Men's four off to a flyer
Great Britain's flagship Olympic boat, the men's four, powered into the semi-finals with an emphatic victory at the Shunyi rowing centre.
Steve Williams, defending the title he won in Athens four years ago, and crew-mates Andy Triggs-Hodge, Tom James and Pete Reed finished a length clear of Italy.
Single-sculler Alan Campbell and the men's double sculls of Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham also opened with victories on a promising first day at Shunyi lake.
Team GB have predicted four rowing medals, which would match their achievement from 2004, but the expectations within the camp are higher than that.
The women's double sculls of Elise Laverick and Anna Bebington registered the fourth fastest time in the field but were disappointed to finish third in their heat.
The men's and women's pairs will also spend Sunday preparing for a repechage after failing to secure automatic qualification from their heats.
Campbell, who hails from Coleraine in Northern Ireland, was the first Briton out on the lake and he suffered no ill-effects from recent knee surgery as he booked a quarter-final berth.
Wells and Rowbotham won their heat in commanding style ahead of Croatia and Estonia to reach the men's pair's semi-finals and send a firm message of intent to the rest of the field.
