Special report:   2008 Olympic Games

    BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's hopeful for the men's single sculls Mahe Drysdale said on Tuesday that he will stick to his races during the Beijing Olympics without thinking about his possibility for gold.

    In a press conference held in the Main Press Center, he said: "I feel so good now. I will focus on my race and try to perform to my best."

    He noted that he is progressing each day.

    On the question of whether he would retire after the Olympics, he said that he does not have any plan for his rowing career after the Beijing Olympics.

    "I don't have any decision yet. My decision might come in a couple of weeks," the 30-year-old rower said.

    He also said that his pre-Olympics training is going well in Beijing and he is ready for tough races.

    Drysdale won the men's single sculls in the last three World Championships and claimed the titles in three World Cup contests over the past two years.

    Despite being the reigning single sculls world champion, Drysdale has gone a bumpy road in his qualification for the Beijing Olympics. He fought a hard battle against Sydney Olympics Games gold medalist and New Zealand's rowing legend Rob Waddell and won the spot for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

    Drysdale holds dual citizenship of New Zealand and Australia. In the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, there is speculation that he might turn to represent Australia in Beijing if he could not secure a place in the New Zealand's qualified single sculls boat.

    He had given up rowing to concentrate on studying. But he wanted to give himself another chance in rowing when he saw Waddell won the single sculls Olympic title in Sydney in 2000.