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BEIXIAOYING TOWN, China (AP) -- The U.S. women's eight already has a gold medal this year. Sure, the World Cup is nice, but it's no substitute for Olympic gold placed around the neck.

One more win and they will know the feeling.

The U.S. women's eight crew won its heat Monday, automatically advancing to the final and getting in prime position for a shot at gold.

"I think there's more in there," said Erin Cafaro. "It's good and we're grooving pretty well."

Cafaro, Lindsay Shoop, Anna Goodale, Elle Logan, Anna Cummins, Susan Francia, Greensboro's Caroline Lind, Caryn Davies and coxswain Mary Whipple pulled away early and cruised to the finish in 6 minutes, 6.53 seconds.

The race was delayed a day when rain wiped out competition on Sunday.

"We had a great race rehearsal due to the weather, and I think that really helped us visualize," Whipple said. "We got to the line very calm. We just wanted to trust each other and just think about us. We just thought about maximizing our boat speed and driving it the whole way."

They started in a hard rain that cleared by the time the bow reached the bubbly finish line. The women will skip the repechage - the second-chance race - and prepare for Sunday's final.

The break is especially helpful for Cummins, the only U.S. rower competing in two events. She's in the pair with Portia McGee.

The U.S. women's eight won gold in a World Cup regatta in June in Lucerne, Switzerland, but the lineup was shuffled for the Olympics, with Cummins, Whipple and Davies added.

The U.S. men's eight finished second in its heat behind Britain with a time of 5:29.60 and will row Tuesday in the repechage. Three members of the crew that won the first U.S. gold medal in 40 years in that event at Athens returned to defend their title.

"Great Britain sort of controlled the middle 1,000 meters, and obviously, we have to go back and try to find a way to contain them there," said American Wyatt Allen.

Romania won the other women's eight heat and advanced to the final. Canada took the other men's eight heat.

The one hitch came in the men's eight when expected medal contender Australia had a jammed rudder and finished in last place. The boat nearly came to a complete stop and coasted across the finish line, well behind Britain.

American Michelle Guerette advanced to the semifinals in the single sculls with a time of 7:28.91. Guerette placed fifth in Athens as part of the quadruple sculls, but she's since become the top U.S. women's single sculler.

"It wasn't an easy race, but I felt like at the 1,000 (meter mark) it had the potential to be under control," Guerette said. "But, it's the Olympics and nobody mellows out at the 1,000 even if they are up on the pack. It was definitely a push all the way to the finish as everybody wants that top seed."

American twin brothers Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss won their second-chance heat in the men's pair in 6:36.87.

Megan Kalmoe and Ellen Tomek won the double sculls heat in their repechage in 6:58.84.