China's women archers are tired of playing second fiddle to South Korea at the Olympics and hope to make up for lost ground after losing to their Asian neighbors by a single point in the team event at the 2004 Athens Games.
South Korea's women rank as five-time defending champions in the team event, which was introduced at the Seoul Games in 1988. Archery was reintroduced to Olympics at 1972 Munich Games.
But with home fans expecting more of China at this August's Beijing Games, only a win will suffice.
"We have been the runner-ups four times (twice in the team event), so the fans really want us to break our gold drought," said Zhou Yuan, China's archery management chief.
China has four Olympic silver medals at the sport-all from its women. He Ying is the most decorated archer, having finished second in the individual event at Atlanta 1996 and second with the team in a windswept Athens.
Zhou said it is time to look for fresh blood.
"China should rely on its young archers at the Olympics because they have a strength that the veterans simply do not possess."
The three-woman Chinese team also finished runner-up in Barcelona in 1992.
China's hottest prospects include world No 5 Zhang Juanjuan, 27, who clinched the year-ending World Cup Final. She also featured in the silver medal-winning Athens team.
While Zhang failed to impress at the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic test event last August, she was not put off by her fifth-place finish.
"The purpose of competing (there was) to familiarize myself with the venue and the atmosphere," she said.
Twenty-year-old Shanghai native Qian Jianling finished second to Zhang at the 2006 World Cup Final and is also in contention for her maiden Olympic medal this summer
Qian, who joined the national team at 13 and won the individual title at the 10th National Games four years later, is unfazed by the Koreans' dominance of the event.
"I don't like people saying we are afraid of the Koreans," she said. "They are not unbeatable."
Three-time Olympian He, 31, knows this will probably be her last shot at gold.
"I would swap my two silvers for one gold any day," she said.
"Chinese archers have made rapid progress and I would like to join the younger players in winning our first gold."
China will send three men and three women to the Olympic archery competition. After intensive training in Guangzhou, the 24-member national team is now being put through its paces to decide who deserve the Olympic berths.
