:00:51. > :00:59.Had afternoon. Wow! The main man has got a top view of this spectacular
:01:00. > :01:05.city in our Rio morning today. The Winter School has passed and all is
:01:06. > :01:10.calm. The weather is playing ball where we have had two days blown off
:01:11. > :01:16.the schedule at the rowing, but we are going rowing at last. Good
:01:17. > :01:21.afternoon to you. Everything is calm and everything is loosening off, the
:01:22. > :01:26.pressure is lifting a bit down by the beach for very good reasons. For
:01:27. > :01:30.the first four days here in Rio, Great Britain claimed six medals and
:01:31. > :01:35.then in an extraordinary three-hour spell yesterday, they claimed six
:01:36. > :01:40.more, sprinting up the medal table into ninth place, two of them gold.
:01:41. > :01:43.You probably shared all that and we will be reflecting on some of those
:01:44. > :01:48.momentous moment a little later on. There is the promise of much more
:01:49. > :01:51.today. Fingers crossed. The appearance of golf in the Olympics
:01:52. > :01:56.for the first time in over a century and with it two major British
:01:57. > :02:00.winners, and of course a bumper day of rowing finals. Who knows, good
:02:01. > :02:06.things may come to those who wait and wait and wait...
:02:07. > :02:17.And maybe for Catherine the great Granger, a late addition to these
:02:18. > :02:23.games, with her partner Vicky Thornley, renewed hope of defending
:02:24. > :02:28.her skulls titles today. Another action in the men's double sculls,
:02:29. > :02:39.Johnny Walker and Stephen Collins hoping to get onto the podium. The
:02:40. > :02:45.awesome Kiwi duo unbeaten for seven years but all good runs come to an
:02:46. > :02:54.end. The first medal will be won in the men's Quad sculls. They came
:02:55. > :03:00.through the repechage to reach this final for Great Britain. After the
:03:01. > :03:03.brilliant surprise gold for Joe Clarke, Richard Hounslow and David
:03:04. > :03:11.Florence all fired up in the canoe double. This is our timing over the
:03:12. > :03:15.next six hours or so, I'm sure there will be a few surprises to throw in
:03:16. > :03:19.along the way but primarily rowing dominates our agenda, with those
:03:20. > :03:32.finals to come. We've got the Quad sculls, the men's pair, and Granger
:03:33. > :03:39.Thornley. -- and Grainger and Thornley. Some really special stuff
:03:40. > :03:44.on this six day. We've got the six finals at long last in the rowing
:03:45. > :03:46.and we've got the women's all-around, Simone Biles the
:03:47. > :03:55.standout attraction in that from 8pm. Can Hounslow and Florence
:03:56. > :03:59.upgrade their double two canoe gold? We've got the mens rea Bese Evans
:04:00. > :04:03.starting at 6:30pm, Great Britain in action against South Africa at Devon
:04:04. > :04:11.B. And there could be an all action showdown between two of the USA most
:04:12. > :04:15.decorated swimmers, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, in the men's
:04:16. > :04:19.individual medley. It all gets under way in the velodrome as well, and we
:04:20. > :04:24.are positively bursting with excitement here. Ours is a watery
:04:25. > :04:30.focus for the first few hours, as you would expect, with rowing. If
:04:31. > :04:35.you want to do stay on dry land you can certainly do that, if you want
:04:36. > :04:37.to head off to watch the first golf in the living programme since 1908,
:04:38. > :04:42.you can do that as well. An awful lot of focus on who's not in Rio,
:04:43. > :04:47.but let's talk about those people who are the Michelle Wie?
:04:48. > :05:00.COMMENTATOR: Surprise surprise, the golf will continue on BBC Fore!
:05:01. > :05:09.Thank you, Peter. I've just received some news about the pairings,
:05:10. > :05:14.Padraig Harrington and Matteo Manassero. This is bringing back
:05:15. > :05:18.memories from earlier in the summer! Danny Willett and Matt Kuchar are
:05:19. > :05:22.paired together, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia playing
:05:23. > :05:26.alongside Martin -- Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler has got Justin Rose
:05:27. > :05:32.for company, that will be a good one to watch. Henrik Stenson, the Open
:05:33. > :05:38.champion, playing alongside Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand. We
:05:39. > :05:43.wish them well in an historic moment for golf at the Olympic Games. We
:05:44. > :05:47.have lost two days did wind and rain in the rowing. It has frustrated the
:05:48. > :05:51.living daylights out of us. Diamonds are forever but the spectre of gold
:05:52. > :05:57.is a very, very precious thing. For your eyes only now I think we can
:05:58. > :06:08.get down there to two men who really are licensed to thrill...
:06:09. > :06:22.COMMENTATOR: We think this is the most brilliant setting for a James
:06:23. > :06:29.Bond movie. Another day in sporting paradise.
:06:30. > :06:39.Spectacular venue for rowing. This takes it to a new level, doesn't it?
:06:40. > :06:46.Isn't that where the villain is going to live?
:06:47. > :06:54.Well, Job alongside me enjoyed seeing that! Delighted to be here
:06:55. > :07:01.with what is a fantastic morning for us here in prospect. -- Oddjob. It
:07:02. > :07:07.has to be more serious. I have to call you Jaws because I could never
:07:08. > :07:12.get a word in edgeways! Hazel was talking about Catherine date --
:07:13. > :07:19.Katherine Grainger and in a sense it's her date with destiny today,
:07:20. > :07:22.was it worth all the agonising whether to go back to rowing or take
:07:23. > :07:26.the soft option and work in the media? Today is the day we will find
:07:27. > :07:29.out if it was worthwhile. Absolutely, an Olympic final
:07:30. > :07:35.justifies being back in the sport and giving it a great go. Huge
:07:36. > :07:40.day-to-day with six finals and semifinals. There is a lot of
:07:41. > :07:43.pressure on individuals, some of them didn't perform very well in
:07:44. > :07:49.their heats and they are being asked a few questions. In case you're new
:07:50. > :07:54.to rowing or you watch a lot and you think it's a pedestrian event and
:07:55. > :07:58.someone gets out in front and they never get caught, just watch what
:07:59. > :08:03.happened a few moments ago. Like in all sport, any kind of accident can
:08:04. > :08:07.befall anybody at any moment. This is the Chinese women's double sculls
:08:08. > :08:10.who literally just stopped in the middle of their semifinal. They
:08:11. > :08:13.actually did manage to come through to finish in third place and they
:08:14. > :08:18.were perhaps one of the favourites to win that race. No guarantees in
:08:19. > :08:23.this sport, at any moment catastrophe can befall you. With
:08:24. > :08:25.medals at stake today, a lot of you are watching rowing for the first
:08:26. > :08:30.time in this Olympics and you may not have seen all the action here
:08:31. > :08:38.and Lagoa, so here is James Cracknell's guide to the course.
:08:39. > :08:44.This is Roderigo DeFreitas Lake, where the battle for the Olympic
:08:45. > :08:50.medals will take place. Unlike the World Championships where it is
:08:51. > :08:57.decided by the quality of the water, the Olympics have to balance the
:08:58. > :09:03.demands of over 20 sports, so some compromises on venues will have to
:09:04. > :09:08.be made. Is this the perfect rowing lake? No, but in terms of an iconic
:09:09. > :09:14.venue, it is. The majority of Olympic regattas are effectively
:09:15. > :09:18.held in a 2000 metre long swimming pool where the outside lanes are no
:09:19. > :09:21.longer than ten metres away from the bank. Here it is far bigger which
:09:22. > :09:26.creates the potential for the wind to have a much greater impact. The
:09:27. > :09:29.way to offset those problems is to have a tree-lined course which
:09:30. > :09:33.breaks up the win division and evenly, whereas this course is
:09:34. > :09:36.surrounded by mountains which can produce turbulence and some are
:09:37. > :09:40.unfair conditions. Which is OK unless it's windy, which is when the
:09:41. > :09:45.problems can occur, because one lane could be faster than the other. With
:09:46. > :09:49.margins of victory decided by hundreds of a second, the difference
:09:50. > :09:53.between a good lane and a bad lane could be a gold medal or no medal.
:09:54. > :09:56.The best way to combat that is make sure you win your heat, your
:09:57. > :10:02.semifinal and then you will be in one of the best two lanes for the
:10:03. > :10:06.final. This is the Olympic podium, where the medals will be presented,
:10:07. > :10:09.in front of the grandstand. That is the big difference between here in
:10:10. > :10:13.Rio and London four years ago, the size of the grandstands will stop
:10:14. > :10:16.they are much smaller, so the crews will be not running into the same
:10:17. > :10:21.wall of noise as they were four years ago. They will have to find
:10:22. > :10:25.that extra bit of internal motivation. Once they cross the
:10:26. > :10:28.finish line, the work is not done, because it is very close to the end
:10:29. > :10:30.of the lake. Once they cross the finish line, they will have to slam
:10:31. > :10:36.the anchors on! STUDIO
:10:37. > :10:40.Well, that is the view that everybody has been talking about as
:10:41. > :10:50.the iconic image of the Rio Olympics, perhaps. There are Will
:10:51. > :10:53.Fletcher and Richard Chambers. This is our first live action here from
:10:54. > :10:56.Rio on this Thursday morning. Our commentary team is James
:10:57. > :11:10.Cracknell and Gary Herbert. COMMENTATOR: Eight years ago, Hunter
:11:11. > :11:16.and Purchase won the gold medal in this event and eight years on it's
:11:17. > :11:22.down to Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers Great Britain. The first
:11:23. > :11:26.semifinal under way, Germany up there in lane number one, the United
:11:27. > :11:34.States of America in two. France, the world champions, in lane number
:11:35. > :11:38.three. Undefeated in the last year, world champions last year and
:11:39. > :11:44.two-time winners at the World Cup this year. We have Ireland, the
:11:45. > :11:47.Donovan Brothers, Gary and Paul, in lane number four. European champions
:11:48. > :11:58.looking to add the Olympic gold medal to that title. What a season
:11:59. > :12:04.they've had. -- the O'Donovan brothers. Here they are in lane two,
:12:05. > :12:06.one of the favoured lanes. Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers
:12:07. > :12:10.sitting in lane number five, a good start from them as they go through.
:12:11. > :12:14.Richard to the right of your picture. Nice and competitive from
:12:15. > :12:22.the British in the first 300 metres. China in lane number six. The
:12:23. > :12:28.British have started well as you would expect, but the one criticism
:12:29. > :12:32.of them, they have high speed but they made the race faster than it
:12:33. > :12:38.needs to be in that first 500 metres, and sometimes in such a
:12:39. > :12:44.competitive field that can cause a problem in the semifinal. But they
:12:45. > :12:48.are in a perfect position with a strong Irish crew to their right and
:12:49. > :12:52.the world champion French crew a lane further to their right. If they
:12:53. > :13:02.can stick with the French, they will be in the semifinal. -- in the
:13:03. > :13:06.final. No surprise with the French a quarter of a length up on the rest
:13:07. > :13:11.of the world, now into the second 500 metres. They are just scurrying
:13:12. > :13:15.along. This is a transition you wouldn't necessarily see what is
:13:16. > :13:21.going on here but because it's so competitive, they will be off the
:13:22. > :13:25.initial Sprint and still quite high. 38, now coming down to 37 strokes
:13:26. > :13:32.per minute, the French, so into their race rhythm. The next 100 so
:13:33. > :13:38.important here. Length and written, easy boat speed is at the halfway
:13:39. > :13:42.mark, all of these boats will start to turn the screw and look to commit
:13:43. > :13:46.to the second thousand and look to start to commit to fight for a place
:13:47. > :13:54.in an limbic final. What the crews need to do now is almost focus on...
:13:55. > :13:58.The Irish are coming through them and the Irish are not perform crew
:13:59. > :14:04.but they are a sing well. The Brits need to focus on the Americans or
:14:05. > :14:11.the Irish and hold them off and just race one other crew to reach the
:14:12. > :14:15.final. They need to pick their opposition and don't let them come
:14:16. > :14:19.through. If they start inching then very soon those inches turn to feed
:14:20. > :14:24.and feet 20 yards and you're in a bit of trouble. The United States of
:14:25. > :14:31.America into second place at the halfway mark, from Ireland, out in
:14:32. > :14:37.front as they did through the 500 metre mark, they continue to lead at
:14:38. > :14:44.the halfway mark. The French pair, 22 and 27 years of age, both World
:14:45. > :14:51.Cup regattas this year. Undisputed champions last year. They went
:14:52. > :14:54.through the season winning everything and they are the class
:14:55. > :14:59.crew in this event. Great Britain's Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers,
:15:00. > :15:06.they are in fourth at the halfway mark. They were second behind France
:15:07. > :15:10.after 500 metres. When they went through the halfway mark in about
:15:11. > :15:15.three minutes 20 seconds, the world record is ticks .0 five.
:15:16. > :15:24.Talk us through the first 500 metres, James. If you are in fourth
:15:25. > :15:32.place, what have the British crew got to do here Fletch and chambers?
:15:33. > :15:37.They have to start going for it. You've got to make the third five
:15:38. > :15:40.like you... I would say from 800 metres to go is when they start
:15:41. > :15:44.building for home otherwise they will find themselves with too much
:15:45. > :15:49.to do, they're not out of it at all but they almost need to start back
:15:50. > :15:53.on loading their race now, race to 1800 metres because if you can kill
:15:54. > :15:58.people off early, you can get them. You don't want to leave it too late
:15:59. > :16:06.if the final is in reach. We approached the last quarter of this
:16:07. > :16:12.semifinal. They continue to lead and the United States of America are
:16:13. > :16:17.inching back on France. The USA, France lead by half a length and
:16:18. > :16:21.there is a massive battle here between Will Fletcher and Richard
:16:22. > :16:26.Chambers of Great Britain and the O'Donovan brothers of Ireland for
:16:27. > :16:28.that final qualification spot. One of the crews in the mix here will go
:16:29. > :16:41.home very unhappy. This is where the first 100 may pay
:16:42. > :16:46.for the British. That lactic acid build-up will be hurting the British
:16:47. > :16:51.boys now. They are only two or three feet down on the Irish. They have to
:16:52. > :17:00.focus on the Irish and it is now or never for them. They have to go for
:17:01. > :17:04.it now. Everything that Great Britain's Fletcher and Chambers have
:17:05. > :17:08.one before is irrelevant. They have to put everything into the closing
:17:09. > :17:18.150 metres which we are well and truly in here. France are leading.
:17:19. > :17:26.The USA in lane number two coming under considerable pressure from the
:17:27. > :17:33.O Donovan brothers from Ireland. The last few crucial strokes in this
:17:34. > :17:39.first semifinal and the O Donovan brothers now have just rode away.
:17:40. > :17:45.They have got away from Great Britain. They do so by Clearwater
:17:46. > :18:12.over Fletcher 's and Chambers. The United States of America coming
:18:13. > :18:19.into second place and the O Donovan brothers, Gary and Paul from
:18:20. > :18:26.Ireland, what a year they are having. What that does show is the
:18:27. > :18:30.crucial part of pacing your race right. I think the Brits went out
:18:31. > :18:35.too hard. The lactic build-up was too much for them. Yes, they put
:18:36. > :18:40.themselves in a good position but they didn't have anywhere to go. The
:18:41. > :18:47.Irish had that sprint finish and that is what got them across. Great
:18:48. > :18:52.Britain's Fletcher and Chambers, that hearts have been destroyed by
:18:53. > :18:56.the O Donovan brothers. That is how close it is. That was the distance
:18:57. > :19:06.that their dreams were destroyed. They go to the B final.
:19:07. > :19:14.That is our first disappointing performance, would you go along with
:19:15. > :19:21.James and say you agreed with their tactics. I interviewed Richard. They
:19:22. > :19:24.did not get into a rhythm. They looked to be in control of their
:19:25. > :19:28.pace but they're cruising pace was not good enough. You could see they
:19:29. > :19:32.were putting so much more effort in them the boats around them and their
:19:33. > :19:38.boat not moving fast enough for it. James was very much spot on. We
:19:39. > :19:43.should say congratulations to the O'Donovan brothers from Ireland. The
:19:44. > :19:48.press room is full of our colleagues from our TE so they will be hugely
:19:49. > :19:52.encouraged by that. Sadly the British duo do not go into the
:19:53. > :19:56.final. We have been racing here for an hour or so already today. The
:19:57. > :20:01.first race out for Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the winning's
:20:02. > :20:05.pair. They have been unbeaten in four years and years and years but
:20:06. > :20:11.in their race three days ago, they only beat the Danes by the narrowest
:20:12. > :20:14.of margins, so today would be a real test to see how they could pick up
:20:15. > :20:31.on that. Romania have gone through the
:20:32. > :20:38.halfway mark five seconds off of the USA.
:20:39. > :20:43.Very impressive, James? Yes, they obviously thought long and hard
:20:44. > :20:50.about what they did well and what they did not do well in the heat.
:20:51. > :21:01.They did not drop their shopping, they came back. They did not
:21:02. > :21:06.crumble. I think a more powerful controlled rhythm, that is what they
:21:07. > :21:12.are doing now. I think in their heat they were higher than the Danes
:21:13. > :21:17.going at the same speed, here they are raising the same as the
:21:18. > :21:23.Americans. Their boat is moving probably a good length further than
:21:24. > :21:32.the Americans and the South Africans. Helen Glover was 48 races
:21:33. > :21:38.unbeaten and Heather Stanning was 37. It was a narrow margin in their
:21:39. > :21:47.heat. A couple of calls from Helen Glover in the bow seat. They are not
:21:48. > :21:51.having to dig deep like they did in their heat but they are still going
:21:52. > :21:58.to be putting down some power. The USA coming back through from South
:21:59. > :22:06.Africa. We are now at the three quarters mark in this semifinal.
:22:07. > :22:13.1500 metres, the pictures say it all.
:22:14. > :22:26.What they are doing now, they will not race it home. There are two
:22:27. > :22:31.things. They will make sure the American and Kiwi coach sees them
:22:32. > :22:35.not looking tired but they will send a message out to this crew, they
:22:36. > :22:40.will keep the intensity right on it. They can nail the gold medal over
:22:41. > :22:48.the Americans today by distancing them in the semi. They can
:22:49. > :22:54.re-establish the Americans' ambition for second place. We are seeing
:22:55. > :23:00.here, albeit a semifinal, we are seeing the Olympic champions coming
:23:01. > :23:10.down. The Americans where the standout crew in the heats. The
:23:11. > :23:20.Kiwis won their heat. They have more races this week than the opposition.
:23:21. > :23:23.What the Brits need to do now is extinguish any belief that the
:23:24. > :23:28.Americans have that they can beat them for gold and I think they have
:23:29. > :23:34.done that incredibly. Right from the first stroke they went off like
:23:35. > :23:39.scalded cats. 100 metres now, it is Great Britain over the United States
:23:40. > :23:42.of America. 75 out now. The Americans continue to push hard on
:23:43. > :23:48.the line but they will not catch Great Britain who are now squeezing
:23:49. > :23:53.it out. The boat is just running up to the line here. Great Britain from
:23:54. > :23:58.the United States of America, from South Africa. Those three boats
:23:59. > :24:03.through to the final. Now that Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, they
:24:04. > :24:09.are one race away, one big race from the defending their 2012 medal. For
:24:10. > :24:14.Team GB it is all looking pretty good.
:24:15. > :24:17.A resounding and emphatic performance. Maybe a few seeds of
:24:18. > :24:21.doubt were sown in their minds after a couple of days ago but they will
:24:22. > :24:24.have vanished today and they are in good shape going forward to their
:24:25. > :24:32.final on Friday afternoon. Let's have a look at another of our main
:24:33. > :24:36.gold medal hopes which is the men's four. These names are hoping to
:24:37. > :24:41.carve their name into the record books like Vincent, Cracknell,
:24:42. > :24:47.Foster and so many of our other winners. Mohamed Sbihi is a real
:24:48. > :24:56.powerhouse, he is the most extraordinary athlete.
:24:57. > :25:04.The feeling on the water is unparalleled with anything I have
:25:05. > :25:10.ever done. When you look at the boat race and our team, you build a bond
:25:11. > :25:17.for life. My first rowing stroke, I was 15. It was hard. I kept falling
:25:18. > :25:26.in. There were many moments when I wanted to quit because I hated the
:25:27. > :25:32.sport. How are you? Not so bad, and yourself?
:25:33. > :25:40.On that first day, you got me in the River... Within 45 seconds! Lets go
:25:41. > :25:45.and look at the gym. It has not changed much. It has still got that
:25:46. > :25:51.rocky four feeling to it, nice and cold. A back to basics style of
:25:52. > :25:56.training. It was not common in my school for people to row. The common
:25:57. > :26:00.sports were football, basketball and tennis. I thought there could be a
:26:01. > :26:07.prejudice, there were these stigmas that you could row and be public
:26:08. > :26:14.school. It is not true. The first moment when the penny dropped was in
:26:15. > :26:22.2003. I won my age division and it was something that made me think, I
:26:23. > :26:25.can do this. I was born being a Muslim and it has also been my
:26:26. > :26:33.personal choice growing up to carry on with that faith.
:26:34. > :26:40.There has been no produce against me about being a Muslim. It has been
:26:41. > :26:45.very accommodating as they sport to allow me to fast, and I like the
:26:46. > :26:50.fact that I am an ambassador for the religion. I don't like the fact that
:26:51. > :26:53.I am one of the first, but hopefully, that is for the next
:26:54. > :26:58.generation. One of the great sites for the
:26:59. > :27:11.Olympic Games is the final of the men's eights. In the lead up to 2012
:27:12. > :27:14.we had two medals in the World Championships so you go in with high
:27:15. > :27:16.expectations that you will win a gold medal. They slip back to
:27:17. > :27:21.bronze. It was gut-wrenching. There is not one picture of us smiling.
:27:22. > :27:27.Looking back at 2012, it was a big learning curve and I'm fortunate
:27:28. > :27:32.that I have got another Olympics to write my wrong is, as such.
:27:33. > :27:37.He is a very imposing figure, Moe Sbihi. Let's have a chat with James
:27:38. > :27:42.Cracknell. When he walks into a room, there is almost a shadow cast
:27:43. > :27:53.across it because he is such a huge figure and that power is such a
:27:54. > :27:58.driving force in that four? Sorry, John, I was just finishing off the
:27:59. > :28:05.commentary. I could hear you talking about mauve. Every boat needs a
:28:06. > :28:12.massive engine and we were lucky to have one with Matthew Pinsent.
:28:13. > :28:17.Everyone can get the best out of themselves and if you have one in
:28:18. > :28:24.the middle of the boat you want to get the best out of him. If there is
:28:25. > :28:33.one worry, if it is flat conditions, no problem, but I think this British
:28:34. > :28:36.crew rose better than any British group so far throughout the Olympic
:28:37. > :28:42.medals we have got so far and I am sure they will secure the fifth. We
:28:43. > :28:46.have the two semifinals coming up in a minute. We will see the race that
:28:47. > :28:51.Great Britain are not involved in first. A lot of people tend to come
:28:52. > :28:55.to the rowing at the Olympic Games when the medals are up for grabs and
:28:56. > :29:02.that is what is happening today but for the four it is a semifinal. For
:29:03. > :29:07.the men's for, what are the distinct and preferential roles each person
:29:08. > :29:11.have to play? If you start from the bow which is the first person across
:29:12. > :29:15.the line, in a boat without a Cox, you are the only crew member who can
:29:16. > :29:22.see the other three, see you like the coach in the boat. The others
:29:23. > :29:25.have to trust that you are telling the truth and not doing things
:29:26. > :29:30.badly. The two man, that is the powerhouse, two and three, not only
:29:31. > :29:33.in charge of sending down the big strokes but also transferring the
:29:34. > :29:38.rhythm from the straight man, and the three man has two mirror the
:29:39. > :29:44.straight man exactly. They have to have a cool head and a consistent
:29:45. > :29:51.rhythm whether it is paddling, sprinting or the steady state, the
:29:52. > :29:54.majority of your training. You need to maintain the same pattern of
:29:55. > :30:03.rowing whether it is paddling or racing flat out. That is what
:30:04. > :30:08.Louloudis does. Then you have the guys in the middle, Moe and George
:30:09. > :30:13.Nash who are putting the power down. They have all the elements of a
:30:14. > :30:16.fantastic crew. If they can blend it together we should have something
:30:17. > :30:23.special today and tomorrow. Yes, it is a semi, but you can win the final
:30:24. > :30:30.by winning the semi. They have got to do that here. That is the second
:30:31. > :30:33.semifinal coming up in a few moments time, not surprisingly, after the
:30:34. > :30:40.first. You can see the solitary Russian boat taking part at this
:30:41. > :30:47.regatta. What can we expect from them, Garry?
:30:48. > :30:53.It is a combination of cruise which came through the qualification
:30:54. > :30:59.spots. They are in lane one which should not deter the USA,
:31:00. > :31:07.particularly. They are coming under starter 's orders.
:31:08. > :31:13.Into an increasing crosshead breeze. The first semifinal of the men's
:31:14. > :31:14.heavyweight coxless four. The crews to watch are the Italians and
:31:15. > :31:28.Australians. Australia, the world's silver
:31:29. > :31:32.medallist last year. The Italians take it on high, they settle high,
:31:33. > :31:36.they come in high and they just hope in between that they have a bit of
:31:37. > :31:45.speed! They entertain the crowd and they will do that from lane four.
:31:46. > :31:57.Leading the Italians down lane number four, Giuseppe Vicino. All
:31:58. > :32:02.these crews are now focusing on winning the semifinal and as you can
:32:03. > :32:07.see the water just coming up here, it's all about winning and just
:32:08. > :32:10.getting through, James. Well, it's about getting through, yes, but for
:32:11. > :32:14.the Australians it's not about winning but sending another message
:32:15. > :32:19.to the British that they have been in a couple of tussles with this
:32:20. > :32:22.year and come on the wrong side of them that they are actually going to
:32:23. > :32:30.challenge them and start making sure that the other crews don't challenge
:32:31. > :32:35.them silver and gold, they stick to the bronze medal. The Italians,
:32:36. > :32:40.though, these aren't the right conditions for them to use their
:32:41. > :32:47.flat out and keep going flat out tactics. The Americans, it's their
:32:48. > :32:51.top flagship boat, the men's eights, going -- not going to set the world
:32:52. > :32:55.on fire, and if an American team will get a medal it will be in the
:32:56. > :33:01.men's four. Before Great Britain came along and dominated this event
:33:02. > :33:06.at the Linda games since Sydney 2000 it was Australia in 92 and 96. This
:33:07. > :33:12.is the top Australian boat, stroked now by Alex hill going through our
:33:13. > :33:19.picture and leading out the rest of the field being pushed hard by the
:33:20. > :33:24.United States. The Italians, the world champions, they are in amongst
:33:25. > :33:28.it all and they make life so hard for themselves, they've been dropped
:33:29. > :33:32.in this first thousand here and they've been dropped big style by
:33:33. > :33:39.the Australians in lane number three. Look at the conditions here
:33:40. > :33:42.but by just shy of one length it is Australia over the United States of
:33:43. > :33:48.America and the world champions have clawed their way back into third
:33:49. > :33:53.place. They've clawed their way back but there is still clear water to
:33:54. > :34:01.the Australians. John asked me before the race what makes a good
:34:02. > :34:04.four and the power of Mo Sbihi but no Australian is more powerful than
:34:05. > :34:08.any of the British in our four. That's how much armoury the British
:34:09. > :34:17.have and it's about transferring it across. It was a length up after 500
:34:18. > :34:21.gun, a length up after a thousand. Australia, hill, booth, Dunc Lee
:34:22. > :34:29.Smith and Lockwood leading the first semifinal of this first men's
:34:30. > :34:37.heavyweight coxless four. Now long and loose and lengthening out into
:34:38. > :34:41.the hundred metres. Gone are the days when the United States used to
:34:42. > :34:46.focus on and win the men's eight, here they are in the four, back off
:34:47. > :34:52.the Australians. The Australians smooth and look at that, and easy
:34:53. > :34:56.rhythm. The boat is gliding over the top. The fight is on for the third
:34:57. > :35:03.qualification spot right now as we go through 12.50. It is South Africa
:35:04. > :35:07.closest in that last shot, to Italy, and the world champions are in third
:35:08. > :35:11.but it's not looking great for the Italians, because they will be
:35:12. > :35:19.pushed hard to the line. Look at the line there across the buouys. South
:35:20. > :35:22.Africa taking it on and coming through the South Africans and
:35:23. > :35:25.oblivious to all of that is Australia out in front, they've got
:35:26. > :35:29.their own troubles and looking to the United States in lane two. There
:35:30. > :35:37.is the Americans, pushing on hard. They are thinking about improving on
:35:38. > :35:40.every aspect of their rowing, the Australians. The Americans are
:35:41. > :35:44.racing well but they are scrapping for a bronze medal. As I said at the
:35:45. > :35:50.start, not the perfect conditions for the Italians. This race being
:35:51. > :35:53.ten or 20 seconds longer than normal, they can't use their sprint
:35:54. > :35:58.flat out and keep going because the track is too long for them. The
:35:59. > :36:03.South Africans sneaking up on the outside, they will race very well
:36:04. > :36:08.and if they can put the Australians -- the Italians out that would be a
:36:09. > :36:13.massive feather in their cap. They're all about 38 strokes per
:36:14. > :36:18.minute. The one standout as it always is in the closing stages,
:36:19. > :36:22.it's Italy, and the Italians are up at 43 strokes per minute! They are
:36:23. > :36:25.taking a clear five strokes per minute more than everyone around
:36:26. > :36:29.them here and they are now coming back and seeing some dividends from
:36:30. > :36:33.that because the United States are going left as we look at that. You
:36:34. > :36:38.don't want to go there, you want to go right and fast. Here come the
:36:39. > :36:42.Italians, pushing on against South Africa, upfront by clear daylight is
:36:43. > :36:47.the Australian group looking to qualify in this first semifinal here
:36:48. > :36:53.at as we look back at the crews, the Americans at the top of your
:36:54. > :36:56.picture, their race is over. How brave the Italians are, going at 45
:36:57. > :37:00.strokes per minute, they've been doing that for the last 30 seconds
:37:01. > :37:12.and this is a brave painful way to race. The Americans put their top
:37:13. > :37:17.four blokes in the coxless fours. Very impressive from the Australian
:37:18. > :37:20.pairing here and South Africa in the second thousand came through strong
:37:21. > :37:25.and they are through in second place and the world champions is
:37:26. > :37:29.absolutely give the crowd a delightful performance. They were
:37:30. > :37:33.languishing at the field in the first 500 metres and they had to
:37:34. > :37:40.whip it along in the middle thousands and they had us all on the
:37:41. > :37:44.back row seat for the last five. Led by Giuseppe Vicino, the world
:37:45. > :37:48.champions will entertain us again come the Olympic final, they qualify
:37:49. > :37:52.in third place, but that's what it's taken out of them, James. It has
:37:53. > :37:56.taken out of them and I thought they were cooked with 80 minutes to go
:37:57. > :38:02.because the race was longer than they are normally used to. -- with a
:38:03. > :38:08.few minutes to go. But they practice, they train like that and
:38:09. > :38:12.they hold their hands on the flame. They obviously like lactic acid!
:38:13. > :38:15.They seem to feed off it in ways that other crews don't. The
:38:16. > :38:19.Australians have set themselves up well for a battle with the British,
:38:20. > :38:28.who I'm assuming we'll win the second semifinal. Rowing in eight is
:38:29. > :38:32.different to rowing in four, it is powerful, flat-out, dynamic. Some
:38:33. > :38:37.are good at eights and don't transfer it well to a four. I say
:38:38. > :38:43.put your best for blokes in the boat you learned to row in. -- your best
:38:44. > :38:49.four blokes some point we're just waiting for the final confirmation
:38:50. > :38:54.of the results. The first semifinal of the men's heavyweight four,
:38:55. > :38:57.Australia, South Africa and Italy, and more remarkable for South Africa
:38:58. > :39:02.they were 13th at the World Championships last year and what a
:39:03. > :39:09.difference 12 months makes, they are now in the Olympic final. Their time
:39:10. > :39:15.there was 6.11. Six minutes and 11 seconds and a world record is 5.30
:39:16. > :39:20.seven. Eight 30 second longer race than ideal. That is where I thought
:39:21. > :39:27.they might struggle, where they found the extra energy for the last
:39:28. > :39:37.30 seconds, I don't know. If the conditions are fast in the final,
:39:38. > :39:45.they will do well. Great Britain coming down in the second semifinal
:39:46. > :39:49.here and the crowds here quite early hoping for good racing and they are
:39:50. > :40:02.starting to see that now. There is the starting line-up. For the men's
:40:03. > :40:08.second semifinal. France, Canada, Gregory, Sbihi. We await with such
:40:09. > :40:28.anticipation. Good afternoon to BBC One viewers,
:40:29. > :40:33.we are watching events in the rowing, Great Britain in the second
:40:34. > :40:36.semifinal of the men's four lining up as they attempt to win a fifth
:40:37. > :40:41.gold medal in a row in this event. For those of you watching this on
:40:42. > :40:42.BBC Two, we would now ask you to switch over for
:40:43. > :40:47.20,000 square miles of rugged coastline,