With the rowing and sailing over, Great Britain’s best hope for more success on the water come in the shape of Tim Brabants and his canoe. Brabants is holder of a bronze medal from the Sydney Games, but he is not looking for anything less than the gold when he competes in the final of the K1 1,000 metres today.

The lake at Shunyi has proved particularly successful for Britain. As well as six medals won in the rowing, three medals were won on the lake in that last two days in open-water swimming, while, next door on the canoe slalom course, David Florence won a silver medal.

It was in the 1,000 metres that Brabants won his medal eight years ago. More relevant is the fact that he won the world title in Duisburg, Germany, last year, and the European title in Milan in May. He also competes in the 500 metres final tomorrow, but it is the longer distance which holds his greatest hopes - he is in form and the man to beat.

"To come away from this with two medals and one of them gold would be a good Olympics for me,” Brabants, 31, said. “This has been a very successful bit of water for us over the last two weeks.

Multimedia

• Simon Barnes in Beijing

• Bring back the tug-of-war

• Top 100 Olympic athletes of all time

Back to reality for golden generation

Olympic heroes will discover if the last 17 days has been a life-changing experience or a glorious but brief interlude

• Team GB to be rewarded with gold for gold

• Hard work starts now as British sailors look towards London 2012

• Public support gained from success in Beijing needs to last four years

BACKGROUND

• How the Brits became world beaters

• London double-decker arrives in Beijing

• Olympics proves capacity for greatness

• New dawn for British sport as Olympic sun sets

Related Links

• Olympics: day 13 as it happened

• Eason at large: fiercest Olympic competition among sponsors

"Rowing and canoeing are different sports. If we do well in these games, then it would be good for us to show we’re achieving in our own right out there on the water.”

On Monday, Brabants won his heat to qualify directly for the 1,000 metres final - recording comfortably the fastest time in any heat. Yesterday, he finished third in his semi-final to make the 500 metres “I’m definitely feeling better than the last two Games,” Brabants said. “I’m older fitter and stronger, I’m faster and more consistent too and I think the experience of the last two Games helps with that.

“So far it has all gone to plan. The 500 metres is a new event and it is always going to be a tough one, always a lot closer than 1,000 metres.

“The 1,000 metres is the event I’m hoping to get my best result in and it’s also the event I’m more confident in. It’s a two-way thing - being more confident and expecting a better result. The 500 metres is a new event and anything can happen.”

Lucy Wainwright, the European champion in the 200 metres sprint, finished second in her semi-final of the women’s K1 500 metres to progress to the final tomorrow, where she believes she will need to improve to get a medal.

“If I can nail my start then who knows where I could finish?” she said. “I put pressure on myself because I made the finals in Athens. I’m paddling really well at the moment but all the other girls seem to be going much faster.”