2017 - Racice

:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to our coverage of the 2017

:00:09. > :00:10.European Rowing Championships from the Czech Republic

:00:11. > :00:13.and the beautiful little town of Racice,

:00:14. > :00:18.about 40km from the capital of Prague.

:00:19. > :00:26.It has been a court of a century since this many boats descended on

:00:27. > :00:31.the lake and back in 1993 it was for the world rowing Championships. It

:00:32. > :00:34.is the best of Europe we will see out on that water today.

:00:35. > :00:35.The four-year journey to Tokyo kicked off

:00:36. > :00:39.Here's the story of the season so far.

:00:40. > :00:49.Here we are together to kick-off a new season with lots of new faces.

:00:50. > :00:55.A very good start for the women's pair of Great Britain. The

:00:56. > :01:03.Netherlands have taken out the crew from Great Britain. A major, major

:01:04. > :01:08.upset. The British boys will have to dig deep. Surely the British have

:01:09. > :01:11.done enough to get first place? Some really exciting performances already

:01:12. > :01:19.that I think bode well for the future. They have responded well and

:01:20. > :01:25.they are dominating this field. That is a phenomenally talented athlete.

:01:26. > :01:34.A lot to be done. It is all about learning. Really nice way to cap a

:01:35. > :01:41.good weekend of racing and your first victory. Good on you.

:01:42. > :01:44.So, the racing is just about to get underway and James and Katherine are

:01:45. > :01:49.here to talk through the British prospects. Katherine, looking back

:01:50. > :01:54.to Belgrade three weeks ago, what to make of that now with a bit of

:01:55. > :01:57.hindsight? With hindsight it was a fantastic start a competition for

:01:58. > :02:06.the British team. It is a very different team that we saw in Rio.

:02:07. > :02:08.They are young and it was tough racing but in a slightly weakened

:02:09. > :02:11.international field. There were a lot of countries we would have

:02:12. > :02:17.expected to compete against who were not in Belgrade so here it is much

:02:18. > :02:21.tougher. James, what will they have been concentrating on? The first

:02:22. > :02:27.concentration period they had after the Regatta was getting to know each

:02:28. > :02:30.other. Now what are the result they had there, they have to step up

:02:31. > :02:34.massively here because it was a weak field but now the Germans have come

:02:35. > :02:37.in, the big boys of European rowing are here so they will know they have

:02:38. > :02:40.to raise their game to cope with that and from the heats they will

:02:41. > :02:45.have to raise their game from the heats to the final otherwise they

:02:46. > :02:57.will be on the end of a hiding. You and I both raced here. I am wincing,

:02:58. > :02:59.it was nearly 25 years ago back in 1993. What can you remember about

:03:00. > :03:02.the lake then and what challenges does it pose for the cruise? You are

:03:03. > :03:05.wincing, you can thirst! I did not! The big similarities when we came

:03:06. > :03:09.here in 1993 after the Barcelona Olympics, here it is after the real

:03:10. > :03:15.Olympics. You're not going to win your Olympic medal but you can stake

:03:16. > :03:20.your claim in the events. The German men's eights lost out in Rio. Five

:03:21. > :03:24.have come back and they are clearly laying their marker down for Tokyo.

:03:25. > :03:27.That is the replication of a post-Olympic year in 1993 and

:03:28. > :03:31.countries will have their eye on the boat and see how fast they are

:03:32. > :03:36.against the other opposition. This is where people need to put their

:03:37. > :03:39.stakes out. Katherine, your career does not quite go back a quarter of

:03:40. > :03:42.the century, the European Championships has come to the fore

:03:43. > :03:47.in the last four or five years, it is a fully fledged event now, really

:03:48. > :03:52.exciting but great prospects for next year? Yes, a big change. Next

:03:53. > :04:09.it turns into a European Championships and it is a multisport

:04:10. > :04:12.event. Two things, so one is it will be in Glasgow so it will be a home

:04:13. > :04:14.event. A good test. But the multisport brings a different

:04:15. > :04:17.dimensional and it is one that in rowing you rarely get to experience.

:04:18. > :04:20.Once every four years is the Olympic Games which is a multisport event

:04:21. > :04:23.but now there is the chance to have one at a European level. It will be

:04:24. > :04:26.a big test but also preparation for Tokyo. OK, here is what is coming up

:04:27. > :04:30.before five o'clock today. It was on an emotional silver in

:04:31. > :04:35.Rio, now Vicky Thornley is planning a lonely path in the women's singles

:04:36. > :04:39.sculls. Catherine went to meet up with her old team-mate. I thought it

:04:40. > :04:54.would be Rio and then that would be it but this sport gets you

:04:55. > :04:58.hooked, as you know! We will meet another member of the British Rowing

:04:59. > :05:01.team. Introducing Jonny Walton of the men's quad. Being side to side,

:05:02. > :05:04.that is what we train for. And we will find out how the doubles get

:05:05. > :05:07.on. The first event we will turn to is the women's pair. So often the

:05:08. > :05:11.boat class Britain has been successful in with Helen Glover and

:05:12. > :05:15.Heather Stanning in the last four years. Now it is the turn of Karen

:05:16. > :05:20.Bennett and Holly Norton. Karen won an Olympic silver in the women's

:05:21. > :05:24.eight in Rio and they both together in this new competition won a gold

:05:25. > :05:29.in the opening World Cup in Belgrade three weeks ago. That was only a

:05:30. > :05:40.three boat field. It will be a lot tougher here. James has gone across

:05:41. > :05:42.to join Garry Herbert in the commentary box and they will talk

:05:43. > :05:50.you through the first race of the afternoon.

:05:51. > :06:00.Then it and Norton of Great Britain are under a lot of pressure from

:06:01. > :06:04.Denmark in a number four. Italy in one, Spain and France in a number

:06:05. > :06:09.six, watch here, it is so important in the second 500 to really nail it.

:06:10. > :06:14.That gives you length, rhythm, power and that will give you the

:06:15. > :06:19.confidence to step on. That is now what the Romanian team are doing.

:06:20. > :06:25.They have opened up Clearwater in lane three. The problem is they have

:06:26. > :06:30.to keep their heads up, keep it long, keep it sharp so they don't

:06:31. > :06:35.come down into the boat here. They are well ahead of Spain, France and

:06:36. > :06:42.Italy. It is pride for them now. This is a big step up from the

:06:43. > :06:47.Regatta we had three weeks ago. The differences the Brits are in a race

:06:48. > :06:51.with no one. Denmark are raising Romania and Romania are raising

:06:52. > :06:56.Denmark. The Brits could get shutout in No Man's Land. The remaining have

:06:57. > :07:00.led their colours very starkly on the sun lounge. They have put

:07:01. > :07:04.themselves firmly in the first three quarters of the race. They have the

:07:05. > :07:09.pedigree and experience to hold on. I think Denmark, having that Olympic

:07:10. > :07:12.medal will come and row Romania down but they have put themselves in a

:07:13. > :07:19.perfect position with a couple of minutes left. Coming up to 1500

:07:20. > :07:24.metres. If Romania put the sun lounge out there, it looks like the

:07:25. > :07:28.Danish pair have stolen the towels because now they will step up. This

:07:29. > :07:35.will be a really good last 50 strokes. They have closed the gap

:07:36. > :07:38.again in the last 250 metres. There is clear water between Denmark and

:07:39. > :07:42.Great Britain here. Really disappointing so far for the Brits.

:07:43. > :07:46.It will be really hard to turn the speed around and get back into

:07:47. > :07:53.contention here for the British team of Karen Bennett and 24-year-old

:07:54. > :07:56.Holly Norton. Eddisbury hard for Denmark while second. The Romanian

:07:57. > :08:01.pair have not been successful for a long time so they will not let this

:08:02. > :08:05.go. They have put themselves pulp position. The Danes may be

:08:06. > :08:10.regretting the slow first 250 metres of the race. They have defined a

:08:11. > :08:18.change of gear now. Romania have gone early. Madalina Beres and Laura

:08:19. > :08:24.Oprea of Romania. They doubled up in the pair where they finished ninth

:08:25. > :08:33.in the Olympics. Denmark are the bronze medallists. They are looking

:08:34. > :08:38.very dynamic, very dynamic. Very sharp. I thought they may have

:08:39. > :08:43.nailed it through the middle 500 to much but they have stepped on and

:08:44. > :08:51.looking very dynamic. They are stretching out here, a length of

:08:52. > :08:58.Clearwater from Denmark. Romania know they are comfortable. It will

:08:59. > :09:03.take a massive turn of speed here for Great Britain to get back into

:09:04. > :09:06.the silver medal position. Look at that water, coming up to the line

:09:07. > :09:13.here and still Romania are putting the power down and so they should,

:09:14. > :09:16.they have done it in style. They are the European champions for 2017.

:09:17. > :09:20.They have opened their Olympiad in fine form. Great Britain's Karen

:09:21. > :09:25.Bennett and Holly Norton threw in bronze. They will be slightly

:09:26. > :09:27.disappointed with that, especially given the first 1000 they were in

:09:28. > :09:36.amongst in the race. The first final but there were

:09:37. > :09:42.patches where they slipped right out of the race? They were leading it in

:09:43. > :09:48.the thick of the field. The Romanian pair, dislike them back to the late

:09:49. > :09:53.early to thousands, we have not seen a strong remaining pair for a long

:09:54. > :09:59.time but we know they have calibre. They were threat in the early

:10:00. > :10:05.rounds. The Danish pair were a good calibre. Half the crew were Olympic

:10:06. > :10:10.medallists. The GB crew were hanging on to the Danish group for most of

:10:11. > :10:14.the race. It is not a disastrous performance but after their great

:10:15. > :10:18.result three weeks ago, in a weakened field are admittedly, they

:10:19. > :10:27.will be disappointed. I still think it is a building block for them. Do

:10:28. > :10:32.you think some other nations will prioritise this event even more than

:10:33. > :10:35.we will? The stories round the boat park is that some nations, this is

:10:36. > :10:40.as big as the World Championships for them. To Great Britain it is

:10:41. > :10:44.not, it is very much one of the steps on the journey through but it

:10:45. > :10:48.is a Championships, it is different to a World Cup. The championships

:10:49. > :10:53.have a higher status in some ways. It is those medals we want to win.

:10:54. > :11:02.We're just waiting for them to come off the water behind us. Talk

:11:03. > :11:05.through the mentality they have from a World Cup with a smaller field,

:11:06. > :11:08.out of what was not really a frying pan, a lukewarm saucepan into what

:11:09. > :11:13.has been a fire at the European Championships for them. How did they

:11:14. > :11:19.recover, how do they move on? What we will see in second is the instant

:11:20. > :11:26.reaction. It is crossing the line, heads down, disappointment, not

:11:27. > :11:29.quite the race they wanted to have. As the days go on they will realise

:11:30. > :11:32.how intense those races could be and help with the crews are that they

:11:33. > :11:35.are up against. As the days go on, as we go into the next World Cups,

:11:36. > :11:38.they will have learnt a lot in this regatta and right now it may be

:11:39. > :11:42.painful but they still walk away with the European medal. They are

:11:43. > :11:46.not where they want to be that they can get there. Here they come off

:11:47. > :11:51.the water. They are getting some water to drink. It has been a hot

:11:52. > :12:00.race, hot weekend for all of us in Prague. Come on over, come on over.

:12:01. > :12:04.Hello. How was that? Yes, it was tough. 750 metres in the race they

:12:05. > :12:08.started pulling ahead so we probably should have done a better job

:12:09. > :12:14.sticking with them, we let them get a bit too far ahead and then

:12:15. > :12:18.struggled to come back in the last 500. And your body language over the

:12:19. > :12:23.line, there was no punching of the air but there was a hub at least

:12:24. > :12:27.when you got off the water? Yes, we did a great job, as Holly said, we

:12:28. > :12:32.let it get away from us and we should have gone with them and we

:12:33. > :12:37.didn't. It is really frustrating but hopefully, there is more to come, we

:12:38. > :12:41.will need to wait and see really. It is a very different field and a very

:12:42. > :12:46.different feeling results wise than three weeks ago in Belgrade, but how

:12:47. > :12:50.does that race for you to compare with how you raced three weeks ago?

:12:51. > :12:56.I think three weeks ago was our first international race so it was

:12:57. > :12:59.all very exciting and we set the standard for our selves there. Now

:13:00. > :13:02.we always have that standard to come back against and we have to keep

:13:03. > :13:08.looking back and see how we did. I think maybe compare to that race, it

:13:09. > :13:11.probably wasn't much better. Just going off the performance, not the

:13:12. > :13:17.result. That is a bit frustrating. But as long as we learn from it and

:13:18. > :13:21.move onto the next race, it is not a missed opportunity really. All a

:13:22. > :13:26.learning experience. Exactly. We will let you going to get your

:13:27. > :13:34.medals. Congratulations. We will turn our attention to the men's

:13:35. > :13:36.pair, this is Rossiter and Jacob. Let's see how they get on. -- Jacob

:13:37. > :13:49.Dawson. This is the final, the men's pair,

:13:50. > :13:56.Italy threw in first place. The pair from the Czech Republic are in

:13:57. > :14:01.second place. Now looking heading no number four have Serbia, France and

:14:02. > :14:07.five and the British group just hanging on, just barely hanging on.

:14:08. > :14:11.Now a big third 500 is required. Just a nod here to tell you that all

:14:12. > :14:21.the British crews will be wearing black ribbons throughout this

:14:22. > :14:26.regatta, in memory of Di Ellis who was a former chair of British Rowing

:14:27. > :14:31.and also in respect of those who lost their lives in Manchester. The

:14:32. > :14:35.Brits are about to kick off the Czechs who tried to do a heroic

:14:36. > :14:39.start in front of their home crowd but that has not lasted the full

:14:40. > :14:45.length of the course. The Dutch have moved away from the British said

:14:46. > :14:50.their peripheral vision will be very empty. They will have to keep

:14:51. > :14:55.nagging their speed. All of the crews apart from the Italians are

:14:56. > :15:02.moving around the same speed. The initial slow minute from our boys

:15:03. > :15:05.has put them on the back foot. They have to keep believing and this will

:15:06. > :15:15.drag them back towards the Serbians and the Dutch. The Serbians putting

:15:16. > :15:19.the pressure on. The French pair in lane five. The brothers. They're

:15:20. > :15:23.coming towards the 1500 metres. This is where everything in the bank has

:15:24. > :15:29.been a foundation, just put the pressure on again. The Italians are

:15:30. > :15:34.clear. The awards are now from the Italians in lane number three. Great

:15:35. > :15:42.back in fifth place in the bottom left corner. Still the French going

:15:43. > :15:49.hard. They are being pushed by the Serbian pair. The Italians, I'm not

:15:50. > :15:54.sure they can sit back and this because the Italians have used a lot

:15:55. > :16:01.of energy. The Italians will be enjoying it, yes, but they will be

:16:02. > :16:05.full of lactic acid. The French, they will be kicking themselves

:16:06. > :16:08.afterwards, or the coach will be kicking them because they let the

:16:09. > :16:12.Italians get away too easily. They are probably going the quickest out

:16:13. > :16:18.there but they have left themselves 2.5 seconds, with 500 metres to go.

:16:19. > :16:24.It will be interesting to see if the wheels do fall off the Italians'

:16:25. > :16:30.wagon. They were bronze medallists at the Olympic Games and world

:16:31. > :16:35.champions in the men's four two years ago. They know how to control

:16:36. > :16:40.a race here. Responding again, Serbia pushing it hard. The French

:16:41. > :16:45.name number four, now stretching it out, looking to back the silver

:16:46. > :16:50.medal. Closest to us is Serbia. The British are in their own battle with

:16:51. > :17:00.the Netherlands. It is too little, too late from our boys. The

:17:01. > :17:04.Italians, that is how they do it. From first straight to last, that is

:17:05. > :17:08.how you race in the men's pair. France get the silver medal and

:17:09. > :17:11.Serbia getting the bronze. Great Britain come over in their own

:17:12. > :17:20.battle with the Netherlands in name number two.

:17:21. > :17:26.So, the men's pair at the back of the field. Will they be disappointed

:17:27. > :17:34.with that. I think they will be disappointed. Here they found

:17:35. > :17:38.everything a bit hotter. They have not struggled with the whole regatta

:17:39. > :17:41.but they have not had it all the roadway. The lead boats in that

:17:42. > :17:45.field were absolutely flying today. The Serbs who put in a great

:17:46. > :17:50.performance, the British were ahead of them three weeks ago and that is

:17:51. > :17:56.frustrating. Is this a testament to the clear out of the men's team from

:17:57. > :18:00.Rio. There are so few returnees from the Rio team? I'm sure there is an

:18:01. > :18:05.element of it. The men's team they are trying the four, the pair, they

:18:06. > :18:09.ate, they are trying all events rather than just focusing on one but

:18:10. > :18:11.we have seen the Brits can succeed in all events. It is great the boys

:18:12. > :18:26.are taking it on as a challenge but it is a huge challenge. Let's move

:18:27. > :18:31.on to the men's lightweight double, it is Will Fletcher and Pete

:18:32. > :18:36.Chambers. Before that let's catch up with Will Fletcher to hear his

:18:37. > :18:44.thoughts ahead of the champions. How does it feel, to be a world leader?

:18:45. > :18:50.It is a good start. We have been together for two weeks. Pete is

:18:51. > :18:56.enjoying sculling and I am enjoying sculling. You famously rode with

:18:57. > :19:00.Richard Chambers at the last Olympics, you have swapped brothers,

:19:01. > :19:06.what is the difference? It is a lot more relaxed with Peter. We had a

:19:07. > :19:10.bit of an on-off season last year through injuries are things, it did

:19:11. > :19:15.not quite go to plan. Have you talked about ambitions for the

:19:16. > :19:19.season? We will go to the first World Cup, we produced a good result

:19:20. > :19:24.but now it is about getting back to training and focusing on the next

:19:25. > :19:28.race. It will be difficult. We have the French, the Olympic champions.

:19:29. > :19:33.People will be gunning for us a bit more now. We also know what we do

:19:34. > :19:40.but we have still got a few tricks up our sleeve. You are following

:19:41. > :19:46.Jurgen Klopp lured the chief coach. You have a different coaching setup

:19:47. > :19:52.-- Jurgen Klopp. How was it different? The lads have done out

:19:53. > :20:00.for a run, we never used to run but now we're running up and down the

:20:01. > :20:07.bank. Does he have a lot of contact with you? A surprising amount. He

:20:08. > :20:15.will come into the crew room and have a word. You say what he has

:20:16. > :20:24.said and it is cool. We are excited about going out to a race. Halfway

:20:25. > :20:26.mark, clear water with the Olympic champions, France. Great Britain

:20:27. > :20:31.coming through and they continue to be in fourth place.

:20:32. > :20:38.They will have to turn the screw if they are going to take it on. Poland

:20:39. > :20:44.in name number one. They are pushing hard. They will have looked at the

:20:45. > :20:48.Times and the speeds of all of these crews from the semifinals and they

:20:49. > :20:56.will know that the Irish ode on the brothers got quicker and quicker as

:20:57. > :21:02.they progress. Look at the owls. The Irish now, they have got to cover,

:21:03. > :21:10.to get the overlap and then the Polish will start attacking the

:21:11. > :21:14.Italians. I think the Irish have rowed through chambers and Fletcher

:21:15. > :21:22.and they will be hounding the Italians and the Polish. The

:21:23. > :21:29.Italians will not want to lose to the Polish crew. They will not want

:21:30. > :21:34.to lose to someone in the last race of the final. Everything will be

:21:35. > :21:39.brought to a head because of the Irish. The French have got this into

:21:40. > :21:44.the bag but the Irish could throw something into the mix. A Markov

:21:45. > :21:49.what Olympic champions do. They go clear and based have the fastest

:21:50. > :21:54.boat speed. The Italians are being pushed on by Ireland in the

:21:55. > :22:03.left-hand part your picture. 500 metres remaining. The Irish are in

:22:04. > :22:08.another two. They are currently in fourth. They had a good third 500.

:22:09. > :22:12.They have an overlap on Poland on the right. They have an overlap with

:22:13. > :22:16.the Italians on your left and they will have to pull hard. They have

:22:17. > :22:22.done that time and again. They keep their heads up. It is not pretty but

:22:23. > :22:27.it is effective. I am going with the Irish coming through here to get

:22:28. > :22:32.onto the medal podium. They have the fastest boat speed race but only by

:22:33. > :22:37.a fraction. They have more than a fraction to pull back. I feel that

:22:38. > :22:41.they can get to within a canvas in the last 300 metres but it is going

:22:42. > :22:46.to be a matter of not just getting close but cracking either the polls

:22:47. > :22:59.or the Italians. They have gone again. It is gritting your teeth

:23:00. > :23:02.stuff now. They are right on the edge, right on the limit and 200

:23:03. > :23:05.metres to go. This is a battle of wills. It is a mindset here. Who

:23:06. > :23:10.will hold? Who will crack. Will be the Italians -- they will get the

:23:11. > :23:18.Italians. The Irish put the power against Poland. The Olympic

:23:19. > :23:23.champions France have gone. They are going to come second. This is

:23:24. > :23:25.incredible stuff now from Ireland. The ode Donovan brothers who have

:23:26. > :23:30.pulled like dogs through their career. They are doing it again.

:23:31. > :23:40.They will get into the silver medal position. France are the European

:23:41. > :23:43.champions. They are Olympic champions and European champions.

:23:44. > :23:47.That is the distance of Great Britain coming across the line now

:23:48. > :23:52.in last place. That shows you where this event is going and how tough it

:23:53. > :23:56.is and how good you have to be. The Olympic champions are now the

:23:57. > :24:00.European champions. Disappointing them for Peter Chambers and Will

:24:01. > :24:07.Fletcher. They would have expected to be a bit quicker than that. If

:24:08. > :24:11.ever there was a field at European level which is about as hot as it

:24:12. > :24:16.is, the men's lightweight double it is. Probably a little bit too hot

:24:17. > :24:20.for the British combination at this stage. As painful as it watch from a

:24:21. > :24:26.British point of view, you can guarantee it would be worse to be

:24:27. > :24:28.sitting in that boat at the end. All of those crews voracious racing

:24:29. > :24:32.across the line and the British limped across at the back of the

:24:33. > :24:36.field. They will be so disappointed with the result. I do how they will

:24:37. > :24:41.feel about the performance. It was fast and theories from the start. As

:24:42. > :24:45.limited before we have a very excited Irish TV and just talk about

:24:46. > :24:52.the O'Donovans and what they bring to the sport. They bring a very good

:24:53. > :24:58.athletic level but they also bring so much entertainment. They say the

:24:59. > :25:02.things we feel as athletes but we do not always say front of a TV camera,

:25:03. > :25:06.pulling like a dog and all that, all the great turns of phrase is that

:25:07. > :25:10.makes it real somehow. But let's not forget the amazing success from the

:25:11. > :25:14.Olympic champions, the French double is spectacular. They were absolutely

:25:15. > :25:18.brilliant last year. Really, really setting standards in every race they

:25:19. > :25:26.did. We have not seen them yet this year. We were not sure how they

:25:27. > :25:31.would come back for a fresh new start for the post-Olympic season.

:25:32. > :25:36.They are looking good. Gary, Paul, cumin, you are looking tired in the

:25:37. > :25:43.legs. He does not have the strength to carry the flag. Does it make a

:25:44. > :25:50.difference in Olympic champions? Sun rowing is rowing. We raised these

:25:51. > :25:55.guys over the last few years. And Peter. It is great fun of what we

:25:56. > :26:02.enjoy hanging out with the guys in the boat park. It is great

:26:03. > :26:10.enjoyment. Will you ever have a race when you're leading in the last 500

:26:11. > :26:16.instead of storming through? Gives some excitement! Good for the

:26:17. > :26:22.crowds. We get a bit of enjoyment out of it too. Olympic medallists,

:26:23. > :26:28.European medallists, what is next? Sun we will go home and then we will

:26:29. > :26:38.go to the World Cup. We will go to Lucerne. Great performance, great to

:26:39. > :26:47.see a smiling as ever. Thank you for the chat. Thank you. So we turned to

:26:48. > :26:54.the winning's lightweight double and that has been a change in

:26:55. > :26:58.combination for the British crew. The rumour mill is going ten to the

:26:59. > :27:02.dozen, that has been an official statement from British Rowing about

:27:03. > :27:07.the change in combination, do we know what is going on? The official

:27:08. > :27:15.statement is it is about getting success this weekend and Emily

:27:16. > :27:25.Chambers of the best form of success. I think Charlie and cat had

:27:26. > :27:28.a traumatic experience back in Rio. They have both talked about that. I

:27:29. > :27:32.think everything is being dealt with. I think they raced much better

:27:33. > :27:37.than we have seen in a long time when they raced in Belgrade but in a

:27:38. > :27:43.tie between Belgrade and Europeans here, things are not really settled.

:27:44. > :27:46.The idea is they will try a slightly different combination and see what

:27:47. > :27:51.happens on the field. There is a lot still to play in this dramatic story

:27:52. > :27:56.of the lightweight winning's doubles and hopefully it will end in

:27:57. > :28:04.success. OK, out on the water for Copeland and Craig. Great Britain

:28:05. > :28:07.were looking for a little bit more squeezed as they come into this

:28:08. > :28:14.regatta. A last minute change brought Emily Craig into the stroke

:28:15. > :28:20.seat. And with her is Pat Copeland. The Netherlands are in lane of a

:28:21. > :28:26.one, Romania in two, Italy three, France, four, Poland in a number

:28:27. > :28:39.six. Netherlands are the Olympic champions.

:28:40. > :28:55.A really good calibre. Closest to us is Poland.

:28:56. > :29:03.Weronika Deresz was in the bowl seat. They were seven in the Olympic

:29:04. > :29:13.Games. We are through 300 metres. Just checking where Great Britain

:29:14. > :29:16.are. Not about to start at all. Look at the water, absolutely glorious

:29:17. > :29:22.conditions here. It shows you the crews are on the same level in terms

:29:23. > :29:27.of weight. This is an eyesight from a spectator's point of view. The

:29:28. > :29:32.British had the worst start but they have settled into a good pace. They

:29:33. > :29:42.are clawing back on the French in the lane outside them. It is a good

:29:43. > :29:46.start. They are in the mix where for the first 200 metres they did not

:29:47. > :29:49.seem to have the pace but now they have to hold that speed right

:29:50. > :29:52.through the middle of the race which they did not do in the first World

:29:53. > :29:55.Cup. Let's see if the change has been a positive one as well as the

:29:56. > :30:11.field getting stronger. They are settling at their race

:30:12. > :30:16.pace, the Italian, all the Italian, whether men, women, continue to be

:30:17. > :30:20.high, they like that sort of speed of quick strokings but they have to

:30:21. > :30:29.be efficient. The Italians sitting in about third place, on a stroke

:30:30. > :30:40.per stroke basis. Closest on this side Poland. Starting to come down

:30:41. > :30:47.again. You see Britain holding on 35, France on 34. The Italians have

:30:48. > :30:52.move down to 36 strokes again. Again, finding that rhythm, that

:30:53. > :30:58.all-important platform. The Brits' rhythm is strong, after a less than

:30:59. > :31:02.sparkling first minute of the race, they have held the speed of everyone

:31:03. > :31:06.but the French, they are coming back into the mix. It will be interesting

:31:07. > :31:12.in the third quarter of this race. This is where it really start. The

:31:13. > :31:18.lactic acid built up in the first half will be there and you still

:31:19. > :31:22.have 1,000 metres left. At 18 years of age Claire Bove is the stroke

:31:23. > :31:27.woman, at the half way mark, she is the youngest of all the finalists

:31:28. > :31:31.here, and she is leading the French crew, in phenomenal style here in

:31:32. > :31:36.this first thousand metres but this is now the real danger zone. The

:31:37. > :31:41.third five where positions start to change. Do we push up 1100, 1200 or

:31:42. > :31:46.1250? All round you start moving round. The British crew are closest.

:31:47. > :31:54.One up Craig an Copeland, again going well. The Olympic champions at

:31:55. > :31:57.the top, from Netherlands. You see they, they are in the group but

:31:58. > :32:04.everything they have done so far has kept them in the group. This is a

:32:05. > :32:09.phenomenal now final here. 2017 lightweight women's double scullses

:32:10. > :32:12.a the European Championships and Great Britain, they came, Emily

:32:13. > :32:18.Craig came in last minute for Charlotte Booth. Looking for boat

:32:19. > :32:23.speed. It seems to be there. It does now, it was here with 750 metres

:32:24. > :32:26.left the last time they raced. It was from this point on wards that

:32:27. > :32:30.with booth in the crew they started to slow down, so now there is a

:32:31. > :32:33.chance they can make the podium here, I think the French have gone,

:32:34. > :32:40.but the rest of the field is covered by half a lent. If the Brits can

:32:41. > :32:44.stick with the the Pole, they could find themselves on the podium. The

:32:45. > :32:49.perfect lane between the two fastest crew, the French and the Pole, they

:32:50. > :32:55.can stick with them, and drawn in a race with them, we could see on the

:32:56. > :32:59.podium. That is perfect. It will be very close for Kat Copeland and

:33:00. > :33:04.Emily Craig because they are in the bronze medal position but they are

:33:05. > :33:07.being chased by Italy in lane three, Romania in lane two and in lane one

:33:08. > :33:15.are the Olympic champions from Netherlands. Here we go, last 500

:33:16. > :33:19.metres. 50 stroke, they will have had it planned, right down to each

:33:20. > :33:22.and every single stroke here. They will know what they need to do and

:33:23. > :33:28.the British crew will have to step on and step on again, because coming

:33:29. > :33:37.hard at them Rodini and Cesarini from Italy. Romania, they lead,

:33:38. > :33:41.making calls here and that alsos is a -- affected. Netherlands, the

:33:42. > :33:45.Olympic champions are still in this fight.

:33:46. > :33:48.And the Netherlands and Romanians have an advantage. They are fighting

:33:49. > :33:53.for the bronze medal but they are next to each other. They could find

:33:54. > :33:57.themselves drawing level with the British, who, although they are

:33:58. > :34:01.right in the mix, are a long way behind Poland. But France, they have

:34:02. > :34:05.cooked their goose early and they could be coming off the boil. It is

:34:06. > :34:09.all to play for now. Emily Craig having come in late to the British

:34:10. > :34:14.crew, on thes of experience. The French have blown. The Italian on

:34:15. > :34:19.the far side. The Italians in lane three, they have gone to the left.

:34:20. > :34:23.They are out. France in four pushing on, Great Britain in fifth have to

:34:24. > :34:29.watch out. Look how close it is. It is nip end tuck. Terrible on each

:34:30. > :34:35.and every stroke, one crew moves on, the other sits back. It is anybody's

:34:36. > :34:39.call here, up at the first, our first full view of Netherlands.

:34:40. > :34:43.Paulis to the left of your picture, calling it for everything, for the

:34:44. > :34:48.last part. We are down to 75 metre, there is a bit under ten strokes

:34:49. > :34:52.remaining. Closest we have Poland in lane six, Poland coming up right in

:34:53. > :34:56.front of the commentary position, and Great Britain are going to look

:34:57. > :34:59.to be on the podium. They are currently in bronze medal. They will

:35:00. > :35:03.fight the last couple of strokes up to the line for the bronze medal.

:35:04. > :35:08.They are coming through in bronze and Netherlands on the top, it looks

:35:09. > :35:12.like they came across an it took a huge effort from the Olympic

:35:13. > :35:16.champion, Netherlands, just to secure into the silver medal

:35:17. > :35:20.position. Craig and Copeland, they were consistent through that. Some

:35:21. > :35:23.of the crews have been together all winter and these girls have been

:35:24. > :35:27.together less than a week, that was in a strong field, in a really tough

:35:28. > :35:30.event, it was a perfect starting position.

:35:31. > :35:33.So of all the crews from the British team here at the European

:35:34. > :35:38.Championships think we would have put the women's lightweight fairly

:35:39. > :35:40.low on the medal wish list. That has been fantastic. I hope they are

:35:41. > :35:45.pleased with that. Again, it was like we saw in the men's race, fast

:35:46. > :35:49.and furious racing all the way the line. Changing were happens in the

:35:50. > :35:53.last few hundred metres and that is when you have to keep your head

:35:54. > :35:56.clear, focus and I know how to get across the line. With a new

:35:57. > :36:00.combination that is when it can come under the biggest test. They nailed

:36:01. > :36:04.it. In a new combination like that, how do you divide who does what?

:36:05. > :36:09.They might have started with a handshake, how are we going to do

:36:10. > :36:14.this? They know each other, you need to know each other's strengths and

:36:15. > :36:22.weakness, we can ask them ourselves. Come on in. Don't hang about.

:36:23. > :36:30.Congratulations. How was that? Yes, it was savage. We knew like going

:36:31. > :36:34.into it, everyone was going to be like, there are six boats so it

:36:35. > :36:39.could have come from anywhere. It was like using the people round us

:36:40. > :36:44.but a bit in the last bit just like sort of heads down and do whatever

:36:45. > :36:49.we could. So, yes, I think it's pretty good as a first regatta. What

:36:50. > :36:55.were you thinking in the last dying stages studio I hadn't got a clue

:36:56. > :36:59.what was going on, I was just doing what Kat told me to do. And putting

:37:00. > :37:03.in what we had been working on in the ten days we had together. I mean

:37:04. > :37:09.we didn't know what has happened when we crossed the line, so to find

:37:10. > :37:14.out, we got a medal was just, I just, yeah. How do you decide who

:37:15. > :37:22.does what in the boat? How do you play to your strengths when it is

:37:23. > :37:27.still new? One thing we talked about was bringing what make eaches of us

:37:28. > :37:29.a great athlete into this and working together, but bringing,

:37:30. > :37:32.bringing together what makes us great as individuals. So with

:37:33. > :37:36.decisions to be made now about what is going forward. You will see your

:37:37. > :37:43.coach in a few minute, what are you going to be saying to him? Erdots

:37:44. > :37:48.dots we have been working on length and that is all that has been

:37:49. > :37:52.shouted at us, so he will say we could have rowed longer, but, I

:37:53. > :37:56.think we just said, we will go and race and see where we are, we don't

:37:57. > :38:01.know what is happening yet. All we can do is enjoy it and see how good

:38:02. > :38:06.we can do. It is not up to us, yes. They will put out whatever they

:38:07. > :38:11.think is the fastest. Has it been tough for you. Yes, I think I would

:38:12. > :38:16.be lying if I said it I hadn't. It has been really tough, but you know,

:38:17. > :38:20.I think it is testament to our group we have five or six fantastic girls

:38:21. > :38:24.and we can put out a mixture of combinations and whatever we put out

:38:25. > :38:27.will be up there, so I have got confidence in that, and I have

:38:28. > :38:30.confidence in the coaches, to get us in the right place.

:38:31. > :38:35.Well done, what a fantastic performance for you both to come

:38:36. > :38:41.away with a medal. Enjoy the ceremony. Than, more than

:38:42. > :38:44.Belgrade. So from the women's lightweight

:38:45. > :38:45.double to the men's four. Another event we have great history in. Let

:38:46. > :38:53.us see how they get on. It has been a while since we have

:38:54. > :38:56.seen a British crew in lane two, that is where Great Britain are in

:38:57. > :39:00.the final of the men's four. From lane one, develop of the mixture

:39:01. > :39:03.Romania, Great Britain in two, Russia if three, watch them now,

:39:04. > :39:09.they will be out quick and fast in this first 100, that is the British

:39:10. > :39:16.crew, some lane orders since we, seed order change, Moe Sbihi comes

:39:17. > :39:23.to stroke. Callum McBrierty is sitting in the three. Satch is in

:39:24. > :39:26.two. The Italians in four. All of these were bronze medals in the

:39:27. > :39:33.Olympic Games last year, in two boats. The men's pair and the men's

:39:34. > :39:37.four. The Italians going out fast. Led now by the stroke seat.

:39:38. > :39:41.Netherlands in five, lane six France. The Italians 45 strokes a

:39:42. > :39:46.minute, which is high. That is high, but the, that is like trying to run

:39:47. > :39:51.with holding your breath. They will build up lactic acid. But the good

:39:52. > :39:55.thing is, from their perspective there may be in debt but they are

:39:56. > :39:59.leading the race. The worst is if you go off that hard you are not

:40:00. > :40:04.winning. That is not text book rowing. The Dutch hitting, I don't

:40:05. > :40:11.know if they are hit a buoy which has put them out. You can still see

:40:12. > :40:17.they are down on the line. They are in lane five. Still the Italians as

:40:18. > :40:22.we're go through the 500 metre mark. About a third of a length now over

:40:23. > :40:25.Russia in lane three, and Great Britain will be reasonably pleased

:40:26. > :40:28.with this start, in that they have got through the 500 metre mark, they

:40:29. > :40:32.are in the mix, they are in the pack, and for them now, it is all

:40:33. > :40:40.about length and just finding that rhythm. How hard will it be on Will

:40:41. > :40:45.Satch moving into the two seat. First and foremost, they are closer

:40:46. > :40:51.to the Russians than yesterday, so they will be happy. For Will, to be

:40:52. > :40:58.honest he would rather be in the two seat and win than in the stroke seat

:40:59. > :41:03.and lose. It is a bit of a snub. He has paid the price of having his

:41:04. > :41:07.seat shifted, but, if they beat the Italians who weren't in the race

:41:08. > :41:11.last time out, then, it will have moved on and he can cope with that.

:41:12. > :41:15.You want to hear your anthem not someone es's. Still the Italians are

:41:16. > :41:20.on 40. They are racing like they are racing an eight. The men's eight you

:41:21. > :41:26.go along at 40 strokes a minute. This is the coxless four

:41:27. > :41:28.heavyweights and the Italians are all seasoned professionals here,

:41:29. > :41:33.just almost now out to one length, as we head to the half way mark on

:41:34. > :41:40.the far side. Romania still quick. This Romanian crew have come out of

:41:41. > :41:45.nowhere. The 20-year-old in the stroke seat. He is suddenly finding

:41:46. > :41:50.form. Half way mark, through in clear water just the Italian, they

:41:51. > :41:56.have taken it out the start. Consolidated in the second. The

:41:57. > :42:00.British crew are in fifth. They could be happy with themselves. They

:42:01. > :42:03.won't be. We are used to see the British crew go through half way a

:42:04. > :42:06.lent up. We have seen the Italians go through a length up and not a

:42:07. > :42:11.lent up on Britain, they are two lengths up on Britain, I have yet to

:42:12. > :42:14.see in the last five or six years a Romanian crew have a good three

:42:15. > :42:18.races in a regatta. They may have a good heat or representative but that

:42:19. > :42:23.is it. The Romanians and the Russians have put together a good

:42:24. > :42:29.series of races, and the dangerous is now having watched the Dutch have

:42:30. > :42:33.that shipwreck the British could be involved. What has gone wrong? First

:42:34. > :42:39.500 they would have been happy with that. They were in and among it.

:42:40. > :42:43.That were closers to the Russians. It is too much of a task for Moe

:42:44. > :42:50.Sbihi, to focus on getting that rhythm? That is a, the thing is,

:42:51. > :42:55.that what with we were told is don't make the race faster than you need

:42:56. > :42:59.it to be. Just make sure you are in the mix. The British four, from the

:43:00. > :43:02.heat and the semi, they knew they had to be fast, so they have gone

:43:03. > :43:09.out and they have had to try and make the race fast, and they were in

:43:10. > :43:13.the mix. But they are making the very fast, they got into debt and

:43:14. > :43:18.they weren't at the sharp end. Now they are paying the price. The

:43:19. > :43:23.Italians are three hens up. 1500 through the Italians still at 40.

:43:24. > :43:27.They have clean water. Water. The French have a race ahead, and Great

:43:28. > :43:32.Britain still in that fifth position, so the middle thousand has

:43:33. > :43:38.not been so ineffectual more the British crew. There is a major

:43:39. > :43:42.possibility here that the British crew won't get on to the podium

:43:43. > :43:46.here. It is clear water, so the amount of work they have to do to

:43:47. > :43:50.get into a medal posed you position is just phenomenal. They won't get

:43:51. > :43:53.on the podium. And to be honest I think that is is a good thing,

:43:54. > :43:56.because if you are going to get a kicking get a good kicking and it

:43:57. > :44:00.will force the whole structure and team to think we immediate to go

:44:01. > :44:04.back and sort it out for the next race. This is not good enough. This

:44:05. > :44:08.crew, in this order, they will not get back on terms so they need to

:44:09. > :44:12.switch it round or change personnel. Look, we talked about this, look at

:44:13. > :44:17.the right-hand side, the Italian, up high but they are long. Long

:44:18. > :44:21.sweeping stroke, they quick and on it, the legs go down but the length

:44:22. > :44:25.and we compare and contrast to the British crew, they are starting to

:44:26. > :44:28.straighten up. Beyond being on the back foot they will not they are not

:44:29. > :44:32.getting on the podium. The race for the silver medal on far side.

:44:33. > :44:36.Romania in lane one, pushing it on hard. The Romanians got beaten by

:44:37. > :44:41.the Brit in the the semi yesterday. This is why the Brits will be in the

:44:42. > :44:48.way. The Italians really have done it in style today, European

:44:49. > :44:51.champions, and being pushed to it by Romania in second, Russia in third

:44:52. > :44:58.and the British crew will be in fifth. The head down, major upset

:44:59. > :45:02.here. This isn't just a World Cup regatta, this is a European

:45:03. > :45:05.Championship. So a big marker at the opening stage of this Olympiad, and

:45:06. > :45:13.the British Heavyweight men's four has come in fifth position.

:45:14. > :45:18.If ever there was a boat with a bit of history behind it. That was the

:45:19. > :45:22.men's four. It is surprise we haven't got anywhere near a medal.

:45:23. > :45:25.We have seen they were nowhere where they would like to be and people

:45:26. > :45:33.expect them to be. That result will be a shock to hem and also to the

:45:34. > :45:39.rest of the team. It is, to see the boat be hit badly by that result is

:45:40. > :45:41.quite big. It is not often you can can the question about whether

:45:42. > :45:45.Jurgen has anything wrong, if you have the stroke of the Olympic eight

:45:46. > :45:49.and a gold medallist in the middle, and Moe Sbihi stroking the four who

:45:50. > :45:54.doesn't really have a track record of stroking, is everything all right

:45:55. > :45:58.in the men's four? It is an interesting question, I mean, we

:45:59. > :46:02.have seen Jurgen, he moves crews round, he tries different things.

:46:03. > :46:07.Moe Sbihi is an Olympic medallist in his own right. It is not a bad thing

:46:08. > :46:11.to have tried. It is whether Jurgen will put that result down to the

:46:12. > :46:16.order or if there is something more behind the scenes. Which ever way

:46:17. > :46:20.you paint it is disappointing. What does Jurgen do now. He will say that

:46:21. > :46:24.is not our level. That is not our level. I don't think that is is

:46:25. > :46:27.right. Then what happens? He will say let's not talk about it today,

:46:28. > :46:32.we will talk about it tomorrow and you will go home, fly hope, there

:46:33. > :46:36.will be a sort of Moody silence on the plane home tonight I would

:46:37. > :46:40.imagine. To be fair that is with a lot of crews we have seen, some have

:46:41. > :46:44.been surprises in a positive way. Great result, positive step forward

:46:45. > :46:50.for a lot of crew, some we are seeing not where they want or need

:46:51. > :46:55.to be. But probably that answer, it takes time. Let it bed in, look at

:46:56. > :46:59.the run up, how the training went and make decisions going forward.

:47:00. > :47:03.OK, next event in the women's quad. Let us hope for another positive

:47:04. > :47:06.surprise, back out to Gary and James.

:47:07. > :47:14.As we go into the third 500 of this final of the women's sculls, Great

:47:15. > :47:19.Britain in five. They have given themselves a platform in which to

:47:20. > :47:22.step on. Holly Nixon laid none the three seat, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne

:47:23. > :47:25.two, Bethany Bryan in the bow seat for the British crew. They have

:47:26. > :47:29.given themselves a brilliant platform. They were sitting fourth

:47:30. > :47:33.at half way, they have to step on, take that confidence and keep the

:47:34. > :47:38.length but now we want more speed. You can watch the legs go down, the

:47:39. > :47:45.speed of rate hasn't changed. I would expect Great Britain to be 34,

:47:46. > :47:49.starting to push on, so they have classy crews on either side. Two

:47:50. > :47:52.returning from that boat. On their left, lane six the Olympic

:47:53. > :47:58.champions, Germany, a different line up but a great pedigree, they have

:47:59. > :48:05.to keep right on it. And the Poles as well. If you said to the British

:48:06. > :48:10.girls, right you will behind Germany and Poland, they would have taken

:48:11. > :48:14.that and right now they have a chance to get the bronze medal over

:48:15. > :48:20.Poland. This is a very good performance and they are right

:48:21. > :48:26.behind the Dutch. Sensational middle, third 500 now for Great

:48:27. > :48:32.Britain, led by Holly Nixon, we are looking there at Germany. Stroking

:48:33. > :48:36.through the last 500 metre, so just checking the positions then. So

:48:37. > :48:40.Germany still one length ahead of Great Britain, who are this third

:48:41. > :48:45.place, they have moved up from fourth, so turning that screw in the

:48:46. > :48:51.third 500 metre. They could surprise themselves here. They could get the

:48:52. > :48:56.Dutch. That would have been way ahead of expectation, what the

:48:57. > :49:02.Germans are showing is the robust belief you have from being

:49:03. > :49:08.successful, yes they they be new to the event, Germany are good in the

:49:09. > :49:11.quad. 400 out, the British crew responding. Now they want to be

:49:12. > :49:15.hungry, they want to hunt it down and think, we are keeping the

:49:16. > :49:19.overlap. The overlap on Germany which we are looking at, will get us

:49:20. > :49:23.level and through, that is your mind set, the Dutch who are the Olympic

:49:24. > :49:27.silver medallist, they are behind, and two of that crew are back in

:49:28. > :49:32.that boat there, they are half a lent down, we are inside about 200

:49:33. > :49:37.metres now, 20 stroke, 20 of best strokes of their careers so far are

:49:38. > :49:40.required to become silver medallists at the European Championship,

:49:41. > :49:44.Germany are closest to us, on the far side Netherlands in lane four,

:49:45. > :49:48.the experience of Netherlands you would have thought should hold the

:49:49. > :49:55.British charge. They are no going to give to it the British. This is a

:49:56. > :50:00.good, good race from our girls. Brilliant display from Great Britain

:50:01. > :50:04.in the sculls, last 100 out there. Germany have been sensational from

:50:05. > :50:10.the off. They have held the European nations against them. To the line,

:50:11. > :50:14.it is Germany European champions, Netherlands on the silver medallist

:50:15. > :50:18.and Great Britain are bronze medallists. That is a job very well

:50:19. > :50:22.done. They are screaming and exhausted and they can demonstrate,

:50:23. > :50:26.we can enjoy that, given that right the way through they have done

:50:27. > :50:31.everything that was asked of them. They can be very pleased with that.

:50:32. > :50:35.The Dutch will be disappointed. Their silver medal behind Germany at

:50:36. > :50:41.the Olympic, they thought they could cake take out a fresh German crew.

:50:42. > :50:44.The British girls to take out the Poles that is a big step forward.

:50:45. > :50:50.There was a point where we thought they might get the Dutch. Next time

:50:51. > :50:56.out they should be aiming for them. If our body language was slumped

:50:57. > :51:01.after the men's four, that is a huge fillip for everyone to have. That is

:51:02. > :51:09.unexpected. Today seems to be feast or famine. It is, we didn't expect

:51:10. > :51:11.the result coming in, it feels disappointing or amazing success

:51:12. > :51:15.that three weeks' ago you wouldn't have predicted that result. Back in

:51:16. > :51:21.Belgrade it was a small field. They were third out of three. We were

:51:22. > :51:25.sort of thinking about measuring them against the competitors they

:51:26. > :51:30.were racing back then but they have done better. The Dutch and the Poles

:51:31. > :51:33.they finished behind in Belgrade have got, both crews have got

:51:34. > :51:40.athletes that are Olympic medallists and weer were saying in Belgrade,

:51:41. > :51:42.this is a young inexperienced crew from the British team, so perhaps

:51:43. > :51:46.the third would have been disappointing to them. However, they

:51:47. > :51:50.can step up from there, they have stepped on three week, they are

:51:51. > :51:54.beating crews that beat them three weeks' ago and putting in a mature

:51:55. > :51:58.level of racing, they were behind, they weren't where they wanted to be

:51:59. > :52:02.and then they kept their heads and moved through the field. There was a

:52:03. > :52:06.moment in ta race, Gary and James picked it out where they were

:52:07. > :52:10.slipping behind and the race was moving away from them, and just at

:52:11. > :52:14.the moment they needed to dig in and hang on they did. Yes, and that is

:52:15. > :52:18.that decision making in the heat of battle. And you know, you can get

:52:19. > :52:21.that from experience, these girls are learning that all the time.

:52:22. > :52:25.Every race they are out there they will pick up something more, that is

:52:26. > :52:30.what we want to see from them. They are a young crew, loving life. That

:52:31. > :52:33.were disappointed with Belgrade but they have bounced back, they have

:52:34. > :52:37.come back and they would have been thrilled by that race that, the

:52:38. > :52:42.racing you want. You want it to be in the mix of it and changing

:52:43. > :52:47.happening all time. How is the gap between Belgrade and here? It was

:52:48. > :52:51.tough, but, like, hard work got us here, so we worked so hard and just

:52:52. > :52:58.had to trust, had to trust each other. Made some big changes. We

:52:59. > :53:01.didn't have an easy run from here to Belgrade. It put us in the right

:53:02. > :53:06.place. We had to trust each other and that is what got us down. What

:53:07. > :53:12.did you work on physically and mentally. To take on that level of

:53:13. > :53:15.racing is impressive. We changed the order round and committed in

:53:16. > :53:18.training to just letting the boat do the work for us and I think that

:53:19. > :53:23.really paid off in the middle, because we knew our start wasn't the

:53:24. > :53:29.fastest, as the Polish or Dutch. We knew if we stuck to our guns it

:53:30. > :53:38.would pay off. Holly finished us off. How did it feel from there?

:53:39. > :53:44.Nervewracking, it was my first time. I had a good unit behind me. They

:53:45. > :53:49.fed the rhythm back to me, it was a full crew effort. Well done, we will

:53:50. > :53:54.be enjoying the ceremony with you. Thank you.

:53:55. > :53:59.So from a successful women's quad we turn to the men's event. It is

:54:00. > :54:02.another unit with a lot of changes through injury and illness, before

:54:03. > :54:04.we see them race, let us catch up with one of the team members Johnny

:54:05. > :54:16.Walton. I think the best bit has to be

:54:17. > :54:21.racing, like all the hard work that we do in rowing, all the winter

:54:22. > :54:25.miles, all the early mornings, all the cold stars, to be side by side

:54:26. > :54:30.with six other international crews like, that is what we train for and

:54:31. > :54:38.what we do it for. For training it has to be Australia on a river that

:54:39. > :54:45.we did, that was, yes, just so beautiful, like jungle either side

:54:46. > :54:49.and then for racing, it did have its moments but Rio lake with Christ the

:54:50. > :54:54.redeemer looking down, it was a magical backdrop.

:54:55. > :55:00.It has to be John Collins who have rowed with for the last three

:55:01. > :55:04.seasons. Seasons. We are almost like a married couple, ending each

:55:05. > :55:05.other's sentences in the boat. Psychologically linked, some might

:55:06. > :55:14.say. Through the thousand metres, six

:55:15. > :55:21.boats. 24 rower, I was going to say the eye is drawn to the name of one

:55:22. > :55:25.person, Olaf Tufte in the crew from Norway, in lane three, but they,

:55:26. > :55:28.they could do something here, a bit of a Sorcerer and his three

:55:29. > :55:34.apprentices going on in that boat. He is in the back, he is the back

:55:35. > :55:38.end of pack, so a good third 500 might get him in contention for a

:55:39. > :55:41.bronze medal. Out front is Lithuania, being pushed or having

:55:42. > :55:45.taken on the lead from Great Britain, Great Britain set the early

:55:46. > :55:49.speed in the first 500 metres. Out to the half way mark. From there,

:55:50. > :55:52.really, coming through half way mark, Lithuania said thank you, we

:55:53. > :55:58.will take it from here, they have done that into the third 500.

:55:59. > :56:03.But good story from the British quad and a good race so far. Closest to

:56:04. > :56:07.us here Poland. Look at the Norwegians. Third from the top. They

:56:08. > :56:13.were three seconds behind after 500 metres and now they are coming up

:56:14. > :56:18.into fourth and they will be, the next is Great Britain. Great Britain

:56:19. > :56:22.are ahead of them now, they will be charging and Pete Lambert has left

:56:23. > :56:26.everything out there. The Lithuanians have a better rhythm and

:56:27. > :56:29.it is up to our boys to hold on. They are in a perfect position to

:56:30. > :56:35.get on podium. The Norwegians are coming through hard. So as we come

:56:36. > :56:38.through 1500 metre, the Lithuanian boat is travelling beautifully

:56:39. > :56:43.between strokes here, it is running on over the water, they make it look

:56:44. > :56:46.easy. It is far from but when all the ingredients come together, these

:56:47. > :56:49.things can fly. Look at that. That is an amazing difference here and

:56:50. > :56:54.Great Britain are on the far side. It is a different approach. It St a

:56:55. > :56:58.more brutal in terms of pushing it along here. They don't have the

:56:59. > :57:02.experience in this boat in terms of Lithuanian, and what not, they have

:57:03. > :57:06.to rely on sheer power, brute and upstairs, all in the head here, as

:57:07. > :57:10.we Colin to the closing stages. 400 out. The Brits are racing well. They

:57:11. > :57:18.have put their hand in the flame from the start. They are holding on.

:57:19. > :57:23.The Lithuanians are going quicker than everyone else. The British are

:57:24. > :57:27.going the same speed as everyone else. That is what they need to do.

:57:28. > :57:32.This is a brave race. They could get on the podium. Braver. Olaf Tufte

:57:33. > :57:36.stroking the Norwegian crew in lane three. 41. He is coming on strong

:57:37. > :57:40.now, in terms of challenging Great Britain up there in lane one.

:57:41. > :57:44.Challenging Poland in lane six. Watch the crew in the middle lane

:57:45. > :57:49.three, sneak, it is like they are going to rob a medal here, they are

:57:50. > :57:57.going to steal a medal from Great Britain or Poland and you are never

:57:58. > :58:03.write off Olaf Tufte. Making it easy, Lithuania will look back on

:58:04. > :58:06.the fight. The silver medal goes to Poland and the Italians third. We

:58:07. > :58:11.will have to wait for confirmation, one thing for sure Lithuania are a

:58:12. > :58:15.class act. The Lithuanians raced very well.

:58:16. > :58:18.They weren't thrown by the Brits storming out in the start. They got

:58:19. > :58:23.into a great rhythm. That carried them through the middle. By the end

:58:24. > :58:26.we had four crews going for two medals and unfortunately it look

:58:27. > :58:31.like the Brits have finished on the negative side of that.

:58:32. > :58:37.So the women's adequate disappearing down the steps with their medal.

:58:38. > :58:41.Less positive about the men's quad, but I don't think realistically we

:58:42. > :58:44.could expect them to be in a medal position? I don't know the we should

:58:45. > :58:48.be less positive. It would have been lovely to see the men's quad on the

:58:49. > :58:53.podium. We have had a change of personnel because of illness, that

:58:54. > :58:56.unsettles the boat. Pete coming in, stroking that boat, they put

:58:57. > :59:00.themselves in the best position to get a medal. It was a brave piece of

:59:01. > :59:04.racing, in the end it wasn't enough. But I think a big move on from what

:59:05. > :59:09.we have seen. Let us take a moment to take a pause from the action, out

:59:10. > :59:13.on the water, the British team this weekend are wearing black ribs on

:59:14. > :59:17.their racing strip. Gary and James have mentioned this twice. It has

:59:18. > :59:23.been both because of the atrocity in Manchester last weekend, and because

:59:24. > :59:26.of the passing of the Chairman of British rowing Dai Ellis, and the

:59:27. > :59:33.current holder of that position is Annamarie Fhelps, who joins me to

:59:34. > :59:35.talk about Dai. You knew her probably in an about release

:59:36. > :59:41.capacity and administrator, what was she like? She was an incredible

:59:42. > :59:45.woman. She had a presence about her. When she was there you felt

:59:46. > :59:53.confident. You felt things were OK, Di is here, she is reassure, and a

:59:54. > :59:57.fantastic mentor adviser to so many women and men across British sport.

:59:58. > :00:05.I can never remember as an athlete or involved in the sport since,

:00:06. > :00:10.having an argument with Di, but you and especially as an ex-coxon, you

:00:11. > :00:14.were never aware of her opinion, she was never aggressive about anything.

:00:15. > :00:17.No, she never told you what to do. She always asked the right

:00:18. > :00:23.questions, she was able to sort of influence and change the way you

:00:24. > :00:26.thought by just questioning and asking you things she had a slight

:00:27. > :00:31.his determined glint in her eye which sometimes was wicked. She was

:00:32. > :00:32.amazing, most fantastic sort of calming influence, think on the team

:00:33. > :00:43.and the organisation. OK, let's turn our attention to the

:00:44. > :00:50.winning's eight, an event which Di as a Cox would have liked to have

:00:51. > :00:56.had a chance on. Let's go back onto the water with Garry and James.

:00:57. > :01:04.We are at the halfway mark in this women's eight. Great Britain are

:01:05. > :01:16.well poised in this event. Romania are sitting in Lane number five. We

:01:17. > :01:22.have just to watch the Netherlands. They are poised to move strongly in

:01:23. > :01:27.this. The British crew look like they are front loading it. They have

:01:28. > :01:36.to keep it long that key bit hard, just bang out 25 long hard strokes.

:01:37. > :01:41.The Dutch, they have a real natural flow and it is easy floating speed

:01:42. > :01:46.from the Dutch in Lane number four. The Dutch are a very even paced

:01:47. > :01:55.nation. They do not go out hard, they pace it well. The British crew,

:01:56. > :02:00.they are a new crew. They do not want to have a fatal discharge at

:02:01. > :02:08.the end, yes, they may suffer in the last 500 metres but they have to put

:02:09. > :02:14.together a really good 1500 metres, the Dutch crew are going to be hard

:02:15. > :02:26.to hold now. Keep bit long up in the British crew.

:02:27. > :02:41.All of them really now coming together stop this now is about

:02:42. > :02:45.keeping Russia in number three. Sensational stuff. 1500 metres and

:02:46. > :02:51.they have been absolutely incredible. Romania in Lane number

:02:52. > :02:55.five, they have taken with them the crew from the Netherlands in Lane

:02:56. > :03:00.number four. The race now is on the bronze medal between Great Britain

:03:01. > :03:06.and Russia. The British crew really nailed it hard in that first 500.

:03:07. > :03:15.They consolidated a good position in the race. Have they expended too

:03:16. > :03:18.much energy in that? A young crew. They should just row with flair now.

:03:19. > :03:22.Key bit long, keep it good but just go for it. It doesn't matter, they

:03:23. > :03:27.have done brilliantly in the first 1000 metres. Now it is like race for

:03:28. > :03:31.medals, hold off the Russians and enjoyed it. Good thing is they won't

:03:32. > :03:35.be enjoying it now because they redlined it in the first half. But

:03:36. > :03:36.they did not race for bronze. If they raced for bronze they could be

:03:37. > :03:56.enjoying it more but they have put themselves in a position to try and

:03:57. > :03:59.be first and second but now they are in a dogfight with the Russians for

:04:00. > :04:01.bronze. Romania looking like the Romanian aids of old. They're

:04:02. > :04:04.getting that speed. As soon as the Blades have covered, the boat has

:04:05. > :04:07.gone. Our goals are going to miss out to the Russians, I think. Once

:04:08. > :04:12.your speed starts to go in and eight, it you cannot get it back.

:04:13. > :04:17.Brilliant at 1500 metres, sensational. Coming towards the line

:04:18. > :04:20.for the European Championship title. Romania getting the gold medal now.

:04:21. > :04:24.Come from the Netherlands and the Russians having more in the tank in

:04:25. > :04:29.the last 500 metres. Russia taking the bronze and Great Britain coming

:04:30. > :04:32.through in fourth place. That is a brilliant fourth place. They will be

:04:33. > :04:37.disappointed to be off the medals but they did everything in the first

:04:38. > :04:41.1000 metres. They will go back and say let's put the next 500 together

:04:42. > :04:50.and step-by-step as we head towards the World Championships. So, the

:04:51. > :05:09.cross in fourth. Probably some inexperience in bat crew. We were

:05:10. > :05:14.talking about dialysis. -- we were talking about Di Ellis. The

:05:15. > :05:18.remaining crew were looking classy. The remaining crew won the pairs

:05:19. > :05:22.event a few hours earlier. They already have winning experience in

:05:23. > :05:27.that boat already and they showed their class today. I think it is

:05:28. > :05:31.still very new, very developing for the British crew. We have seen bits

:05:32. > :05:35.of them which have shown they have some speed where it is important

:05:36. > :05:39.that speed but now they have to extend it for longer. The next

:05:40. > :05:44.British boat to go is Victoria Thornley in the single sculls. We

:05:45. > :05:49.thought, who could we send along to see Vicky, have a good cup of tea

:05:50. > :06:04.and a chinwag? Hello! Welcome. Is the cattle on?

:06:05. > :06:11.Yes. You are making tea again, it is like being back in training camp?

:06:12. > :06:18.Isn't it just? The last time we did something in front of a BBC camera

:06:19. > :06:29.it was in front of Copacabana by beach. Thornley and Granger. They

:06:30. > :06:35.will need to have one last push. Legs down and harder, harder again.

:06:36. > :06:40.The last five, they are hanging on. Poland getting Olympic gold. It is a

:06:41. > :06:47.silver medal today. It stands testament to the power of self

:06:48. > :06:50.belief. There is the closing ceremony and

:06:51. > :06:56.they say join us and we will do it again in four years' time, did you

:06:57. > :07:01.think no way or maybe or sign me up already? I think I was maybe virgin

:07:02. > :07:05.towards yes but I knew I needed a bit of time to decompress and think

:07:06. > :07:09.about it properly because it is a long time, for years, so you have to

:07:10. > :07:14.be fully committed. I knew I needed to take many holidays before it. Did

:07:15. > :07:19.it feel different having that Olympic medal in your pocket? Yes,

:07:20. > :07:22.in London we did amazing things post-Olympics, but there is always

:07:23. > :07:26.that feeling that I was devastated with the result, but having my

:07:27. > :07:31.silver medal there made everything nicer. I was really smiling from

:07:32. > :07:36.deep down because it was so special. Does it still feel that way now,

:07:37. > :07:39.nine months on? Yes. Sometimes I go into my drawer to see where the

:07:40. > :07:50.medleys and I just hold it because it is heavy. It is nice to get it

:07:51. > :07:57.out now now and then. Lets go and see you doing hula hoop again. Maybe

:07:58. > :08:03.you should try to expect no! This is a lovely garden. It is a bit of

:08:04. > :08:06.serenity. Do you use it as a haven when all. Things are happening in

:08:07. > :08:17.the rowing world? Yes, it is nice to come back to and look out on the

:08:18. > :08:21.fields. It is a bit of serenity for post-rowing. Howl easy is it for you

:08:22. > :08:24.to switch off? I'm getting better. I used to be terrible. I have other

:08:25. > :08:27.things in my life now to distract me when I'm not in the boat and I think

:08:28. > :08:30.that is good. To be thinking about constantly when you're not in the

:08:31. > :08:36.boat is exhausting. For recovery mentally it is good to think about

:08:37. > :08:40.other things. We had a challenging last part of the journey leading up

:08:41. > :08:44.to Rio and there was a point when you could have walked away within

:08:45. > :08:50.two months of the games. I think that showed how much it had affected

:08:51. > :08:53.me and how much it had taken out of me. The processors I had put in

:08:54. > :08:57.place since London and I felt it was not paying off like I had hoped it

:08:58. > :09:02.would and at that point I was in a really low place. I knew if we were

:09:03. > :09:07.going to go with the double I needed to give you and the boat deserved

:09:08. > :09:10.the drive to drive it on for the next two months and I needed to find

:09:11. > :09:15.that and make sure I could sign up for that and actually I found out I

:09:16. > :09:20.had a bit more strength than I thought in that area and when we got

:09:21. > :09:23.back in the double, it was probably the most enjoyable time, even though

:09:24. > :09:27.the pressure was highest with six weeks to go. It was the most

:09:28. > :09:36.enjoyable time we had had in the boat. Since then you have decided to

:09:37. > :09:39.go solo. Does it feel a different level for you now? A different

:09:40. > :09:42.ambition and project? I know the challenge I am faced in the single.

:09:43. > :09:46.It is a vent but it is something I want to try and crack if I can. It

:09:47. > :09:49.is something I enjoy. Not many people enjoy rolling around on their

:09:50. > :09:56.own for hundreds of col matters but I enjoy it. It is different,

:09:57. > :10:03.one-on-one. The shack hundreds of kilometres. It is a bit different.

:10:04. > :10:10.The silver medal going to Vicky Thornley. A great start to 2007 four

:10:11. > :10:15.Vicky Thornley. This is your third Olympiad now. Did you ever think

:10:16. > :10:19.about being a star athlete when you are first headhunted for this, this

:10:20. > :10:24.is what you would be doing? Know, even after London I thought Rio and

:10:25. > :10:30.that would be it but this sport gets you hooked, as you no! I cannot deny

:10:31. > :10:35.that. It does help you win and you constantly want to see what you're

:10:36. > :10:38.capable of. For me, it is that, it is a kind of personal Kyrgios city

:10:39. > :10:43.of where can I get to, how good can I be? -- it is a personal Kyrgios

:10:44. > :10:59.city. -- If you get it wrong in a single, you

:11:00. > :11:06.get it very wrong. There is no one else to carry your bags for you.

:11:07. > :11:10.Latvia in one, Sweden in two, Great Britain, Vicky Thornley, 29 years of

:11:11. > :11:15.age, sitting in three. It is the first time of her choosing to come

:11:16. > :11:23.out in a single sculls. Previously in 2014 and 2013 she finished

:11:24. > :11:42.eighth. She is a different sculler this time. As is the competitor in

:11:43. > :11:55.Lane eight, she would be the first one who has competed under the old

:11:56. > :11:59.USSR flag. When I was competing in the Junior Championships she was

:12:00. > :12:00.there. I stopped 12 years ago and she is still going! She is an

:12:01. > :12:19.amazing athlete. If Vicky was going to do anything,

:12:20. > :12:34.she was not going to have it all her own way.

:12:35. > :12:46.Germany at the 500 meter mark by a length, Vicky Thornley currently in

:12:47. > :12:56.fourth place. That is OK, these boats can change very quickly. A

:12:57. > :13:04.quick easy speed. A length isn't a big difference. A length in a

:13:05. > :13:08.single, with a changing with them and getting the pace, you can make

:13:09. > :13:13.that up Fred quickly. It is not where she would like to be. Within a

:13:14. > :13:20.length, it is OK. She has already clawed that back to half a length.

:13:21. > :13:23.When we'll start to come off, they start to come. There is a long way

:13:24. > :13:47.to go in the singles still. There is Fie Erichsen from Denmark.

:13:48. > :13:54.She was fourth in the Olympics. It is a difficult event. Raising 2000

:13:55. > :13:59.metres on your own. You have to go through that process a number of

:14:00. > :14:07.times to work out how to do it. Vicky is on that learning curve. She

:14:08. > :14:14.has probably got more potential than Fie Erichsen that she has more

:14:15. > :14:19.experience. Without a doubt Vicky Thornley has had a very strong

:14:20. > :14:30.second 500. She has really paced herself well. They will be fighting

:14:31. > :14:38.it out as we move into the third 500 metres. At 44 years of age,

:14:39. > :14:41.Ekaterina Karsten, this is her 26 international season and she is in

:14:42. > :14:50.amongst it all causing problems, disrupting at all. It is brilliant,

:14:51. > :14:54.fantastic. In name three, still hunting, Vicky Thornley, long,

:14:55. > :14:59.strong strokes, as you would expect. It looks like Fie Erichsen just

:15:00. > :15:03.putting on a bit more pressure and Annekatrin Thiele from Germany is

:15:04. > :15:09.the one who had about the length of clear water going into the second

:15:10. > :15:13.500. She is struggling now. Fie Erichsen never really found her form

:15:14. > :15:21.after London 2012. She took a couple of years. It is her experience

:15:22. > :15:26.versus Vicky's potential and Vicky is a better athlete. That is the

:15:27. > :15:32.battle now. In terms of raw speed, I think Vicky has it but in terms of

:15:33. > :15:36.raising now, Fie Erichsen has it. At the moment Vicky is winning the

:15:37. > :15:43.battle but the finish line is a decider. This is the first time in

:15:44. > :15:49.her career at a major championships, Vicky Thornley hits the front. She

:15:50. > :15:54.has two consolidate that. Depending on how she feels, she is not giving

:15:55. > :15:59.anything away in her facial expression. She now has two back

:16:00. > :16:03.herself. That is what he have to do in the single sculls. She thinks I

:16:04. > :16:11.do not want to leave this now to chance. Step on, step one. She has

:16:12. > :16:14.to shut the door now. She is sitting there, Fie Erichsen can still feel

:16:15. > :16:18.her presence but if she shuts the door, kicks on by another campus,

:16:19. > :16:27.she will be out of the peripheral vision and take to the cleaners.

:16:28. > :16:32.When a margin is this type, you're still susceptible. They have dropped

:16:33. > :16:37.Ekaterina Karsten from Belarus. She is in fourth place. There are three

:16:38. > :16:44.boats vying for Gold medal. We have Vicky Thornley from Great Britain,

:16:45. > :16:48.Fie Erichsen from Denmark in a number four, Annekatrin Thiele in

:16:49. > :16:58.Lane number five. She is not dead yet. She is coming back. I didn't

:16:59. > :17:03.think Vicky will let her back in. All class scullers. Vicky Thornley

:17:04. > :17:08.has gone out. She has responded to that. Responded to the German. It

:17:09. > :17:15.does not look like Fie Erichsen has enough in the tank. She has been

:17:16. > :17:19.like a shark or the layout to 1250, then the decisive move came and she

:17:20. > :17:25.has jumped out of a length of clear water. Now again she has to think,

:17:26. > :17:28.going through the last 250 metres, one more push will absolutely

:17:29. > :17:34.anything clear water and that will do it. Looking back at Fie Erichsen

:17:35. > :17:37.of Denmark. But the German sculler Annekatrin Thiele from Germany is

:17:38. > :17:44.starting to move back again. She has got an overlap. We are about 200 out

:17:45. > :17:50.here. It is not all over yet for Vicky Thornley. Vicky is high in the

:17:51. > :17:55.rate. She has gone. But Annekatrin Thiele is matching her. She has gone

:17:56. > :18:00.off hard. She has not got long enough to hope the wheels fall off

:18:01. > :18:10.Vicky's truck. She has raised Eriksson. 100 out from the line

:18:11. > :18:16.here. Look at Ekaterina Karsten. The old warhorse is coming back to the

:18:17. > :18:19.party. She is absolutely bursting through in number 60. She is

:18:20. > :18:24.instilled a medal position. Vicky Thornley will have to hang on. It

:18:25. > :18:27.will be a desperate last few strokes that Vicky Thornley, European

:18:28. > :18:33.champion. Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus came right through out of

:18:34. > :18:39.nowhere. The last 200 metres when Denmark and Germany were asleep.

:18:40. > :18:43.Caught napping. Ekaterina Karsten of 44 years of age is the European

:18:44. > :18:48.silver medallist that Vicky Thornley from Great Britain made history here

:18:49. > :18:54.again. European champion in the single skull for Great Britain. A

:18:55. > :18:59.fantastic effort. There will be all sorts of people in the British

:19:00. > :19:03.Rowing setup who will be breathing a fire of relief. What a race for

:19:04. > :19:08.Victoria Thornley. Absolutely. That was the race of the day for me by a

:19:09. > :19:14.long way. We always talk about the singles event of being a real mind

:19:15. > :19:18.game, one-on-one. Fair play to Ekaterina Karsten who is coming in

:19:19. > :19:22.at the grand old age. The old warhorse she was called in

:19:23. > :19:26.commentary! That is when you still have it here and the body can

:19:27. > :19:36.respond. An incredible fight to the end. For Vicky, really holding her

:19:37. > :19:38.nerve. She moved to where she needed to and suddenly, that immense battle

:19:39. > :19:42.at the end. She is taking her time coming towards us because she is not

:19:43. > :19:47.walking well but she has got weeks to recover. And so nicely poised and

:19:48. > :19:50.paced throughout the race. You never got the impression she put all of

:19:51. > :19:56.her cards down on the table, she always had a little bit in reserve

:19:57. > :20:00.and she needed it until the dying few strokes. We saw the taste of

:20:01. > :20:03.that in Belgrade when she got into a fight for the silver medal. She is

:20:04. > :20:08.always worried if she has enough at the end of the race and she has

:20:09. > :20:14.trained twice in a row that she does.

:20:15. > :20:23.Come on, we can hear from you. I had to bide my time and I thought I will

:20:24. > :20:27.have to come through now and I kept plugging away at it. I think that

:20:28. > :20:35.about all 50 I broke away from the Dane. It was tricky. I had to

:20:36. > :20:39.readjust and pick up a bit. I really pleased. I have not been a champion

:20:40. > :20:48.at anything since I was here eight years ago so European champion is

:20:49. > :20:53.cool. I think European champion in a single scull something Britain

:20:54. > :20:58.hasn't done for a decade. It is a superb achievement. Thank you very

:20:59. > :21:03.much. No stage in the race did it look that you had put all your cards

:21:04. > :21:09.down on the table. It looked very poised and controlled. I think I

:21:10. > :21:12.executed it well but it was probably less calm and controlled as it was

:21:13. > :21:16.three weeks ago but I managed to stay ahead. Where are you on the

:21:17. > :21:23.scale of where you think you are and where you could be? I do know. It is

:21:24. > :21:26.hard to know. I did not come back until January into full-time

:21:27. > :21:30.training. I am still really building back-up to my best fitness. That

:21:31. > :21:35.will take a bit longer but it is good that it is a long season for

:21:36. > :21:41.me. Who is left to come into the event, dear even care? I got beaten

:21:42. > :21:47.by the Swiss three weeks ago. She is not here today. I am very aware that

:21:48. > :21:52.she put down a big market in Belgrade. New Zealand, America,

:21:53. > :21:58.Canada? Exactly, a lot of people to come into it. We will wait and I

:21:59. > :22:02.will enjoy this for now. So you should. Well-deserved. We have won

:22:03. > :22:06.the British crew left ago added as the men's eight. I will throw you

:22:07. > :22:14.for the last time today over to the commentators, Garry and James.

:22:15. > :22:25.Halfway mark, men's championships, by NN, just, Poland and Russia. It

:22:26. > :22:28.is a really critical position. The British crew have got to maintain

:22:29. > :22:34.the momentum, keep the speed and the length. Rather than pushing to stay

:22:35. > :22:39.up, you want to be on the front that rather than the back foot. You want

:22:40. > :22:45.to be pushing from a positive position. Therein a watershed other

:22:46. > :22:49.men in their race. They can go down one side and end up battling for

:22:50. > :22:53.bronze or they can go down the other side and end up in last place. At

:22:54. > :23:01.the moment, it is very difficult to see where it is going. The Romanians

:23:02. > :23:05.are having a bad race. They are in the third 536 strokes a minute you

:23:06. > :23:09.cannot be in 36 strokes a minute in a European Championship final in

:23:10. > :23:14.men's eight and be down there and expect to be in the medals. Poland

:23:15. > :23:18.pushing an hard there. Germany got the Clearwater. You can see they

:23:19. > :23:27.have relaxed. They will still keep the pace but you will see the boat

:23:28. > :23:32.flying. Look. The blades come out, the boat travels on, the blades come

:23:33. > :23:35.out, the boat travels on. Journey have lost three World Championships

:23:36. > :23:40.and an Olympics to us. They will not go through the same thing again.

:23:41. > :23:47.When you have one of the eight returning you end up battling the

:23:48. > :23:50.Germans for first place. Great Britain have slipped back from

:23:51. > :23:58.fourth into fifth position here so they really are on the back foot.

:23:59. > :24:02.Germany led from the 250 metre mark. They have established an incredible

:24:03. > :24:09.footprint. They go out, lead and dominate. You are seeing Russia in

:24:10. > :24:13.Lane and the five. The Russians will be putting down water on the left

:24:14. > :24:17.side. They will be putting blades on Great Britain who are sitting in

:24:18. > :24:23.Lane number six. That will disrupt the rhythm in the British crew here.

:24:24. > :24:27.They are coming to the last 250 metres. I think it will be between

:24:28. > :24:32.Great Britain and Romania for who will not be in sixth place for the

:24:33. > :24:40.final. Germany are doing what they do well. Show everyone else the

:24:41. > :24:45.shark is back. This is Germany of old here. Still they go hard and

:24:46. > :24:50.still be boat runs and they want more from it and they are getting

:24:51. > :24:54.more from it. They pick it up and it flies on. Clearwater just from

:24:55. > :24:59.Poland on the far side. The Netherlands in Lane number one. Here

:25:00. > :25:02.come the Netherlands. The Netherlands are storming back into

:25:03. > :25:05.the silver medal position. Can they catch the Polish on the line? No,

:25:06. > :25:19.no, no. They paddle the last 200. The Netherlands

:25:20. > :25:23.came through and it just shows you the level here. You get to 500 out

:25:24. > :25:26.and you crank it up. You get to 250 out and the race starts again. Great

:25:27. > :25:34.Britain sadly were not in either of those two positions. That is all

:25:35. > :25:38.from us here in Racice. We will be back presenting coverage of the

:25:39. > :25:46.winning's Henley regatta. There will be highlights on BBC Two from five

:25:47. > :25:51.o'clock. Stay tuned for highlights of the Great Manchester Run which

:25:52. > :25:56.took place earlier today. And the athletics continues building up to

:25:57. > :26:00.the World Championships in August. Highlights from the Diamond League

:26:01. > :26:04.meeting at Eugene tomorrow at 1pm. So, all the medals have been

:26:05. > :26:10.decided. James has run across to join us to reflect back on the whole

:26:11. > :26:15.weekend from Great Britain. Perhaps a bit lopsided? Lopsided in that the

:26:16. > :26:19.men won nothing, the heavyweight men or the lightweight men for as long

:26:20. > :26:24.basher which is the first time for as long as I can remember. The women

:26:25. > :26:28.picked up medals but they raced incredibly well as well. It was

:26:29. > :26:36.great to see Vicki come through and win the singles. She battled hard.

:26:37. > :26:44.And if you want your first gold medal to be in the same podium as

:26:45. > :26:50.anyone then Ekaterina Karsten is probably a good one. And a great

:26:51. > :26:55.Championship for the British winning? Yes, there is a new

:26:56. > :27:01.different look after Rio. All the big names stepped away. Vicky took a

:27:02. > :27:05.while to come back. Like James said, you have seen them compete properly

:27:06. > :27:10.at that event. A lot of them were close to medals. What you want is

:27:11. > :27:15.that burnishing themselves in the ferocity of competition and they did

:27:16. > :27:22.that today and it was lovely to see. Should we be readying ourselves in a

:27:23. > :27:26.position of British Rowing where we have to steady ourselves? We were

:27:27. > :27:33.top in Rio and somewhere in the top ten but not much higher? There was

:27:34. > :27:36.always going to be a rebuilding process. The good thing is we did so

:27:37. > :27:41.badly that you will have to focus everything now. And you can learn

:27:42. > :27:45.from the Italians today in that they won races that they should not have

:27:46. > :27:48.won by holding their hand in the flame and done it from the start and

:27:49. > :27:54.seeing how long they could hold on for. This is what we have got, if

:27:55. > :27:59.you can match us, that will and hurt and we can beat you. We are going to

:28:00. > :28:04.dominate it and race it from the front and if you can catch us then

:28:05. > :28:08.good luck to you. We talked a lot about lanes and the weather and how

:28:09. > :28:16.other countries are taking it more seriously than the British are, are

:28:17. > :28:20.those excuses or reasons? There will be one factor and many factors

:28:21. > :28:25.today. The weather did not make all those results that we saw today. It

:28:26. > :28:33.might have had some impact. I think the thing is for now for today, the

:28:34. > :28:36.British crew, more questions have been asked and answered right now.

:28:37. > :28:41.It is a good time to go away and find those answers and work out what

:28:42. > :28:45.went wrong and what went right. Undoubtedly the British team will

:28:46. > :28:49.not be happy with those results but they can be used to get on much

:28:50. > :28:56.better next time. That is it from us in Prague. We will be back in three

:28:57. > :29:01.weeks' time. From all of the team here, a special farewell and

:29:02. > :29:05.Godspeed to Di Ellis. Goodbye.