BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese crew rowing in the lightweight men's four said here Sunday that they performed quite well in the heat race held in Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.

    "We rowed as expected and we did it quite well," Tian Jun, one of the crew, told Xinhua soon after the heat race.

    The Chinese crew finished the race with a result of 5 minutes 51.30 seconds, the first of heat 1 in the boat class, followed by boats of Great Britain and Australia.

    "We rowed as we planned. The result is quite good. But it is hard to say if it is the best, because you can get a different result in a different race or in a different competition venue," one of the crew member echoed.

    On the performance of the Chinese team, British rower James Lindsay-Fynn said that the Chinese crew were the favorite for the event.

    "They were very brave crew. Very dynamic," he said.

    The Chinese crew have been considered one of the favorite for the gold medal in the event. They won the gold medal in the World Championship held in Eton, Great Britain, in 2006 and claimed the titles in two World Cup contests this year.