002 World Cupin Kunming, China.

    Runner-up at World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, in May, the Chinese rider must have a life-and-death fight with everyrival, specially with Natallia Tsylinskaya of Belarus, number one at the World Championships in 2000, 2002 and 2003. In 2004, she was fifth with 34.913 seconds.

    Tsylinskaya, aged 29, has so far won the 500m time trial champion at World Cup for 10 times, and the sprint title at World Cup for eight times.

    Current world champion Annan Meares of Australia, will be another strong contender for Jiang.

    The Australian clocked 34.342 seconds, making her debut at the World Championships totally successful.

    In this year's four-leg World Cup, she clocked in 34.597 for second place in Aguascalientes, Mexico, second tour of the event.

    Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania, aged 22, obtained an impressive progress at this year's World Championships by scoring 34.788 seconds, which contributed her third place.

    At the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2003, the Lithuanian rider only ranked 15th with 35.534 seconds. In this year's World Cup, she didn't contest.

    The fourth-placed Yvonne Hijgenaar at Melbourne World Championships will be also a rival to look to.

    At the age of 22, she clinched 34.859 seconds this May, less than the 34.763 she got at last year's World Championships.

    She also won the World Cup in Manchester, Britain, and the one in Sydney, Australia, with 35.189 and 35.100 seconds, respectively.

    The 26-year-old Mexican Nancy Contreras had a disappointing performance at the World Championships in 2004 with 35.313 seconds.She didn't take part in the World Cup this year, either.

    But Nancy ranked second at last year's World Championships and was number one in World Cup overall ranking in 2003.

    On August 20, when the decisive 500m time trial final begins inthe Olympic Velodrome in north of Athens, will the Chinese cyclinggolden dream come true? Enditem