Ever since Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun combined at the 2019 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, they have never been beaten.

That’s five years of domination of the women’s canoe double 500m event from the Chinese pair.

Sun had previously partnered Yanan Ma, winning Asian Games gold at Jakarta-Palembang 2018, while Xu was with Zheyi Xu at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships that year where they ranked fifth.

A year later, Shixiao Xu and Sun came together to form what has proven to be a formidable partnership.

With 32-year-old Xu in the bow seat and 23-year-old Sun in the stern, the Chinese duo have been unstoppable on the water.

“She is so much more mature and more experienced than me so I just enjoy being on the water, focusing on the direction and the power and leave everything else to her,” said Sun.

Xu and Sun won their first Olympic title on their Games debut, storming to victory in an Olympic best time of 1:57.87, before defending their world title in 2022.

Only the COVID-19 pandemic has scuppered their hopes of even more success over the past five years.

Xu and Sun underlined their dominance in 2023, winning all three of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups as well as triumphing at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships and sealing the Asian Games title.

Gold medals have continued to come their way this year, winning the two ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups before heading to Paris for the Olympic Games.

There was a sense of inevitability when Xu and Sun lined up for the women’s C2 500m final on Friday – and they did not disappoint their fans.

The Chinese pair powered home in 1:52.81 – taking five seconds off their own Olympic record.

Ukraine’s Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Rybachok took silver and Canada’s Sloan MacKenzie and Katie Vincent picked up bronze but they were almost two seconds behind Xu and Sun.

“I am so happy and flattered [to win gold in Paris),” said Xu.

“We just believe in each other and have the same mindset, that’s it.

“We are quite confident because we are focused on ourselves.

“At the last Olympics we were trying to fight for the gold medal whereas this time we were fighting to beak our own record and become better ourselves.”

Up next is the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Samarkand later this month as the Olympic cycle begins to Los Angeles 2028 but Xu and Sun insisted that they need a welcome rest.

“We just want to take a break,” said Xu.

“Los Angeles is still four years ahead of us.

“But at this moment we want a vacation.”