The lure of Olympic gold is the driving force for Britain's canoe sprinters, medal hopeful Liam Heath said today.

With Tim Brabants, Olympic champion in Beijing, struggling to keep up with the fastest competitors in the 1,000 metre event, all eyes will turn to Heath and team-mate Jon Schofield on Friday.

The crew compete in the two-man kayak over 200 metres at Eton Dorney in a new Olympic event and, having claimed the European Championships in 2010, will be hoping for a medal.

Meanwhile, Ed McKeever, who won gold in last year's world cup series, could possibly be the last member of Team GB to claim gold on Saturday.

All three have been training in Barcelona on the city's Olympic course from 1992 and have only just returned to London this week.

Speaking ahead of the K2 heats, 27-year-old Heath said the training in Barcelona had gone well.

He said: "The lure of a gold medal is every athlete's dream. I love paddling and competing and that's what gets me out of bed in the morning.

"I want to test myself, to see what I can do - that's my driving force. To be able to realise that dream would be an unbelievable achievement."

Schofield said he hoped the popularity of kayak sprinting would take off following the competition.

He added: "We are never going to get this opportunity again. Being out in Barcelona, competing on the lake they used in 1992, made me realise Eton Dorney will still be here as an Olympic course in 20 years time."