Saturday Rowing Finals

:00:56. > :01:04.There are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam and that's a fact.

:01:05. > :01:12.And here are a few more for you, the Venice of the North comprises 90

:01:13. > :01:18.islands across 1200 bridges spanning 1000 kilometres of canal so not a

:01:19. > :01:24.bad venue for World Championships on water. More than 400 crews from 60

:01:25. > :01:29.nations are here for this year 's World Rowing Championships. 12

:01:30. > :01:36.months on from a golden week in Korea for Great Britain. Nobody is

:01:37. > :01:39.going to catch Heather Glover and Polly Swann, they are world

:01:40. > :01:44.champions. A well earned bronze medal for Great Britain. The British

:01:45. > :01:54.will drive it to the line, a bronze medal. Sensational gold-medal! We

:01:55. > :01:58.have made history in the men's eight at the World Championships! It is a

:01:59. > :02:09.splendid, splendid result. Over the past 12 months, the make up

:02:10. > :02:14.of many of the Cruise has changed but the British Gold Rush has

:02:15. > :02:23.continued. This is class. Great Britain demolish the field. Glover

:02:24. > :02:29.and Stanning are back in style. Imogen Walsh and Kat Copeland

:02:30. > :02:35.finishing in style. A phenomenal season, up to the line, Great

:02:36. > :02:40.Britain absolutely perfectly timed, a gold medal. All of which means

:02:41. > :02:45.that over the next 48 hours, which is rowing is out to prove that it is

:02:46. > :02:53.the best. We are going to win and to be our best. We packing a lot of

:02:54. > :02:58.heat. The big picture is Amsterdam. If we are not on the podium I would

:02:59. > :03:04.be incredibly disappointed. We will be happy with gold, that is what we

:03:05. > :03:08.are going for. All sports experience and ebb and flow in fortunes,

:03:09. > :03:12.British athletics is on a high, British cycling had a bit of a dip

:03:13. > :03:16.but what about the rowing? Where does it stand as we approach the

:03:17. > :03:21.climax of the season. A good question for Katherine Grainger. We

:03:22. > :03:26.talk about Olympic cycles, we are just past halfway between London and

:03:27. > :03:33.Rio and it is an interesting time to take stock. It is a mixed bag to be

:03:34. > :03:40.honest. A lot of changes since 2012 but we want things to be bedding

:03:41. > :03:46.down to get a smooth run to Rio. Who has most to win or lose in the next

:03:47. > :03:51.two days? If you ask the athletes and coaches, they would all say that

:03:52. > :03:57.everyone can gain and everyone can lose. The more results you have to

:03:58. > :04:03.your name, the more results you have, more likely is you will start

:04:04. > :04:10.in Rio. Feels secure until you are in the boat but the better results,

:04:11. > :04:15.the more likely you will be there. The Cruise with individuals to lose

:04:16. > :04:22.all things who have not got thing so far, and some seats are very hotly

:04:23. > :04:27.contested. The lightweight women have two seats in the whole

:04:28. > :04:36.Olympics. When there are only two places, they become fiercely fought

:04:37. > :04:42.over. And how much more fiercely contested will this weekend be? In

:04:43. > :04:48.the World Cups, most of the big nations turned up, some for the

:04:49. > :04:53.first, some for the second. The World Championships, everybody is

:04:54. > :04:57.here for the first time. And everybody is at their peak, this is

:04:58. > :05:00.the biggest event short of the Olympics so without a doubt, this

:05:01. > :05:06.will be the toughest racing all year. These are some of the British

:05:07. > :05:10.crews anticipating a golden finale for Great Britain. The men's four

:05:11. > :05:14.have not lost all season and they are hot favourites, we will look

:05:15. > :05:19.back on an outstanding 2014 for the leading men's boat. We want to win,

:05:20. > :05:24.if conditions are right we want to win in a fast time. Also unbeaten,

:05:25. > :05:28.Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, they are first up this afternoon,

:05:29. > :05:36.and they finished their year in style? This year, the big picture is

:05:37. > :05:41.Amsterdam. If we can have the final at the World Championships better

:05:42. > :05:46.than in 2012, that is really good. And we will round up the programme

:05:47. > :05:49.with the exciting men's quad, bronze in South Korea 12 months ago,

:05:50. > :05:56.nothing but gold will satisfy this group. We showed we were the

:05:57. > :06:03.fastest, and that is what we will try to achieve in Amsterdam. This is

:06:04. > :06:11.our plan of campaign over the next couple of hours. Glover and Stanning

:06:12. > :06:20.are in the women's pair which will be off in about 15 minutes.

:06:21. > :06:29.This will be our first view of the Bosbaan course in Amsterdam which is

:06:30. > :06:35.right in the heart of the city, built about 80 years ago. This is

:06:36. > :06:40.our first look at Glover and Stanning going to the start for

:06:41. > :06:43.their final in about ten minutes. It is an interesting course, not least

:06:44. > :06:47.as it has a reputation for fast times but it is also dependent on

:06:48. > :06:50.the weather and we have had extraordinary conditions in the last

:06:51. > :06:54.hour going from a monsoon to almost humid than side and conditions will

:06:55. > :07:02.play a big part and so will be lane draw. Who better than James

:07:03. > :07:07.Cracknell, part of our commentary team along with Garry Herbert, to

:07:08. > :07:12.give us a dyed from that end of the course to down here at the finish?

:07:13. > :07:19.-- a guide. One of the things you don't want to hear is about unfair

:07:20. > :07:22.conditions. But when you are about to raise, you don't want to hear

:07:23. > :07:29.somebody saying it is unfair but that is what this course has a

:07:30. > :07:35.reputation for being, unfair. The governing body have made it clear by

:07:36. > :07:41.seeding the lanes. The fastest crew effectively through to the final

:07:42. > :07:46.gets the best lane. You are going out knowing it is unfair and also

:07:47. > :07:52.that the best crew is it a better lane than you. People have had to

:07:53. > :07:56.race in the semifinals because of that to get the best final lane so

:07:57. > :08:02.you are almost winning a medal before you make it to the final. You

:08:03. > :08:06.have to combat extremely fast flowing conditions, world records

:08:07. > :08:09.have been set all week so that creates an element of technical

:08:10. > :08:14.difficulty but the big problem is the difference between the lanes.

:08:15. > :08:21.The unofficial guideline, it is about a second lane difference

:08:22. > :08:25.between lane one and lane six, about seconds. I was lucky enough to win

:08:26. > :08:31.eight global titles but together I won five of them by less than one

:08:32. > :08:36.second and that is how small the margins are, even over six or seven

:08:37. > :08:41.minutes, a second can be a huge margin and that is vital to get

:08:42. > :08:45.right and make sure you are racing on a fair playing field.

:08:46. > :08:49.Unfortunately, this course does not have that reputation. Because of

:08:50. > :08:55.that, the committee are prepared to cede the lanes also you get

:08:56. > :09:02.penalised for qualifying badly and rewarded for qualifying well. The

:09:03. > :09:05.downside is that some races become predictable but it is an outdoor

:09:06. > :09:12.sport, you can moan about it or get on with it and get stuck in. James

:09:13. > :09:17.obviously recorded that earlier. A couple of hours on, what do you make

:09:18. > :09:24.of the conditions currently? It is pretty fair. The difference is not

:09:25. > :09:33.the wind but the circulation, it blows the water, it can mean that

:09:34. > :09:38.one lane has current and another does not. This site has been

:09:39. > :09:43.favoured all week but at the moment the committee have decided it is

:09:44. > :09:47.fair. Whether that is an assumption or they are using the ostrich

:09:48. > :09:56.technique and burying their heads in the sand... How close can you change

:09:57. > :10:02.the lane draw to the beginning? You get when your number is very close

:10:03. > :10:05.before you race. Because where you end up is determined by the

:10:06. > :10:11.semifinals yesterday, you will know where you are going to be. You will

:10:12. > :10:25.be in lane one or two if you want your semifinal. -- if you won.

:10:26. > :10:31.Talking about the wind, we were watching the finals yesterday, nine

:10:32. > :10:34.world best time is that afternoon. If it simply because it is a

:10:35. > :10:44.tailwind and it blows you to the end? I don't think the athletes

:10:45. > :10:47.would agree with that! The difference in rowing compared to a

:10:48. > :10:53.lot of sports, there is no maximum speed, everything is legal. You want

:10:54. > :10:57.the strongest possible tailwind when you are racing but if it is too

:10:58. > :11:03.fast, it can get churned up and it becomes difficult to row and people

:11:04. > :11:08.make mistakes. We saw a tailwind coming straight down yesterday and

:11:09. > :11:14.everybody managed to enjoy it and break those records. It is not like

:11:15. > :11:21.the 100 metres where it has to be two metres per second or under. That

:11:22. > :11:26.is a water temperature, hot water makes the time is fast. The big

:11:27. > :11:32.difference is how it affects the crews mentally. When I was in a

:11:33. > :11:37.four, we used to raise the Italians and if the wind was a tailwind which

:11:38. > :11:44.is supposed to suit technical crews, they had a chance, but if it was a

:11:45. > :11:50.headwind, a lot would go into their shells, because we were big and

:11:51. > :11:53.heavy. A tailwind will close up the field and some crews will think they

:11:54. > :12:00.have more of a chance, like a minnow in the FA Cup getting drawn at home.

:12:01. > :12:04.It affects people mentally. When your boat is in the water, you have

:12:05. > :12:10.to wipe everything from your head. Conditions have been variable but

:12:11. > :12:17.there have been several finals in the Paralympic and non-Olympic

:12:18. > :12:20.climbing all -- finals. The British mixed coxed four successfully

:12:21. > :12:27.defended their title they won in South Korea, comprising of Pamela

:12:28. > :12:34.Relph, Grace Clough, Dan Brown and James Fox with Oliver James the Cox.

:12:35. > :12:38.And as they approach the closing stages, you can see they were a long

:12:39. > :12:42.way ahead of their closest challengers who were the USA. That

:12:43. > :12:49.got the British challenge off to a good start. Those medals go into the

:12:50. > :12:58.medal tally at the end of tomorrow afternoon. Well done to these four.

:12:59. > :13:01.Really good, so nice to come here, we have had pretty much the best

:13:02. > :13:06.week training of the whole season out here so we felt confident going

:13:07. > :13:14.into it and we knew we had a big final. It all paid off, all of the

:13:15. > :13:19.training came into play. We dawdled off the start in the last race so

:13:20. > :13:25.tried to go all guns blazing and it definitely worked. We were out in

:13:26. > :13:31.front, but we knew we would pay the price so we had a solid pace for the

:13:32. > :13:36.next 500 and in the last 250, personally I was gone! I was in the

:13:37. > :13:42.bottom of the boat trying to hold my guts in! But really enjoyable, nice

:13:43. > :13:48.to lead from the front. We don't normally do that. There was also a

:13:49. > :13:53.silver medal for Tom Aggar in the men's single scull, great to see him

:13:54. > :14:05.back on the podium Kersey has been the standard bearer of adaptive

:14:06. > :14:11.rowing. -- because he has been. Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, the income

:14:12. > :14:20.treble New Zealanders won the coxed pair. In second place was Alan

:14:21. > :14:26.Sinclair and Scott Durant. They picked up a silver medal behind the

:14:27. > :14:41.New Zealand pair. Henry Fieldman was the Cox. You can see that the margin

:14:42. > :14:49.was huge. In the lightweight men's pair there was a bronze medal for

:14:50. > :14:53.Jonathan Clegg and Sam Scrimgeour. Something for Sam to add to his

:14:54. > :15:00.considerable sporting CV because just a few years ago he cycled 7001

:15:01. > :15:07.kilometres from Singapore to Hanoi. He probably felt similar then as he

:15:08. > :15:14.did at the end of that race! Sowed our first race today on finals

:15:15. > :15:19.afternoon and this will be the great British gold rush at the Olympics in

:15:20. > :15:24.2012. It was heaven -- Helen Glover and Heather Stanning. Last year it

:15:25. > :15:28.was Helen Glover and Polly Swann that Heather is back from the army

:15:29. > :15:36.which means once again it is Glover and Stanning.

:15:37. > :15:42.A lot of my friends joke about the fact that it is like being with

:15:43. > :15:48.someone, breaking up, going out with someone new, them fighting over

:15:49. > :15:55.you! In the World Championships it was with Polly and now Heather is

:15:56. > :15:59.back in the boat. That was mum of the main themes of the year, who was

:16:00. > :16:05.going to take the seat -- one of the main themes. Lots of people asked if

:16:06. > :16:11.it was weird watching her race with somebody else. If I regretted my

:16:12. > :16:15.decision. Not at all, my decision was very personal, I wanted to go

:16:16. > :16:20.back to work but I also realised that choice effected Helen. I was

:16:21. > :16:26.glad to the her find somebody of in the squad and genuinely pleased to

:16:27. > :16:28.see them do well. Helen Glover adds a European title to her world and

:16:29. > :16:41.Olympic title. I wasn't asked directly who it

:16:42. > :16:47.should be. I would not want to be a selector. I feel like that decision

:16:48. > :16:54.is not mind and rightly so. -- not mine. When I came back I was at the

:16:55. > :17:01.bottom of the team. You just look at the results from the December

:17:02. > :17:05.trials! It is quite motivating to see the improvement and might

:17:06. > :17:09.improvement over the winter was quite steep. At any stage did you

:17:10. > :17:14.think you might not get your seat back? The head coach was very honest

:17:15. > :17:20.from the word go and said I might not make it. That is quite hard.

:17:21. > :17:24.This is what I want to do, even a few months in he said it might not

:17:25. > :17:29.be your year! I had to keep going and keep leaving. I got ill just

:17:30. > :17:33.before the European Championships and was underperforming. I thought I

:17:34. > :17:37.had bitten off too much but we have such a great support network with

:17:38. > :17:41.the medical team, I listened to them and did what they told me and within

:17:42. > :17:46.three weeks I was back feeling myself again so that was quite

:17:47. > :17:54.positive. Do you feel the decisions made from now until Rio? Absolutely

:17:55. > :17:59.not and that is the same way I felt before London and that is the most

:18:00. > :18:05.healthy way to have it. If you ever feel you have your seat, that is the

:18:06. > :18:09.first step to complacency so no matter how well and fast we are

:18:10. > :18:13.going, how it looks to be outside, to think selection is done and

:18:14. > :18:18.dusted is not the feeling in camp. What would you like to see happen in

:18:19. > :18:22.the World Championships? We would like to step on from 2012. That was

:18:23. > :18:28.great that we want to be leading that progress in the pair through to

:18:29. > :18:34.Rio. If we can make a step on and have a final at the world champions

:18:35. > :18:41.it's better than in 2012, that is a good step to make. From each race

:18:42. > :18:44.you get a sense of becoming a fuller package for that important race

:18:45. > :18:54.which is Rio. That is the big picture. But for this year, the big

:18:55. > :18:57.picture is absolutely Amsterdam. So here we go with the first final of

:18:58. > :19:00.this years World Rowing Championships here in Amsterdam and

:19:01. > :19:07.here is the voice rowing, Garry Herbert.

:19:08. > :19:15.COMMENTATOR: It has been two years since they started and finished a

:19:16. > :19:18.major global event together, then it was the Olympics and today it is the

:19:19. > :19:22.World Championships and for Great Britain, the fairy tale continues.

:19:23. > :19:27.Hard to see who could beat them, the incredible season they have had but

:19:28. > :19:30.Helen Glover and heavens that Lakra Heather Stanning, in lane four,

:19:31. > :19:36.perhaps the closest competition will come from Megan Kalmoe and Kerry

:19:37. > :19:42.Simmonds of the USA who are in lane three. The full line-up, Australia

:19:43. > :19:48.in lane one, Romania in two, USA in three, Great Britain in four, New

:19:49. > :19:55.Zealand with Louise Trappitt and Rebecca Scown in lane five and South

:19:56. > :20:00.Africa in lane six. That is closest to us. Already in the opening

:20:01. > :20:06.stages, this is the sprint hard with fresh legs, everybody gets maximum

:20:07. > :20:11.speed, the British crew edging out and not just edging out, dominating

:20:12. > :20:15.the opening stages. Three quarters of a length, doing what they have

:20:16. > :20:20.done all the time. Think back to Lucerne about six weeks ago when

:20:21. > :20:26.they went into that regatta and Heather Stanning was not performing

:20:27. > :20:32.at 100% and they still managed to win and win convincingly. Out of the

:20:33. > :20:36.pack, this is a fresh crew, they are right on the top of their game and

:20:37. > :20:45.we can see that in the opening stages. Glover and Stanning in lane

:20:46. > :20:51.three out to a length. Moving now into the second quarter, Great

:20:52. > :20:55.Britain leading in the transition period, the sprint is done, the

:20:56. > :21:02.first 500. They will transition into a rhythm that will be sustainable

:21:03. > :21:07.for the middle 1000. Great Britain led that transition, still holding

:21:08. > :21:13.on a length over Romania in lane one and Australia also up there.

:21:14. > :21:19.Australia under 23 world champions last year in the coxless four so a

:21:20. > :21:25.fast, up and coming crew coming up into the senior event. Remaining and

:21:26. > :21:32.the USA just slotting into third place. But ominously for the rest of

:21:33. > :21:37.the world, the British crew at a length. They have not broken off, I

:21:38. > :21:42.would be surprised in the boat if they would not want Clearwater and

:21:43. > :21:48.they are getting that now as we come past 750 metres. Great Britain in

:21:49. > :21:54.this second quarter in the final of the women's coxless pair. Helen

:21:55. > :21:59.Glover, 28 years of age, Heather Stanning, 29, doing what they do

:22:00. > :22:03.best, going out and dominating and from here, this is the strength,

:22:04. > :22:10.this is where they can move on. All going according to plan. This

:22:11. > :22:17.tailwind coming down the first 1000, not too bad on conditions right now.

:22:18. > :22:23.For Heather and Helen, a good opening first thousand metres.

:22:24. > :22:31.At the halfway point in this 2014 World Championships, the final of

:22:32. > :22:36.the women's pair, from a Great Britain point of view, all going

:22:37. > :22:43.according to script. Composed, quick in the first 500, now composed and

:22:44. > :22:47.long with confidence rising with every stroke. This is Romania in

:22:48. > :22:52.lane two, they are in their own fight with the United States. Megan

:22:53. > :22:58.Kalmoe and Kerry Simmonds from the USA moving into second place in lane

:22:59. > :23:03.three. To give you a rundown from the top, Australia in one, the under

:23:04. > :23:08.23 champions, remain near in lane two, battling for the silver medal

:23:09. > :23:13.against the United States who had a better second 500 than there first.

:23:14. > :23:19.Great Britain are clear and gone in lane four. New Zealand in lane five

:23:20. > :23:29.and South Africa bringing up the rear in lane six. That is now the

:23:30. > :23:33.race for the sub medal position. -- silver medal position. James, they

:23:34. > :23:37.are doing what we all expected, there was never any fear, we're

:23:38. > :23:45.watching it develop, they were always going to be dominant in the

:23:46. > :23:48.first 1000 metres. The key was for them to get out clean and to

:23:49. > :23:53.maintain their pace in the second 500. They have not been pushed in

:23:54. > :23:59.the last half of any race this season, it is the transition they

:24:00. > :24:04.have struggled with a little bit but it is struggling on a high level and

:24:05. > :24:07.they have maintained that level and risen above any fear of the

:24:08. > :24:14.conditions. They have made a mockery of any fears that other crews may be

:24:15. > :24:18.suffering. Interestingly for New Zealand, Louise Trappitt and Rebecca

:24:19. > :24:26.Scown who came second in Lucerne six weeks back, they won the interval

:24:27. > :24:30.battle and they are coming stronger in the third 500 but they will not

:24:31. > :24:35.challenge the British crew going through your picture as we go past

:24:36. > :24:41.1500 metres. Textbook stuff here, Great Britain in control. They are

:24:42. > :24:48.on the home straight now, they have done everything asked of them and

:24:49. > :24:52.when you get up to 1750, you are counting 25 glorious strokes. The

:24:53. > :24:58.United States know they have to keep the pressure on because they are

:24:59. > :25:02.terrier like, Megan Kalmoe from Minneapolis and Kerry Simmonds, 25

:25:03. > :25:07.years of age from California, a pretty good crew, previous

:25:08. > :25:12.medallists in various boats. They have the experience but whether they

:25:13. > :25:18.have the guts in the closing stage of this final remains to be seen.

:25:19. > :25:23.New Zealand have had their own internal battle to get selection

:25:24. > :25:27.ahead of their under 23 pair which means they have had some of their

:25:28. > :25:30.focus taken off the World Championships. There have been

:25:31. > :25:34.selection issues with the British crew but they were sorted early and

:25:35. > :25:40.they have gone away and concentrated and this is what you get. Now inside

:25:41. > :25:47.15 strokes, 150 metres from the line, textbook stuff from Helen

:25:48. > :25:52.Glover and Heather Stanning. No sprint and no fireworks required,

:25:53. > :25:56.coming up to the line, an incredible journey, a wonderful partnership and

:25:57. > :26:02.a story that is far from finished as Glover and Stanning become world

:26:03. > :26:08.champions. World Championship gold medal number 24 Helen Glover and the

:26:09. > :26:17.first four Heather Stanning. And a world record into the bargain. You

:26:18. > :26:21.cannot take any more boxes in one race, leading from the start, win

:26:22. > :26:27.the race, break the world record, thank you very much. Two years out,

:26:28. > :26:33.very hard to see who will take them on. This is a seminal year where all

:26:34. > :26:39.of the crews and the coaches will want to bed in the crews.

:26:40. > :26:45.Qualification for the Olympics next year, this is a big year for every

:26:46. > :26:48.country. Next year the coaches will lay their cards on the table for the

:26:49. > :26:54.Olympics because that is when you qualify. If you look at the women's

:26:55. > :26:58.pair this year, Heather has come back from serving in Afghanistan so

:26:59. > :27:00.if they were going to have a weak year, it would be this year and that

:27:01. > :27:15.was not very weak. They were really not pushed at all

:27:16. > :27:20.in that race, they did everything asked of them and that it is. It is

:27:21. > :27:27.a great relationship. Polly Swann was in the boat last year with

:27:28. > :27:33.Helen. Heather Stanning won her seat back this year. Also, Polly will be

:27:34. > :27:38.challenging again this winter, neither of them can rest on their

:27:39. > :27:44.laurels because anybody in reddish women's rowing all want to be in

:27:45. > :27:50.that pair. -- British rowing. Three seconds inside the previous world

:27:51. > :27:56.best time, a nice tailwind and a good weeks work. Three seconds

:27:57. > :28:01.inside the world record and in a race when they were not pushed which

:28:02. > :28:06.is a sign of a quality crew, breaking the world record when you

:28:07. > :28:07.are not racing flat out. As the opposition coach, you would think

:28:08. > :28:26.that is quite difficult. There they are, about to get out of

:28:27. > :28:31.the boat after a world best time. I doubt that if it is possible to

:28:32. > :28:33.quantify degrees of exultation and joy but you get the sense that

:28:34. > :28:38.Heather was more delighted than Helen because after coming back

:28:39. > :28:44.after a year out, she is still the best. And it is her first world

:28:45. > :28:47.title, she won the Olympics before the World Championships. That is her

:28:48. > :28:51.first World Championship title and as much as we talk about the

:28:52. > :28:56.Olympics, the World Championship is still a nice want to get. How

:28:57. > :29:00.enormous and achievement is that? Having spent 12 month in Afghanistan

:29:01. > :29:04.doing lots of other things that are probably more important than rowing

:29:05. > :29:08.a boat, to come back and devote herself with the required intensity

:29:09. > :29:13.and to get a world title at the end, how much of an achievement is it?

:29:14. > :29:18.Massive when it all happened within 12 months. She did not come back

:29:19. > :29:24.strongly until before Christmas. She admits herself, there was a dark

:29:25. > :29:28.period where you doubt yourself. She was up against Polly Swann who was

:29:29. > :29:33.the reigning world champion until five minutes ago and you want your

:29:34. > :29:38.seat back from somebody outstanding. The boat has gone on without you,

:29:39. > :29:42.you are not getting results, not as fit and strong as you want to be,

:29:43. > :29:45.you are trying to get back to that standard and to do that in a few

:29:46. > :29:52.months is very impressive. Sport is a brutal world and for everybody who

:29:53. > :29:54.gets selected there is somebody who does not. I don't know if it was a

:29:55. > :30:01.brave decision but obviously the right decision to pick Heather. When

:30:02. > :30:05.they had those couple of years together before the Olympics, they

:30:06. > :30:09.have been together since they both came into the team, they have quite

:30:10. > :30:13.a history already and successful history the whole way through so it

:30:14. > :30:17.was always seen as Heather having a break rather than losing her place.

:30:18. > :30:22.She chose to step back but you have to earn your place back. Past

:30:23. > :30:23.results are acknowledged and they would not guarantee your place so

:30:24. > :30:33.you have to prove yourself. Obviously they are very good, but

:30:34. > :30:37.the fact that they have posted this time, what does it tell you about

:30:38. > :30:40.the conditions? They are a crew that are capable of that and they have

:30:41. > :30:45.proven that but what you see, you need to be on form on any day they

:30:46. > :30:49.ask of you, when the conditions turn in your favour, conditions were

:30:50. > :30:53.right today, it fell in their time, and they had to nail it. What is

:30:54. > :30:57.lovely, not just the first title together but the first with a world

:30:58. > :31:02.record time. You can see they are approaching the pontoon, just past

:31:03. > :31:06.the finish line. Many congratulations to a multi-world

:31:07. > :31:10.champion now, Helen, and Heather, congratulations, your first world

:31:11. > :31:14.title. Thank you very much. Your face at the end really told a

:31:15. > :31:18.million stories! You are doing something very different one year

:31:19. > :31:24.ago and here you are, about to go on a podium with a gold medal. Tell me

:31:25. > :31:29.about it! It is a very surreal last 12 months, it has had its ups and

:31:30. > :31:32.downs. Cannot believe it. Thank you, Helen, for believing in me this

:31:33. > :31:40.summer, I have not been the most consistent training partner! Polly

:31:41. > :31:43.is going to be rowing tomorrow, how does this title compare with 12

:31:44. > :31:48.months ago? How does the partnership compare? It is different in the way

:31:49. > :31:52.that I expected this, in the way that I knew that we were ready for

:31:53. > :31:57.it. I think that last year, we were really proud of what we achieved

:31:58. > :32:04.initial period of time. For Heather and I, it is a longer project that

:32:05. > :32:07.we had in terms of history. Definitely expectation. Expectation,

:32:08. > :32:12.we were new, it was going to be great whatever we did. A lot of

:32:13. > :32:16.pressure and expectation. Very much a relief. As soon as Heather turned

:32:17. > :32:22.around and looked at me, she looked at me and said, thanks! It was a

:32:23. > :32:26.combination, it is a partnership. It is something we are proud of today.

:32:27. > :32:31.Talking about expectation and pressure, the way that the programme

:32:32. > :32:35.is mapped out, you are first to bat, first final. If you get off to a

:32:36. > :32:40.good start, I'm sure it has a major impact on the rest of the team. That

:32:41. > :32:46.is coming in Rio did you near a -- changing. It is not necessarily us

:32:47. > :32:53.going first. -- it is changing in Rio de Janeiro. I think the

:32:54. > :32:57.performances will have a different feel, it is something we have got to

:32:58. > :32:59.get used to. Almost getting it over and done with early, letting other

:33:00. > :33:05.people deal with the pressure afterwards. One final question, the

:33:06. > :33:09.discipline of army life, very disciplined, but the discipline and

:33:10. > :33:14.the regime of a Roman life is pretty disciplined as well! Are they in

:33:15. > :33:21.many ways, entry because of that? -- rowing life. You are more

:33:22. > :33:25.disciplined and more routines than anybody in the military! You have

:33:26. > :33:30.got to be so dedicated and committed, it is a different

:33:31. > :33:34.lifestyle to being in the military, being an athlete. I think I am a

:33:35. > :33:38.sucker for both. It is on the days like today when it is worthwhile. It

:33:39. > :33:49.was so nice out there, the weather was great conditions, I really

:33:50. > :33:53.enjoyed it. And a yesterday we saw a lot of world records go to other

:33:54. > :33:58.countries and we thought, we never get to race in those conditions!

:33:59. > :34:04.Heather noticed when we cross the line, she looked at the time, I did

:34:05. > :34:10.not believe her. You did. Probably our coach is going to be more

:34:11. > :34:16.pleased with that. That was an extra, definitely. The podium

:34:17. > :34:20.awaits. Well done. Britain's first gold medal at these world rowing

:34:21. > :34:24.Championships of 2014. And so, to another pair who have been very

:34:25. > :34:28.dominant, Murray and Bond, New Zealand, in the men's power. There

:34:29. > :34:35.is actually a British pair here as well, Matt Langridge and James Foad,

:34:36. > :34:38.they may be new but they have considerable experience.

:34:39. > :34:45.COMMENTATOR: Men's pair away cleanly, South Africa in lane number

:34:46. > :34:49.one, James Foad and Matt Langridge in two, all eyes on the All Blacks,

:34:50. > :34:55.the awesome crew of Eric Murray and Hamish bond. The world champions,

:34:56. > :34:59.the Olympic champions. Undefeated for a full six years. They have

:35:00. > :35:01.doubled up in this regatta, they have already won the gold in the

:35:02. > :35:19.men's clocks pair yesterday. Already we are seeing the German

:35:20. > :35:25.struggling with their steering as they have sprinted out, and the

:35:26. > :35:29.Kiwis, New Zealand, just down. James, we will not worry about that,

:35:30. > :35:33.traditionally in the first 500, regardless of how they have doubled

:35:34. > :35:37.up, they take it very steady, they get into the race in the first 500.

:35:38. > :35:43.CO-COMMENTATOR: They do, they do not leave the race, but they are

:35:44. > :35:52.generally not three quarters of a length down. -- lead the race. Every

:35:53. > :35:56.time we won by a long way, there is no doubt that a spring will have

:35:57. > :36:01.gone and unique that spring when you are sprinting either way. At the

:36:02. > :36:05.moment we can do without the sprint finish. At the moment we have lost a

:36:06. > :36:15.little bit of sprint, but such is the quality in the middle of the

:36:16. > :36:19.race. Leading the way at the quarter mark stage, James Foad and Matt

:36:20. > :36:26.Langridge, coached by Matt Dorsey. This will give them encouragement in

:36:27. > :36:33.the British crew. They are like a shark, they slowly glide through the

:36:34. > :36:39.pack. This is where we would expect normally to see them put on the

:36:40. > :36:47.power, 600 metres, 700 metres, 750, and they are gliding back, they are

:36:48. > :36:53.now into second place. Fully transitioning into the race rhythm,

:36:54. > :36:57.they are long and they are hunting James Foad and Matt Langridge of

:36:58. > :37:04.Great Britain. Normally, a minute ago, they would have been, where

:37:05. > :37:08.Matt Langridge and James Foad. They are suffering lack of spring but

:37:09. > :37:13.they are going to come through. It is easy to say that. They will show

:37:14. > :37:17.how easy it is to do it. A good thing from the British perspective,

:37:18. > :37:20.they have taken on the rest of the field, looks like they have secured

:37:21. > :37:25.second place and they have got to make the decision, do they try and

:37:26. > :37:33.stick one over on the New Zealand team? Will they risk that silver?

:37:34. > :37:38.United States, the top American boat of the US team here. It is unusual,

:37:39. > :37:40.usually the Americans focus upon their eight. This is the fastest

:37:41. > :37:56.pair. It has become very predictable, it

:37:57. > :38:00.never ceases to looks a tackle and in the first thousand, New Zealand

:38:01. > :38:01.have done that, they are now through, into their position where

:38:02. > :38:24.they are comfortable. They will have had a different day

:38:25. > :38:28.yesterday, when Matthew Pinsent and I did it in 2001, there was two

:38:29. > :38:33.hours between the start of the cox pair and the start of the coxless

:38:34. > :38:38.pair. They have raced yesterday when nobody else has. They will suffer,

:38:39. > :38:43.but they are a far quicker crew than Matthew and I work, pains me to say

:38:44. > :38:48.it! They are a long way ahead of the field. They can afford to double up.

:38:49. > :38:52.The encouraging thing is that their legs be stinging. Look at how

:38:53. > :38:59.relaxed they are, they are incredibly relaxed.

:39:00. > :39:06.If I was in the pairs, three to six, then I would be worried if I could

:39:07. > :39:19.see how relaxed pair 's number one and number two look.

:39:20. > :39:25.The three quarters mark. Graceful, smooth, oh so devastating, New

:39:26. > :39:29.Zealand through and clear. Right now, they will know, they will be

:39:30. > :39:34.pushing on for a world best, they said that themselves back in London,

:39:35. > :39:38.at the Olympics, two years ago. They got the world best in the coxless

:39:39. > :39:41.pairs, but look at them, they have not let up, they are up high, 40

:39:42. > :39:46.strokes per minute, with clear water. They are gunning, they have

:39:47. > :39:53.the gold medal but they are gunning for the tide. If they get world best

:39:54. > :39:57.in this race, and especially with a relatively steady first half, that

:39:58. > :40:02.will be an immense achievement. Six a way, having done three minutes and

:40:03. > :40:07.five seconds, that is going to be a tall order. If any crew can rise to

:40:08. > :40:14.the challenge it will be these two boys. New Zealand continue to Great

:40:15. > :40:22.Britain, 40. Silver medal, looking good for the British crew here. They

:40:23. > :40:30.have Clearwater over South Africa. James Foad and Matt Langridge,

:40:31. > :40:34.coached by Rob Dorsey, and we can see them... The Kiwis are going for

:40:35. > :40:41.the record, shouting at each other, you can see Murray shouting at Bond.

:40:42. > :40:45.Inside the last 100, 41 strokes per minute, it goes up, the last five up

:40:46. > :40:51.to the line to add yet another title, New Zealand over the line!

:40:52. > :40:55.Just wait for the timing. Great Britain getting the silver. South

:40:56. > :41:00.Africa coming over in the bronze medal. They have continued to do

:41:01. > :41:05.what they do best, they have abolished it... They will be

:41:06. > :41:09.disappointed, they have two world gold medals and one world record, I

:41:10. > :41:15.do not think they got the world record... Just out of it. All they

:41:16. > :41:21.did there was the second fastest time in the world ever, and they

:41:22. > :41:25.have the fastest time as well... ! The British pair, annoying though it

:41:26. > :41:30.is, the fastest British pair ever! They have just broken the time lapse

:41:31. > :41:35.in. The world record for a decade. These boys, in second place, they

:41:36. > :41:39.have shown the talent they have got in any other era, in any other race,

:41:40. > :41:45.they would have won the World Championships. It is just these two

:41:46. > :41:48.annoying bugs from New Zealand... ! Head and shoulders above any other

:41:49. > :41:54.pair in history. They have been supreme for six years. They have got

:41:55. > :42:01.to be the best pair that the world has ever seen... ? They are the most

:42:02. > :42:06.consistent and the fastest. They are too incredibly strong athletes who

:42:07. > :42:10.row well but are not that heavy. -- two. Like a cyclist, like Bradley

:42:11. > :42:14.Wiggins: You have got to carry your weight from a to B, if you can be

:42:15. > :42:18.strong and light, crews will struggle to beat you. On top of

:42:19. > :42:22.that, the difference between the best performance and the worst

:42:23. > :42:30.performance is so small, that even on a bad day, they will beat you buy

:42:31. > :42:45.a long way! The commentary box is not a bad position right now. The

:42:46. > :42:46.New Zealand supremacy by quite some margin over Great Britain, South

:42:47. > :42:56.Africa get the bronze medal. gold medals in the space of 48

:42:57. > :43:01.hours, worth repeating, you almost cannot say it often enough, they

:43:02. > :43:07.have not lost in that event since Beijing, 2008. Ash macro that Kiwi

:43:08. > :43:15.pair quite extraordinary. Very shortly we will have the first medal

:43:16. > :43:27.ceremony of this event. -- that Kiwi pair quite extraordinary. Glover and

:43:28. > :43:31.Heather Stanning, medal winners. The Americans picking up their medals,

:43:32. > :43:35.looking at the times across the semifinal times, the Americans were

:43:36. > :43:51.the ones that were going to be challenging. On the day... INAUDIBLE

:43:52. > :44:00.Champions, Great Britain! Ruthless in their execution, graceful in

:44:01. > :44:03.their acknowledgement and acceptance, they are the best in the

:44:04. > :44:09.world! Helen Glover and Heather Stanning. Ellen, a very proud

:44:10. > :44:21.Cornish woman. That is what it means to her, 29 years old, captain

:44:22. > :44:25.Stanning. She took out a year, it was a personal decision, she has had

:44:26. > :44:30.to fight for her seat back in the boat but it was like she was never

:44:31. > :44:37.away. She has been fighting an important fight in Afghanistan.

:44:38. > :45:15.There is one fight, and sport is different.

:45:16. > :45:23.Hairs on the back of your neck still standing when you see that, all for

:45:24. > :45:39.them. Great Britain, world champions in the women's coxless pairs.

:45:40. > :45:45.And from gold medallist on the podium to silver medallist, leaning

:45:46. > :45:49.against the rail. Congratulations... In a way, is that what you were

:45:50. > :45:55.hoping for, is that the best you were hoping for? Yes, our intention

:45:56. > :45:58.was to be the first crew in the world to push them... Felt like we

:45:59. > :46:08.were well in the race, doing well. Really strong in that 3500. I'm very

:46:09. > :46:12.pleased, I am very excited, I was very excited in the first half of

:46:13. > :46:18.the race. Best ever time by a British crew. That is a notch on the

:46:19. > :46:22.belt! It is unfortunate we came second but to be the fastest British

:46:23. > :46:26.pair, very good! I was hoping James would be up here to interview us so

:46:27. > :46:30.that I could rip him a little but unfortunately here somewhere else!

:46:31. > :46:35.I'm not sure about the exact time, but I think it has beaten James and

:46:36. > :46:39.Matt. Nice to take that scalp. The Kiwis have not lost for six years,

:46:40. > :46:45.everybody talks about them being untouchable, given that, how do you

:46:46. > :46:49.approach a race like that? Like I said, we know they are a fantastic

:46:50. > :46:53.crew, we know how quick they are. Given that they also raced in

:46:54. > :46:59.another event this year, we thought this was a great opportunity to take

:47:00. > :47:02.it to them, to push them. We had great confidence in ourselves, we

:47:03. > :47:07.believe that we could do that, and I think that we have shown that we can

:47:08. > :47:12.do it as best we possibly can. How has the year been for you guys, in

:47:13. > :47:17.relationship between the two of you? We got off to a good start, we get

:47:18. > :47:23.on well, we have never been a pair before, so OK they have been

:47:24. > :47:26.together for six years, we have been together six weeks! It was always

:47:27. > :47:29.going to be a tall order, but in some ways that is quite nice, takes

:47:30. > :47:36.the pressure off, the pressure is on them. Some of the first half of the

:47:37. > :47:41.race was very good, and then perhaps our lack of time together showed in

:47:42. > :47:47.the last kilometre. But in six weeks we have done a good job and it has

:47:48. > :47:52.been fun. What is your assessment? Fastest ever British time, pretty

:47:53. > :47:56.exceptional! Is this a crew that will stay together? I am not the

:47:57. > :48:03.person to ask, the only person who can answer that, probably not here.

:48:04. > :48:06.This year has been really good, we have enjoyed it, and I think that it

:48:07. > :48:11.will be great, it is fun to carry on, it is a fun project. Another six

:48:12. > :48:17.weeks together, we could be going even quicker. Could you be the crew

:48:18. > :48:22.to crack the Kiwis? I would like to think so, today we gave it a go. In

:48:23. > :48:33.the second half perhaps we tied up a little. This is race number six for

:48:34. > :48:36.us together. Maybe the inexperience showed. They are the more

:48:37. > :48:41.experienced crew and they held together better but it is good

:48:42. > :48:45.experience. How are the conditions? Pretty nice! Nice British weather,

:48:46. > :48:51.hoping for a bit of cooling rain, but it is very nice. Pretty straight

:48:52. > :48:59.down the course, nice and firm. Pretty good fun. Obviously for me,

:49:00. > :49:03.having seen the conditions, being in New Zealand in 2010, I was a little

:49:04. > :49:10.concerned. I was happy to come here. Straight down the course. 2000

:49:11. > :49:14.metres down there, tell us, were you aware that Heather and Helen had

:49:15. > :49:19.one? Does it have any bearing on anything? Great Britain is off to a

:49:20. > :49:24.flyer. We had no idea whatsoever, we do not know what is going on down

:49:25. > :49:32.this end, we are in a bubble. We are quite focused on what we want to do

:49:33. > :49:37.and what we want to achieve. For me, personally, just going through the

:49:38. > :49:41.race. It is about what I'm going to do in each segment. I was completely

:49:42. > :49:47.unaware of what is going on. Pretty handy start for Great Britain, two

:49:48. > :49:53.races down, a gold medal and we have seen the four go past behind us,

:49:54. > :49:56.going to the start. They will know what you have done and what the

:49:57. > :50:00.girls have done, I am sure they are feeling pretty buoyant.

:50:01. > :50:05.Congratulations, great achievement! And from the silver to the gold, if

:50:06. > :50:10.we can bring in... It becomes tedious for us but not for them! Yet

:50:11. > :50:19.more gold medals for the incredible... The awesome twosome!

:50:20. > :50:22.Another title! It was not easy, the Brits really took it to us, pushing

:50:23. > :50:27.hard through to the thousand and keeping on pushing, even when we

:50:28. > :50:31.went through, I never felt that we had them broken. -- when we went

:50:32. > :50:35.through the mud. Sometimes you feel you have done enough, you have

:50:36. > :50:39.broken the back of the beast, but to their credit they really hung on and

:50:40. > :50:44.we had to dig deep. It was always going to be a question of putting

:50:45. > :50:49.out a nine second best time in the cox yesterday, people ask how it

:50:50. > :50:54.went, but I was not going to know until the last 500 metres. My leg

:50:55. > :50:58.was feeling not too dead, we have done a lot of conditioning work,

:50:59. > :51:04.fitness work. We got the idea of doing the two races, we had that

:51:05. > :51:07.idea because we know that we are in the best shape we have been in in

:51:08. > :51:12.our lives and we were capable. I remember speaking with Ed Moses, 400

:51:13. > :51:17.metre hurdler, he was unbeaten for years and years, I asked him about

:51:18. > :51:22.that burden, it was self-imposed. Or you race, the more you want to keep

:51:23. > :51:26.winning. Are you feeling that now? We are, when you are at the top

:51:27. > :51:30.there is only one way to go! We are just trying to make sure that we

:51:31. > :51:34.stay at the top as long as possible. For Hamish and I, it has been a

:51:35. > :51:38.burden, we have set the benchmark of winning every race. We would love to

:51:39. > :51:41.go there and just qualify and just qualify and throw everything in the

:51:42. > :51:46.final! But now we have gone unbeaten, so if we do not go there

:51:47. > :51:50.and win and do it well, we criticise ourselves. We put it on ourselves,

:51:51. > :51:55.the pressure externally from the media and the public will be wanes

:51:56. > :51:59.in comparison to what we expect of ourselves. We expect only the best

:52:00. > :52:02.and that is what we achieve every time we go and race. Into

:52:03. > :52:11.disciplines you remain the best, very well done. -- in two victories.

:52:12. > :52:14.-- disciplines. The men's lightweight double sculls is one

:52:15. > :52:18.race which does not have a Brit in the final.

:52:19. > :52:30.Jamie Kirkwood and William Fletcher, you can see here, here they were,

:52:31. > :52:32.winning the B final. It was fairly narrow, but they came through, as we

:52:33. > :52:41.can show you now the a final. COMMENTATOR: Into the middle part of

:52:42. > :52:45.the course, the water becomes popping. They will have to deal with

:52:46. > :52:49.it. Light ways guys, average weight, 70 kilograms, much more to

:52:50. > :52:54.play. They cannot overly rely upon pure power. As a sport, this does

:52:55. > :53:02.not rely on pure power. COMMENTATOR: -- CO-COMMENTATOR: They should be

:53:03. > :53:06.able to cope with faster conditions especially being a lighter group.

:53:07. > :53:11.Because there is a following wind, the water is much flash at the start

:53:12. > :53:15.than at the finish, you are a lot less tired at the start than at the

:53:16. > :53:19.finish. When conditions are at their worst, the crews will be at the most

:53:20. > :53:23.tired, and those that have a strong finish like the French and the

:53:24. > :53:28.Norwegians, they will be stronger in that final quarter. The Italians, I

:53:29. > :53:31.think, if they are going to make a playful gold, they will have to do

:53:32. > :53:40.it now, in the middle-of-the-road is. -- if they are going to make a

:53:41. > :53:53.play for gold. -- in the middle of the row. They led them in 3.01. Well

:53:54. > :53:57.inside the world best time, that they themselves set in the

:53:58. > :54:02.semifinal. Just a reminder here, from the British point of view,

:54:03. > :54:06.William Fletcher and Jamie Kirkwood, this is a tough event, the

:54:07. > :54:13.lightweight double sculls. They finished second in the B final

:54:14. > :54:28.earlier today. Giving them an overall world position of eight. --

:54:29. > :54:29.eighth. Norway are in lane two, the world champions having to start a

:54:30. > :54:39.fight back. South Africa, one, Norway, two, the

:54:40. > :54:43.Italians, who have really been on the heels of the French the whole

:54:44. > :54:47.way down, three. The French, the world fastest, four. Completely

:54:48. > :54:54.dominated the European Championships and the World Cup through 2014.

:54:55. > :55:00.Germany, five. The Netherlands, number six. The problem now for the

:55:01. > :55:05.Italians is that the Norwegians are coming through, so are the South

:55:06. > :55:07.Africans. There is a battle for bronze between Norway and South

:55:08. > :55:12.Africa. That impact right up to Italy. The French may have just

:55:13. > :55:18.enough but they will be dragged into the fourth as well. For crews going

:55:19. > :55:23.for three medals. You have got to be at the sharp end. At the moment, the

:55:24. > :55:30.Italians have gone back. They went to try and beat the French. Their

:55:31. > :55:33.play, they went for gold, and they end up with nothing. The Norwegians,

:55:34. > :55:39.rather than chasing down gold, they are in a battle fossils. We are

:55:40. > :55:41.going to... It is going to be close! It is going to be very close with

:55:42. > :55:48.the world champions from Norway, from Norway, picking it up here, the

:55:49. > :55:54.French are hanging on, they are right on the edge. James Thompson

:55:55. > :55:59.and John Smith, South Africa. Just sneaking in. One last push from the

:56:00. > :56:08.French on the line, it is going to be close. South Africa perhaps the

:56:09. > :56:13.top, and France, who led, photo finish on your screen. The French,

:56:14. > :56:18.who have dominated the event through 2014, looked as though they were

:56:19. > :56:23.called on the line. Does not get any more cruel than that. It does,

:56:24. > :56:32.because they got caught on the line, and they have lost their world

:56:33. > :56:34.record! If there is anything else, they may well be losing their

:56:35. > :56:42.girlfriends tonight! LAUGHTER

:56:43. > :56:50.That is how tight this event is, confirmation there. South Africa

:56:51. > :56:58.were fit at 500, they were fourth at 1000, second at 1500, first on the

:56:59. > :57:05.line. That is a nice race profile. It is a nice race profile, the one

:57:06. > :57:08.question, crews voting now, and performance directors, how come a

:57:09. > :57:13.crew that came third in the semi can break the world record and win the

:57:14. > :57:19.world title from an outside lane? I think they may be pressurising the

:57:20. > :57:26.governing body to see the lanes, it is unfair that a team that qualified

:57:27. > :57:31.last the final should be beating the world record holders who also won

:57:32. > :57:36.the semi. We may see the lanes get changed, we may see crews go out

:57:37. > :57:40.thinking, I am in a bad lane. The thing about lightweight races,

:57:41. > :57:42.sometimes you get the most fantastic barnstorming finishes and that is

:57:43. > :57:47.great and we have more to come later. The men's fours and the men's

:57:48. > :57:50.quads coming up. As far as the women's equivalent race is

:57:51. > :57:54.concerned, we were hoping Imogen Walsh and Kat Copeland would be in

:57:55. > :57:57.the final, sadly they did not make it through to the final despite the

:57:58. > :58:21.fact they were one of the favourites if not THE FAVOURITES AND THIS IS

:58:22. > :58:25.WHAT HAPPENED, BUT NO consolation. How have the last 48 hours been for

:58:26. > :58:29.you? Fairly torturous, it is difficult to pick yourself up from

:58:30. > :58:34.what was a huge disappointment in the semifinal. Going out today, you

:58:35. > :58:38.want to perform at your best and you cannot do that if you let your head

:58:39. > :58:43.drop. There has been a lot of mental focus required, to keep on the right

:58:44. > :58:47.page, and go out and do what we needed to do, which thankfully we

:58:48. > :58:51.did today. The image of the both of you, at the finish on Thursday, both

:58:52. > :58:54.looking utterly distraught, almost as though you were not quite sure

:58:55. > :59:01.what had happened? Is that how you felt? Yes, I do not know, I do not

:59:02. > :59:13.like talking about it... I don't know! Yes, I am gutted. We are both

:59:14. > :59:21.gutted. Embarrassed... We are a bit devastated. I don't know... If we

:59:22. > :59:25.can work out... At the minute I do not know what went wrong... But if

:59:26. > :59:30.we can work it out when we get back in September, then I think we are

:59:31. > :59:35.really going to make seriously sure that we do not do it again. The old

:59:36. > :59:40.cliche, you learn more in defeat than victory, is there a lot to be

:59:41. > :59:45.said? The girls talk about it brilliantly. We have all been there.

:59:46. > :59:49.Although you do learn the biggest lessons from defeat, it is not a

:59:50. > :59:53.lesson that anybody would like to learn. Especially when expectations

:59:54. > :59:58.are so high. These girls will be aiming to be top of the entire

:59:59. > :00:00.event. To not even be fighting for the medals... It is a tough thing to

:00:01. > :00:02.do. event. To not even be fighting for

:00:03. > :00:06.the medals... It is a In yet to come you look back and you say, we

:00:07. > :00:11.learned so much from that moment, it will see us good in years to come.

:00:12. > :00:16.It is difficult to live with at the moment. But you can analyse it and

:00:17. > :00:20.detach from the emotion and say, we will be doing that race again in 12

:00:21. > :00:27.months time, how do we do it better? I've seen that in training it has

:00:28. > :00:46.been going well? Yes, it is hard to say.

:00:47. > :00:55.better. Training has been going well. We had a hard camp. Maybe

:00:56. > :01:04.mentally that was quite hard. But I don't know. Paul Reedy has been your

:01:05. > :01:09.coach, he is known to be very cool and evenhanded, what was his

:01:10. > :01:18.response? He has been really good with us, this regatta especially. He

:01:19. > :01:23.is quite a rock. The people who are around you are very important,

:01:24. > :01:27.friends and family, they support you in the good times but more

:01:28. > :01:31.importantly in the bad times. That is one of the things that has been

:01:32. > :01:34.really hard, we both have family and friends who have come out and you

:01:35. > :01:39.feel disappointment, we are disappointed for the team but we

:01:40. > :01:43.have friends and family who have come out to support us and you feel

:01:44. > :01:50.you have let a huge amount of people down. But they have been brilliant

:01:51. > :01:53.as well. Some of my friends said that they are over here to help you

:01:54. > :01:59.through the bad times and celebrate the good and that is incredible,

:02:00. > :02:03.they can pick you up. There is always a ray of sunshine somewhere,

:02:04. > :02:07.you are an auntie now and you have not seen your knees yet! I am so

:02:08. > :02:19.looking forward to it. I had a little knees born about a month ago

:02:20. > :02:23.who I have not met yet --. I need to take a step back from rowing and

:02:24. > :02:29.think about other things and then come back fresh and raring to go.

:02:30. > :02:35.Good to talk to you both, sorry it is in these circumstances but there

:02:36. > :02:42.is always a next time. In their absence, here is the lightweight

:02:43. > :02:49.race at the start, this is James and Gary.

:02:50. > :03:00.COMMENTATOR: They are coming under starter 's orders. China, New

:03:01. > :03:04.Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Italy, all of whom

:03:05. > :03:08.Great Britain have beaten this season.

:03:09. > :03:18.The green light goes in near-perfect conditions. The wind picks up the

:03:19. > :03:26.course as we come through 2000 metres. China in lane one, New

:03:27. > :03:30.Zealand in lane two, Canada, Lindsay Jennerich is in the bow, herself a

:03:31. > :03:37.world champion in this event in 2010, South Africa in lane four.

:03:38. > :03:43.Canada and South Africa currently in the fastest lanes, three and four,

:03:44. > :03:50.Australia in five, the Lucerne Silver medallists from six weeks

:03:51. > :03:55.ago, and the Italians just being dropped in this opening stage, they

:03:56. > :04:06.are in lane six and they are the world champions. The crew average,

:04:07. > :04:15.they way into hours before the a lot of starts on, 57 -- 57 kilograms.

:04:16. > :04:22.The Italians a little slow out of the blocks. Their whole season has

:04:23. > :04:29.been as a prize, they are world champions -- a surprise. They have

:04:30. > :04:34.struggled for form. They struggled a bit in the semifinal but look to

:04:35. > :04:38.have reverted to type. The Canadian girls are interesting because three

:04:39. > :04:44.quarters of their race in the semifinal was average, the last 500

:04:45. > :04:56.metres was spectacular. I don't think they can back that up. It will

:04:57. > :05:02.be a very level playing field. Not a lot in it so far. Going into the

:05:03. > :05:09.second 500, a little move with the wind picking up. Maybe starting to

:05:10. > :05:19.move the bow was a bit. Very important to be fully composed. You

:05:20. > :05:27.can see New Zealand in lane two. Sophie Mackenzie and Julia Edward in

:05:28. > :05:30.that boat. And you can see how far back Canada are. They'd knocked out

:05:31. > :05:36.the British in the semifinal but they are two lengths behind and they

:05:37. > :05:42.will have two rely on a spectacular last 1000 metres. The Chinese have

:05:43. > :05:48.the quickest last 1000 in their semifinal. But they are out of it at

:05:49. > :05:53.the moment. If South Africa can take something, they will not know that

:05:54. > :05:57.there men's lightweight double won the previous race, but they have a

:05:58. > :06:02.good training system in place and they have peaked well for these

:06:03. > :06:05.World Championships, it is whether they can show the same strength in

:06:06. > :06:11.the last 1000 metres as their countrymen did. Heading towards

:06:12. > :06:17.halfway. This is the only Olympic event, Olympic category event for

:06:18. > :06:23.lightweight women, which makes it such a hard and tough fought event

:06:24. > :06:30.over the four years running into each Olympiad. South Africa and New

:06:31. > :06:39.Zealand out in front and leading the way. The big surprise at halfway is

:06:40. > :06:45.China. Into the third 500 metres, New Zealand, South Africa and

:06:46. > :06:52.Australia. China is ace apprise because -- a surprise, because their

:06:53. > :07:05.bow roller was the Olympic silver medallist in 2012. -- bow rower.

:07:06. > :07:12.You would have thought that the Chinese were starting to get a quick

:07:13. > :07:17.crew here with youth and experience. Meanwhile it is New Zealand in lane

:07:18. > :07:21.two and South Africa in lane four macro but we cannot write out

:07:22. > :07:37.Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obie. The Canadians are sneaking back into

:07:38. > :07:43.it. South Africa will not be happy with where they are. In the

:07:44. > :07:49.semifinal they would never headed by New Zealand. Canada are starting to

:07:50. > :07:56.get overlapped with South Africa. They will be sniffing around for a

:07:57. > :07:57.silver medal which might push everybody back up to New Zealand so

:07:58. > :08:09.it is not over. China moving up on speed, they are

:08:10. > :08:16.third in speed so they have pushed on. Whether that is sustainable,

:08:17. > :08:23.they will be a bit protected in this closing quarter. They had the

:08:24. > :08:32.fastest last 500 in their semifinal. They have some sustainable pace but

:08:33. > :08:38.they are a long way down. Out front, Clearwater now, New Zealand in lane

:08:39. > :08:45.two looking very impressive, Sophie Mackenzie and Julia Edward. They

:08:46. > :08:51.were in a battle earlier in the year at the first World Cup regatta in

:08:52. > :08:55.Sydney between two New Zealand double sculls and this is the crew

:08:56. > :08:59.that has come out. They have not raced in Europe this year so this

:09:00. > :09:05.regatta is the first time we have seen them perform. As always, New

:09:06. > :09:11.Zealand does well in the small boats, men, women, heavyweight,

:09:12. > :09:18.lightweight. And that is partly because they have a number of

:09:19. > :09:23.successful crews training with each other on a similar programme. They

:09:24. > :09:28.are competitive in training and they bring each other on which is being

:09:29. > :09:35.shown here. Wonderful composure from New Zealand as they come inside 200

:09:36. > :09:40.metres. Sophie Mackenzie and Julia Edward, it is all coming together

:09:41. > :09:46.nicely. Watch out for Canada because there are 100 metres to come and on

:09:47. > :09:53.the far side, China sneaking in for the bronze perhaps. Out front, they

:09:54. > :09:57.have held them off, it is a matter of getting to the line. New Zealand

:09:58. > :10:02.will be the new world champions, they come over in first, Canada

:10:03. > :10:09.securing the silver medal and as we called it, China just sneaking in

:10:10. > :10:13.for that bronze medal. The Italians, the world champions, just coming

:10:14. > :10:32.over in fifth place. That was the race that Kat Copeland

:10:33. > :10:37.and Imogen Walsh would have loved to have been in. It is easy to talk

:10:38. > :10:41.when you have one, a lot harder when you have lost, especially so

:10:42. > :10:49.combines a bleak -- when you have won. Do you just walk away for a bit

:10:50. > :10:54.and try to rationalise things and come back renewed and fresh? If only

:10:55. > :10:59.life was that simple! Everybody deals with it in different ways.

:11:00. > :11:04.Even in my career, sometimes you deal with it differently than the

:11:05. > :11:08.following year. You can agonise about it, sometimes I would not be

:11:09. > :11:15.able to sleep. It can haunt you for a while. Sometimes you can walk away

:11:16. > :11:20.and leave it for a break and come back fresh. But the great thing is,

:11:21. > :11:26.they did not have the answers yet but they felt they could talk about

:11:27. > :11:32.it. You have to front up and admit that. But they are both talking

:11:33. > :11:36.about the future which is positive. If you have just joined us, you have

:11:37. > :11:43.missed couple of British medals, at the above -- Helen Glover and

:11:44. > :11:50.Heather Stanning winning gold and in the men's pair, here they are on the

:11:51. > :11:56.podium getting their silver medals behind the ubiquitous New

:11:57. > :12:00.Zealanders, Murray and Bond. But it was a tremendous performance and at

:12:01. > :12:05.some stage in the future, they may be the pair that could finally

:12:06. > :12:08.defeat that extraordinary unbeaten New Zealand pair. And talking about

:12:09. > :12:13.a dominant crew, the next race is the one that everybody involved in

:12:14. > :12:17.British rowing and perhaps people out of the sport look to, the

:12:18. > :12:21.coxless four with the sport going back to Redgrave and Pinsent and

:12:22. > :12:24.Cracknell to the current quartet who have carried all before them so far

:12:25. > :12:46.this year. It is a nice being to have, knowing

:12:47. > :12:52.you are the top boat. The new look crew, George Nash, Moe Sbihi, Alex

:12:53. > :12:57.Gregory, they have only been together a couple of weeks but they

:12:58. > :13:05.are a tight-knit unit. The roles are natural, I am the big guy, the

:13:06. > :13:10.power,, Hodge sets the rhythm, Alex is smooth and technical and George

:13:11. > :13:15.is all three of those things. Other people watching this will be

:13:16. > :13:22.thinking, I will struggle to get Mike seat in that. This is class. We

:13:23. > :13:25.are going to win and to be our best. Great Britain demolished the field

:13:26. > :13:29.here at the European rowing Championships and make it look easy.

:13:30. > :13:38.We've worked hard to put this together, it has been a long winter.

:13:39. > :13:43.This is what we are aiming to do. They have demolished the pack twice

:13:44. > :13:48.in a row now this year, a masterclass. The prospect has been

:13:49. > :13:57.very exciting of this coming together. When it finally happened,

:13:58. > :14:03., is kind of as good as I hoped it would be, very new and very exciting

:14:04. > :14:10.and I love being in this boat every day. It is a wonderful product to be

:14:11. > :14:14.part of. The crew has improved the ridiculous amount but we cannot rest

:14:15. > :14:19.on our laurels, we have to keep being motivated to improve every

:14:20. > :14:22.race and we are doing that, there is no confusion, it is simple rowing

:14:23. > :14:31.and that is how I like it. Great Britain here completely dominating

:14:32. > :14:35.the 2014 World Cup series. They are European champions, World Cup

:14:36. > :14:40.champions, it does not get any better as they head off for their

:14:41. > :14:47.summer training camp. We already had a really good camp up an amount in.

:14:48. > :14:53.It puts us in a position of great strength compared to everyone. It

:14:54. > :14:59.has gelled surprisingly well. On the water it is pretty slick, we have a

:15:00. > :15:02.good sense of how we each want to row. Obviously we want to win, that

:15:03. > :15:07.goes without saying given our season, but I guess if conditions

:15:08. > :15:13.are right, we want to win in a fast time.

:15:14. > :15:17.People who know about these things say this could be the best men's

:15:18. > :15:24.four ever, including the great athletes that have gone before and

:15:25. > :15:27.the great thing about rowing, it is real teamwork. All of the elements

:15:28. > :15:34.have to work together. Let's talk with Catherine and James and Gary

:15:35. > :15:40.who are in the commentary box about the individuals concerned. James,

:15:41. > :15:45.you are a huge fan of Alex Gregory, tell us what his role is and what he

:15:46. > :15:51.brings. He is in the bow seat which is the first man across the line. I

:15:52. > :15:55.was in that position in Sydney and it is a key one because you can see

:15:56. > :16:01.what the others are doing, you are almost coaching them in training.

:16:02. > :16:05.Because of the order, the two guys in front of him both rowing on the

:16:06. > :16:11.same side in what is called a tandem and Andy Hodge in the stroke seat,

:16:12. > :16:17.he is a long way away, it is a key seat in setting the boat up. He is

:16:18. > :16:21.calling the technical shots and arguably in the hardest technical

:16:22. > :16:26.position. If he can set the boat up and get his work on, that puts the

:16:27. > :16:31.whole crew in a good place and he does it incredibly well. I think he

:16:32. > :16:37.is the best in the boat and he is in the best position. Talk about the

:16:38. > :16:41.giant man in front of him. He was the talisman of the Olympic eight in

:16:42. > :16:46.2012 at London and the journey he was on had given him the nominal

:16:47. > :16:53.evidence. He was always going to step on and move into this -- given

:16:54. > :16:59.him phenomenal confidence. Steely determination, he is a lovely died

:17:00. > :17:06.but in the boat, he flicks a switch -- lovely guy. You always want

:17:07. > :17:15.someone like that, a big strong athlete who can row. And a quick

:17:16. > :17:19.word about the man in front of him. Mostly he has the engine, no doubt

:17:20. > :17:29.about it but you need a spark plug to get it going -- Moe Sbihi. George

:17:30. > :17:34.Nash connects really well. Without his finesse and aggressive attitude,

:17:35. > :17:38.you would not get the best out of the big guys. Everybody has a

:17:39. > :17:45.different role but they all seem to fill it. Some of the cruise take a

:17:46. > :17:49.while to find it, and I bought the London crew never did but these guys

:17:50. > :17:52.have got it from the first race and hopefully they can finish it off.

:17:53. > :18:01.Catherine, you have known Andrew Triggs Hodge for a long time, tell

:18:02. > :18:05.us about him as a talisman. He has passion, consistency, desire and

:18:06. > :18:11.nothing less than winning, he is in that mould of great British rowers,

:18:12. > :18:17.he is a champion. They are odds-on favourite to win it. Can they do it?

:18:18. > :18:31.COMMENTATOR: Netherlands are in lane one, USA into, Great Britain in

:18:32. > :18:36.three, Australia in four, Greece in lane five and Canada in lane six.

:18:37. > :18:42.They started the competitive year as European champions, can they finish

:18:43. > :18:47.it as world champions? What they do best, as you will know James, Jurgen

:18:48. > :18:52.is all about powering it out in the first 500, start to dominate. He

:18:53. > :18:59.must say the same thing for every crew the coaches. In one way, yes,

:19:00. > :19:02.he wants you to be in the race at the start but not faster than it

:19:03. > :19:07.needs to be. This start is better than normal for them. What they do

:19:08. > :19:13.really well, after a minute through to four minutes, that is when they

:19:14. > :19:16.take everybody apart. I would find it worrying if I was the opposition

:19:17. > :19:25.that they are half a length up already. The Dutch in lane one are

:19:26. > :19:32.fast finishing world champions. Lane one has shown to produce some fast

:19:33. > :19:36.last 1000 metres so they will be mindful not to take their eyes off

:19:37. > :19:41.them. But right now they can see everybody and that is the perfect

:19:42. > :19:46.place. The hallmark of a British boat coached by Jurgen Grobler is to

:19:47. > :19:52.get to be called to mark first and they have done that so now it is

:19:53. > :19:59.about getting into transition. They are being chased hard by the

:20:00. > :20:03.Americans. They are bronze medallists from last year, the

:20:04. > :20:07.British crew were all in the men's eight in the World Championships so

:20:08. > :20:13.coming into this event but the Americans will be on their tails.

:20:14. > :20:19.They were in the semifinal until halfway but the race is 2000 metres,

:20:20. > :20:25.not 1000 metres. The reality is, to live with the British the whole way

:20:26. > :20:30.down the track, no other country has found the ability to do that. They

:20:31. > :20:35.can live with them until halfway but that is irrelevant, you don't get a

:20:36. > :20:39.medal for halfway. If they are going to take on the British, they have to

:20:40. > :20:47.make sure it does not cost them another medal. The USA art squeezing

:20:48. > :20:55.on as we come through 800 metres -- they are squeezing. There is Seth

:20:56. > :20:59.Weil in the stroke seat. The power and pressure have been put on and

:21:00. > :21:05.that halfway, Great Britain from the USA, those two crews have opened up

:21:06. > :21:10.clear water from a pack led by the Netherlands, the world champions.

:21:11. > :21:17.This is where we would expect the British to do their biggest push of

:21:18. > :21:19.the race so far. Until this point, the USA have been throwing

:21:20. > :21:23.everything at the British crew just to stay level and have contact and

:21:24. > :21:31.the British have dealt well, they have been composed and sat there but

:21:32. > :21:37.now we would expect in the third 500 them to start to push on. Led by

:21:38. > :21:43.Andy Hodge in the stroke seat. It is like watching Michael Johnson down

:21:44. > :21:48.the back straight of a 400 metres, taking it in his stride and about to

:21:49. > :21:53.open up a whole can of you know what on the other crews! That is what

:21:54. > :22:01.they are doing, they are about to open it up and there they go. Coming

:22:02. > :22:06.up towards the length app. United States in silver medal position.

:22:07. > :22:11.Netherlands, let's not write them off, they are in the bronze medal

:22:12. > :22:18.position currently but have just slipped back as the Australians in

:22:19. > :22:24.lane four come through. They may have some wind and course advantage

:22:25. > :22:31.in the closing stages. At the three quarters mark, Great Britain have

:22:32. > :22:36.composed, a brilliant third 500, they have pushed and lifted the boat

:22:37. > :22:41.out of the water out to a length. They were playing with the USA in

:22:42. > :22:46.the first 1000 metres, they put some work on in the third quarter and

:22:47. > :22:52.they are reaping the benefits of that. When you have clear water from

:22:53. > :22:57.any crew coached by Jurgen Grobler, with guys like this in it, it is

:22:58. > :23:05.very hard to come back. Andy Hodge in the stroke sheet, George Nash,

:23:06. > :23:12.Moe Sbihi, Alex Gregory, they will enjoy the paddle in -- stroke seat.

:23:13. > :23:16.They will not paddle in, they want around off their season with a world

:23:17. > :23:21.record. These are fast conditions, they are a fast crew, they have had

:23:22. > :23:26.a perfect season and they will want to take a risk and revel in these

:23:27. > :23:34.last 35 seconds. They are going for it. One last time, Andy Hodd driving

:23:35. > :23:41.for the line, the world best time is 5.37, they can smell it here. --

:23:42. > :23:46.Andy Hodd show. USA under pressure from Australia. The British crew

:23:47. > :23:51.coming towards the line, they know they are world champions but the

:23:52. > :23:58.world 's fastest crew? Over and clear, the fists go up, the USA are

:23:59. > :24:04.in second place. Australia holding out for the bronze medal. We will

:24:05. > :24:13.see on the screens, waiting for the confirmation, it is gold. It is

:24:14. > :24:22.5.40.24, three seconds outside the world record, not today for them.

:24:23. > :24:27.James, I thought at 1500 it did not look like a crew that was going for

:24:28. > :24:31.the world best time. They knew they had it in control but they never

:24:32. > :24:38.looked on the edge here. Correct me if I am wrong, you have got to be on

:24:39. > :24:44.the edge and a bigger crew, not relying on the last 250 Sprint. You

:24:45. > :24:48.are right, you have got to be on the edge and you can either go that way

:24:49. > :24:56.from the start... Which they don't do. Which they didn't have to do

:24:57. > :25:04.because they were in control. Either that or you have to be in a real

:25:05. > :25:08.race, one way or another. They saw off the American challenge and in

:25:09. > :25:12.the last 500 they turned it on and tried to get it but they were not on

:25:13. > :25:18.the edge for long enough to break it. They have got another couple of

:25:19. > :25:23.years. Looking at the last couple of strokes coming up to the line here.

:25:24. > :25:25.The world champions, they will have to come back another year to get the

:25:26. > :25:39.world best time. There they are just going past us,

:25:40. > :25:42.the victorious quartet. It was a race that they won it pretty

:25:43. > :25:48.emphatically. Like the women's pair, it is not surprising they won

:25:49. > :25:52.but still pleasant to watch and it is a stunning display. That is a

:25:53. > :25:59.stack event with some fantastic boats but they were clear and away

:26:00. > :26:06.with it. And unbeaten for the year. You have targets set and I am sure

:26:07. > :26:11.they wanted to be unbeaten all year and they have done it. Not just

:26:12. > :26:15.that, the men's field in the Great Britain squad is very competitive

:26:16. > :26:20.and this is the lead boat, everybody wants to be in it. Every time they

:26:21. > :26:27.raise they have to prove they are the right people to sit in those

:26:28. > :26:31.seats -- they race. When you talk to them, they are enjoying it,

:26:32. > :26:38.relishing it, winning never gets old. Just to mark your card, the

:26:39. > :26:45.men's quad is still to come in about 20 minutes, a potential medal for

:26:46. > :26:48.Great Britain there. James, it is always invidious comparing

:26:49. > :26:50.generations in any sport but how good is that quartet and how much

:26:51. > :27:04.better might it get? I am not sure if they actually heard

:27:05. > :27:12.the question so I will ask you. Maybe he is ignoring you! The thing

:27:13. > :27:17.is, everybody talks about it, the event moves on every year and

:27:18. > :27:21.improves, we don't always see faster times because it is weather

:27:22. > :27:27.dependent. James and Steve and Matt and all of those big names, they

:27:28. > :27:30.have respect for what they do. For the men's four to go out and

:27:31. > :27:36.repeatedly win in fierce competition, it shows their class.

:27:37. > :27:42.James, talk about what potential that quartet might have. They have

:27:43. > :27:48.immense potential. As I said before the race, they have the right people

:27:49. > :27:54.in the right seats. Andy sets the rhythm, George Nash is Sparky to get

:27:55. > :28:01.the power out of Moe and Alex Gregory is incredibly powerful. They

:28:02. > :28:07.will get the best out of themselves, only when someone pushes them.

:28:08. > :28:13.People are only really with them until halfway. They have to dig in

:28:14. > :28:19.on their own to break a world record. The most important thing for

:28:20. > :28:25.any crew, especially coached by Jurgen, is to win the race. That

:28:26. > :28:30.time is eight seconds quicker than Steve, Matt or I ever went in a

:28:31. > :28:36.fall. That is a mark of how they have moved the event on. You talk

:28:37. > :28:43.about tactics in football terms, explain for the non-rowing

:28:44. > :28:48.fraternity watching, you talk about having the right people in the right

:28:49. > :28:53.seats, if you almost randomly put people in a different seat, how

:28:54. > :29:00.would that change the dynamic of the boat and maybe impact on

:29:01. > :29:05.performance? There are issues with who you put in the stroke seat, you

:29:06. > :29:10.need somebody with a natural rhythm, paddling around in a steady

:29:11. > :29:15.state through to racing flat out, they have to have a consistent

:29:16. > :29:22.rhythm regardless of intensity. Then you need somebody who feeds down the

:29:23. > :29:26.rhythm. If you break that link, it will not work and unless you find

:29:27. > :29:30.the right stroke man and the right man to transition it, making sure

:29:31. > :29:36.you are getting the power out of the people in the bud, you will not be

:29:37. > :29:40.fast. The crew I was in in Sydney, in any other order, we were

:29:41. > :29:52.rubbish! We happened to find that order because we tried every other

:29:53. > :29:57.order and that was the perfect one! Here are four more gold medallists,

:29:58. > :30:03.congratulations. How do you compare one gold medal to another? Each one

:30:04. > :30:08.is great, the slate is wiped clean every year. We were under a bit of

:30:09. > :30:13.pressure to perform. We have had an unbeaten year so far, we had to

:30:14. > :30:18.carry it off and thank goodness we did. I am really pleased, really

:30:19. > :30:26.really pleased. We can see it on your face. Moe, the first time among

:30:27. > :30:29.this group, how has it been? It has been a great year, a wonderful

:30:30. > :30:35.journey from the first session in the boat, we were together and in

:30:36. > :30:40.unison and I have loved every single stroke. Not just the race but the

:30:41. > :30:45.journey to get their as been great. People have written or commentated

:30:46. > :30:51.about you as the group, how much fun you seem to be having. Is that fair?

:30:52. > :30:55.I think so, we have a quite a good time of the water, we all enjoy

:30:56. > :30:59.having a bit of a dated at each other and looking around back at

:31:00. > :31:05.base so it has been a great season, with the relaxed, a relaxed group.

:31:06. > :31:08.It makes it really fun to go out and go fast and it is just the cream on

:31:09. > :31:21.the take. He has gone to find his wife and

:31:22. > :31:24.child! He has his priorities right. Somebody earlier today in the press

:31:25. > :31:28.was saying, one of the key factors in your success which has bound

:31:29. > :31:35.together the group, astronomy... ? Stargazing! We are very fortunate to

:31:36. > :31:38.go away to some incredible places in the world and one of those places

:31:39. > :31:49.just happens to have pretty good astronomy. We have been out looking

:31:50. > :31:58.up at the sky is, every night training camp. Are you experts? We

:31:59. > :32:04.are doing quite well. -- skies. Now we have the youngest addition to the

:32:05. > :32:09.team! Were you the cox! And we did not see you? Who would have

:32:10. > :32:18.thought, Gold medallist again, all of these years on... Bad hands, that

:32:19. > :32:24.is what you gave up rugby! How was it for you? It was a tough one, we

:32:25. > :32:29.knew what the Americans were capable of, from the semifinal. We really

:32:30. > :32:33.started to them. Credit to these guys, technical skill, the power...

:32:34. > :32:40.We pushed on from there and we dominated the field. Tough

:32:41. > :32:45.conditions. But an excellent base. You have been involved so long, so

:32:46. > :32:50.much expectation that you win. How much does that impact on how you

:32:51. > :32:53.approach doing it? It is the same story, every time you go on the

:32:54. > :32:58.water, whether it is training camps or at home, you have got to train

:32:59. > :33:01.your hard disk, you have got to keep pushing. No matter what you think

:33:02. > :33:06.about where you will come in the world, the moment you stop fighting

:33:07. > :33:11.for it and think it is a given, that is the day that you will lose. --

:33:12. > :33:15.train your hardest. It is something I have learned in the past, and days

:33:16. > :33:21.like today prove that hard work pays off. Must keep fighting. That is a

:33:22. > :33:25.product of a lot of hard work, from Juergen, from the team, from the

:33:26. > :33:31.support from the national lottery. It is a big picture put together to

:33:32. > :33:34.produce these results. Across the field. We have another farther down

:33:35. > :33:39.here, does this change your approach, being a father? It cannot

:33:40. > :33:45.change the approach, but it does make it more challenging. The

:33:46. > :33:49.reward... He makes life much richer. Winning gold medals is awesome but

:33:50. > :33:53.when you can come home to a little man like this, to the family unit,

:33:54. > :33:58.it means a lot more. You are bringing home the medal for them.

:33:59. > :34:03.They have put a lot into this performance, helping them do what I

:34:04. > :34:07.do. -- helping me do what I do. I have seen him only two days in a

:34:08. > :34:14.month and a half, so to be here as world champion, does not get much

:34:15. > :34:16.better! I must ask you, they have postponed racing for an indefinite

:34:17. > :34:24.period now, because of the conditions. You got in just in time

:34:25. > :34:27.in a sense! How difficult was it? I did not really notice it that

:34:28. > :34:32.much... Pretty choppy in the last 500 or so... When it gets like that

:34:33. > :34:37.is, your blades catch here and there and it can get dangerous, going that

:34:38. > :34:44.speed, for the boys on the quad, it can produce nasty injuries. Probably

:34:45. > :34:47.the right call. They have run a great event here, they have made

:34:48. > :34:51.every effort to be as fair as they can. All credit to them. On another

:34:52. > :34:55.note I would like to thank all of the support team and the coach,

:34:56. > :35:00.Juergen, for helping us over the year, and on the way here. They are

:35:01. > :35:06.very important and without them, we would not be able to do what we do.

:35:07. > :35:10.Final word with you, these guys have been involved in the four, for a

:35:11. > :35:15.long time, but for you, because as you are growing up probably, you

:35:16. > :35:18.were watching growing when you were at school, the coxless forward as

:35:19. > :35:24.the mythical group of athletes, and now you are a part of it. How much

:35:25. > :35:29.did it matter to you? It was very special, growing up, watching them

:35:30. > :35:32.win repeatedly, year after year. Drawing huge inspiration from that

:35:33. > :35:35.as a youngster. Hopefully that is what we are doing, inspiring the

:35:36. > :35:39.young generation through what we are doing and what the team is doing. We

:35:40. > :35:45.will have some young whippersnappers filling our shoes. The governing

:35:46. > :35:49.body screaming at you to be on the podium, so well done,

:35:50. > :35:57.congratulations! Gold medallist, the coxless four, once again. They have

:35:58. > :36:00.got to rush. And I think that he is going to make sure that his son is

:36:01. > :36:05.going to be on the podium! I think he is going to do that. Dennis Wise,

:36:06. > :36:10.what did he start at that FA Cup final all of those years ago for

:36:11. > :36:13.Chelsea? Coming here, I think that we are going to have to talk a

:36:14. > :36:18.bit... We do not have any rowing because of the conditions. George

:36:19. > :36:21.did not think it was anything particularly difficult, but the

:36:22. > :36:30.governing officials have decided it is unfair, is the assessment at the

:36:31. > :36:33.moment. One eye on the clock. The men's four have the potential to

:36:34. > :36:38.break it again. The flags at the end were not even blowing. It did not

:36:39. > :36:42.look very strong and hence they did not break the record, as has been

:36:43. > :36:49.pointed out, the problem with the course, the wind can circulate, as

:36:50. > :36:53.soon as it begins circulating, unfair conditions, lanes have got to

:36:54. > :37:09.be redrawn. Or they may even postpone things. Because it has been

:37:10. > :37:12.so blustery. As an athlete it is not good to have a 24-hour delay, you

:37:13. > :37:23.want to race in the best possible conditions. They have options, they

:37:24. > :37:26.have time. The women will be down at the start line. In this kind of

:37:27. > :37:30.situation how difficult is it, as the athlete concerned, you will have

:37:31. > :37:43.done your preparation because you know that you will race at 2.43. --

:37:44. > :37:46.2:43pm. It would be far more difficult if it was just your boat,

:37:47. > :37:52.but everybody is in the same situation, and so, as Catherine has

:37:53. > :37:58.said, you want to race in the best, possible, fair conditions. -- best

:37:59. > :38:01.possible, fair conditions. From looking at it, I should imagine the

:38:02. > :38:05.crew in lane number one would like to go on with it. Do the seeding

:38:06. > :38:13.again, or do not do the race. That is what I would say. Would you

:38:14. > :38:16.agree? As you are there, you may as well race. We are hearing that they

:38:17. > :38:22.are putting the quads onto the start, the starter has told them,

:38:23. > :38:24.eight minutes to go. When you have a short period of time, they will

:38:25. > :38:30.still be focused on the race, right now, but when... I do not know how

:38:31. > :38:34.many of these crews have used team psychologist, whether they do it

:38:35. > :38:39.themselves, it is always about being in the moment. You cannot control

:38:40. > :38:46.the uncontrollable. This is where medals can be won and lost. They

:38:47. > :38:51.have changed the lanes here. In this race. Obviously that is going to

:38:52. > :38:55.have an impact on the draw and on the outcome. Bring back to talk

:38:56. > :39:00.about the coxless four, for a moment. Having heard them

:39:01. > :39:06.interviewed. As you have been a part of a group of individuals like that,

:39:07. > :39:11.just standing here, talking to them, you get a very good vibe from them,

:39:12. > :39:15.that to use those awful cliches, they are in a very good place at the

:39:16. > :39:23.moment. Yes, they are in a good place, they are undefeated, world

:39:24. > :39:30.champions, best possible place. They have pretty much made up the mind of

:39:31. > :39:34.every other international code, do not put your best athletes in the

:39:35. > :39:41.four, you have got to race the British. They will not want to go up

:39:42. > :39:46.against a crew perform like that. Andy Hodge does not have his little

:39:47. > :40:00.boy with him, I am glad to see that. I took my boy onto the landing stage

:40:01. > :40:06.in Athens, and I decided that my son should not join me on the podium!

:40:07. > :40:10.They never let me live that one down. Here they are on the podium,

:40:11. > :40:12.talk us through what we were expecting to happen. Here is the

:40:13. > :40:30.gold medal we were hoping for. They are going to finish the year as

:40:31. > :40:36.they started. European champions to begin with, world champions to

:40:37. > :40:39.finish. It is not a bad year all round, given that we are two years

:40:40. > :40:45.out, but James, this is the crew, without a doubt, that will represent

:40:46. > :40:51.Great Britain in two years time. I cannot see anybody else coming into

:40:52. > :40:55.this. You cannot see any be else coming into it but I guarantee, no

:40:56. > :41:01.other member of the British men's rowing team will agree with what you

:41:02. > :41:04.have just said, they will see a target on the head of one of those

:41:05. > :41:10.guys, they want to be on the boat. It is going to be hard to get into

:41:11. > :41:15.it but not impossible. There are some that are key. Look there... Six

:41:16. > :41:24.foot five, Alex Gregory, knee is not a short man. They are a big unit. To

:41:25. > :41:31.make this boat you have got to be big and strong and able to grow. It

:41:32. > :42:04.is a difficult thing to match. -- big and strong and able to row.

:42:05. > :42:10.CHEERING Great Britain receiving the

:42:11. > :42:16.accolade, a word in the background, full credit goes to one Jurgen

:42:17. > :42:25.Grobler, the men's chief coach of the team.

:42:26. > :42:30.It is a point that Helen and Heather made early on, how much they were

:42:31. > :42:35.looking forward now, to three weeks away from the water, but that goes

:42:36. > :42:39.for the guys as well, they will be delighted, after the brutality of

:42:40. > :42:44.the last few weeks, in many ways, to be able to forget about running for

:42:45. > :42:48.the next three and a half weeks. The last few weeks are ramped up but the

:42:49. > :42:54.last few months... Just because those crews are winning and continue

:42:55. > :42:57.winning does not make it easier, the as Andy was saying, the standards go

:42:58. > :43:01.up and you have got to push yourself, you have got to be the

:43:02. > :43:04.ones pushing yourself, when you are leading the rest of the world, they

:43:05. > :43:09.are aiming for you but you have got to push beyond that. Constant

:43:10. > :43:12.intensity and pressure, to keep moving, keep pushing the standard

:43:13. > :43:17.higher. When the weeks come, the weeks come when you can switch off.

:43:18. > :43:22.The lovely thing is, some of them have families, some of them have

:43:23. > :43:25.their own kids. That is when you absolutely, you get a different

:43:26. > :43:31.perspective, horizons broaden, you get to travel, you get to see

:43:32. > :43:34.friends and family all year -- you get to see friends and family you

:43:35. > :43:37.have not seen all year. The discipline of sport is like a drug,

:43:38. > :43:42.after a couple of weeks you cannot wait to get back into the routine,

:43:43. > :43:47.it is what generates the enthusiasm. There is always another medal to

:43:48. > :43:51.win, that is you need a break, you need a mental and physical break,

:43:52. > :43:55.but then your mind starts thinking, next year 's World Championships,

:43:56. > :43:59.and there is World Cups to win, and what if the opposition is back

:44:00. > :44:05.training, and reedit generic is not far away. That is what gets you

:44:06. > :44:08.back. -- and Rio DJ Nero is not far away.

:44:09. > :44:20.-- flags streaming towards us. We will be several minutes late off,

:44:21. > :44:23.but when the wind is this strong, and blowing straight down the

:44:24. > :44:26.course, how does that affect the flow of the water and the way you

:44:27. > :44:32.put the blade in the water and the rhythm of the boat? It affects the

:44:33. > :44:36.entire course, it is 2000 metres and what happens, the start of the

:44:37. > :44:41.course is very flat, because it is right at the end of the lake, it is

:44:42. > :44:47.very protected. As it unfolds, the waves begin picking up and rolling

:44:48. > :44:51.down the course. The last 400 metres, when they are at their

:44:52. > :44:56.fastest, you are physically exhausted and mentally drained. The

:44:57. > :45:00.water is at its roughest and most technical and if you are not sharp

:45:01. > :45:13.on it you can lose things. We do not have a British crew in this, but we

:45:14. > :45:17.do have one for the men's. We are very optimistic for a men's medal,

:45:18. > :45:24.in a moment, and here we go with the women's.

:45:25. > :45:34.Given the wind and the conditions, the two favoured lanes, Lane one and

:45:35. > :45:39.Lane two. BELL Always a great view in the opening

:45:40. > :45:47.stages of the quads, going off the line. The first 150 out. Not much in

:45:48. > :45:51.it. New Zealand in Lane number five, closest to us. The early picture

:45:52. > :45:53.here. Lane one and Lane two will be the two crews to watch as we move

:45:54. > :46:08.towards the first timing mark. Germany, the world champions.

:46:09. > :46:14.Olympic silver medallists, only two of that boat returning from under

:46:15. > :46:18.2012. -- London 2012. We are seeing what you have said previously, it

:46:19. > :46:22.should be reasonably predictable, because of the conditions, and

:46:23. > :46:25.moving the pot boat over and in underneath the bank, when they get a

:46:26. > :46:31.bit more shelter. What has happened here, they have crews that have

:46:32. > :46:35.qualified the fastest, they have got the fastest lanes. What that means

:46:36. > :46:42.is that the racing will not be that exciting. In Lane six, little chance

:46:43. > :46:47.of winning. Lane one is going to be ahead of the game, and Lane six is

:46:48. > :46:51.going to be at a disadvantage. The real problem for the other crews,

:46:52. > :46:56.Germany are quick out on the first half, very consistent in the last

:46:57. > :47:02.1500 metres. They will be hard to hold back down. The Americans, as

:47:03. > :47:07.their country seems to rampage out of the blocks, they may well fade.

:47:08. > :47:11.China look very relaxed. They enjoyed their semifinal, I think

:47:12. > :47:16.they will come through the field. The Germans have a relentless

:47:17. > :47:21.consistency about their quad history in sculling. The Germans are the

:47:22. > :47:23.world champions. We approach the 750 metre mark.

:47:24. > :47:33.They came first at the last two World Cup regattas in this 2014

:47:34. > :47:37.World Cup season. Laying it down, China, we have not really seen China

:47:38. > :47:47.in this combination this year. Two of the crew. They raced pretty early

:47:48. > :47:54.on in the season. It is a nice view down on the water, you can see how

:47:55. > :47:59.the wind behind is beginning to make the water pop in the middle

:48:00. > :48:04.thousand. The Germans racing very well, looking very relaxed, yes, I

:48:05. > :48:07.know they are in the best Lane, but the Chinese are effectively in an

:48:08. > :48:11.equally good Lane and they are a length ahead of them. The Americans

:48:12. > :48:18.have held on for longer than I had thought. Very gutsy skull and race

:48:19. > :48:23.in the first thousand metres of this. Germany, in the redrawn

:48:24. > :48:28.favoured Lane of Lane one, out by a length. China redrawn into Lane two.

:48:29. > :48:33.You can see the struggle they are having now. Particularly because

:48:34. > :48:38.they are not as long and fluid as Germany in front of them. What is

:48:39. > :48:44.gutsy and fighting, US, Lane number four, and a crew that finished

:48:45. > :48:49.fifth, it was a different line-up back in the World Championships last

:48:50. > :48:53.year. A new combination, a whole load of youngsters here, and they

:48:54. > :48:58.are in amongst it, they know that they are in a disadvantageous Lane

:48:59. > :49:02.but they are fighting hard, currently second or into bronze

:49:03. > :49:10.medal position. Note, they are long and fluid, and moving... The look is

:49:11. > :49:27.effortless. Germany making it look very easy. They have a strong

:49:28. > :49:31.tradition in women's quad sculls, do America risk a medal altogether by

:49:32. > :49:36.that brave start? Is that what has happened? Has it broken Australia.

:49:37. > :49:44.Germany now, if they lose from here, their coach will give them a hell of

:49:45. > :49:47.a telling off! Nice and tight on the technique, three quarters of the

:49:48. > :49:52.race down, we are now into the last quarter, Germany, Lane number one,

:49:53. > :50:01.retaining a clear lead over the United States. Australia in among it

:50:02. > :50:07.all, sitting in Lane number three. A game, on the redrawn lanes, one,

:50:08. > :50:11.two, three the favoured lanes, clear order from Germany, and a reminder

:50:12. > :50:15.that the British sculls finished third in the B final earlier today.

:50:16. > :50:21.Placing the ninth overall in the competition. Huge disappointment.

:50:22. > :50:24.Again, stepping up from the last World Cup regatta, in Lucerne,

:50:25. > :50:29.finishing seventh there are, they have a lot of work to do in that

:50:30. > :50:33.crew. Meanwhile, China, fighting, and look at this... Look at this for

:50:34. > :50:54.the crew closest, the United States, the one thing that the Chinese do,

:50:55. > :50:59.there may not look pretty in terms of technique but my goodness, they

:51:00. > :51:06.push it down. They have shortened up, three quarters slide... They

:51:07. > :51:10.have basically thrown in the kitchen sink, that is how you would

:51:11. > :51:15.technically term it! You can see the Americans are struggling in the

:51:16. > :51:19.rough water. Up to the line, world champions again, Germany over by

:51:20. > :51:23.Clearwater, and just fighting it out into the silver medal position,

:51:24. > :51:28.China, and the United States of America, full hats off to them. They

:51:29. > :51:31.were in Lane number four, right in the middle of the course, and a

:51:32. > :51:36.well-deserved bronze medal for the United States. It was always going

:51:37. > :51:38.to be, as soon as the lanes were redrawn, it was always going to be

:51:39. > :51:51.Germany. Exciting to watch the Chinese, when

:51:52. > :51:56.they shortened up the slide. If you do it effectively you can get the

:51:57. > :51:59.speed. It is not a conventional way of sprinting at a World

:52:00. > :52:05.Championships. Same with the Americans, the Americans risk it by

:52:06. > :52:09.going out hard. The Chinese did not go off so hard but they threw

:52:10. > :52:14.everything at it from early on. Two different ways to win a medal and it

:52:15. > :52:17.shows how important medals are. The Germans did it the perfect way. The

:52:18. > :52:24.Americans and the Chinese tried different ways. All three end up on

:52:25. > :52:33.the podium. Whether or not -- redrawn Lane or not, fantastic. The

:52:34. > :52:37.Chinese have such a pool of athletes also on the day, reminder, Great

:52:38. > :52:40.Britain, finishing third in the B final, ninth overall, the world

:52:41. > :52:43.champions, two in a row, for Germany.

:52:44. > :52:52.Great aerial shot of a crew in perfect synchronicity. First things

:52:53. > :52:58.first, that was a redrawn race, how much impact did the lane draw have

:52:59. > :53:03.on that? What happens... What happens when they get redrawn, the

:53:04. > :53:07.fastest crews get favourite, they end up in the more sheltered lanes.

:53:08. > :53:12.The two middle crews, the winners of the semifinals, go to the protected

:53:13. > :53:16.lanes. It almost means it is even more likely to be unobvious gold

:53:17. > :53:20.Silver five. The Germans got the marginally quicker Lane, if you can

:53:21. > :53:24.call it that, but there are domination was expected over China,

:53:25. > :53:29.because China look like a crew on the rise. Germany have been

:53:30. > :53:34.successful all season and looked outstanding. Great calibre in the

:53:35. > :53:39.boat. China is a regrouping nation, as far as rowing is concerned. They

:53:40. > :53:43.have a new chief coming in. They did not challenge as much as they could.

:53:44. > :53:48.Beijing was a key moment for Chinese rowing, they knew they needed to be

:53:49. > :53:52.competitive if they were hosts, and they were. We see it across many

:53:53. > :53:56.sports and Olympics, the host nation makes a big push for its own

:53:57. > :54:00.domestic event and then says, we have done that now, now we will

:54:01. > :54:07.focus on someone else. Did China let go of the end, but now getting

:54:08. > :54:10.serious again? Combination: They take the Asian games very seriously,

:54:11. > :54:14.that is something we are not even aware of. They have their own

:54:15. > :54:20.competition in that part of the world that they prioritise. They

:54:21. > :54:22.have a new coach coming in, he's going to be targeting the World

:54:23. > :54:35.Championships, the Olympic Games. After the Beijing Olympics, there

:54:36. > :54:38.was a dip, but it is no surprise seeing them challenging again. There

:54:39. > :54:41.was no British crew in that, but over the course of the next seven

:54:42. > :54:49.minutes, the British crew are going to try to row the perfect race.

:54:50. > :54:57.We have a fast moving boat, but the start is essential, that is an area

:54:58. > :55:01.we have tried to work on. For me, cooling in the boat is very

:55:02. > :55:07.important, you have got to get rain delight macro into the right rhythm.

:55:08. > :55:11.-- you have got to get into the right rhythm. All of this practice

:55:12. > :55:14.is on technique, you practice technique because when you are

:55:15. > :55:19.racing you are not thinking about it, you are thinking about in the

:55:20. > :55:23.zone, what can I do that I have practice, stroke after stroke of the

:55:24. > :55:27.strokes. Commentator the next 400 metres is going to be critical,

:55:28. > :55:32.stepping into the sustainable rhythm, taking them into the middle

:55:33. > :55:37.thousands. Coming into the next, the idea is to keep on going, and that

:55:38. > :55:44.is where I come into my strengths, my engine is quite good in the

:55:45. > :55:48.middle part of the race. Coming up to 1000 metres, the idea is to be in

:55:49. > :55:53.the race. Halfway mark, Great Britain, third, moving up from

:55:54. > :55:59.fourth... In the perfect race, I suppose that you would be just in

:56:00. > :56:03.front. If we are anywhere close to the leaders or leading at the 1000

:56:04. > :56:08.metres mark, that is when we know, and the first thing is when we know

:56:09. > :56:13.if we can do it. I think that we can go deeper than we realise, in the

:56:14. > :56:19.first kilometre, and still click on in the second kilometre, because

:56:20. > :56:24.crews will want to stick with us. 750 to go, you will be looking to

:56:25. > :56:29.turn the screw slightly on everyone. Gaining the Menson, from 750, to

:56:30. > :56:34.500, then at 500 that is when you want to be looking to establish your

:56:35. > :56:39.lead. -- gaining momentum. We would like to be in front with 200 metres

:56:40. > :56:44.to go so that we can be in control crossing the finish line. Impressive

:56:45. > :56:50.second thousand metres from Great Britain's men's quad. Looking at how

:56:51. > :56:55.we race individually, it is probably a brilliant combination. We have a

:56:56. > :56:59.crew, we have people that can sprint in the last 250 and 750 and people

:57:00. > :57:03.who can spring from the start, and everyone has their strengths. Put

:57:04. > :57:08.them all together, we have a really solid Crew. Up to the line, Great

:57:09. > :57:16.Britain, absolutely perfectly timed, gold medal from them over Estonia.

:57:17. > :57:22.Europeans, we finished a race and came second and I looked across and

:57:23. > :57:26.we were all disappointed with being second place. We will be happy with

:57:27. > :57:34.a gold medal, that is why we are going there, to win it. There are

:57:35. > :57:38.down at the start at the moment. If you are going to row the perfect

:57:39. > :57:43.race, by definition, you have got to start absolutely perfectly, so, as

:57:44. > :57:50.we can see them on the pontoon, what is the perfect start? Difficult one.

:57:51. > :57:57.I think that... I think that it is such an explicit start, two, four,

:57:58. > :58:01.eight people, you need maximum power, maximum intensity. You have a

:58:02. > :58:07.lot of adrenaline around your body, nerves and tension and pressure. The

:58:08. > :58:11.ideal is when you... You harness the power, you do it in complete perfect

:58:12. > :58:15.timing but you have incredible composure and relaxation. The top

:58:16. > :58:20.crews, you will see the power but you will not see tension or stress.

:58:21. > :58:24.It shortens things, it will stop you flowing with the rhythm of the boat.

:58:25. > :58:29.I combination of relaxation but maximum intensity, that is a tricky

:58:30. > :58:36.balance to get right. Here we go, we already have two gold medals.

:58:37. > :58:42.Heather Stanning and Helen Glover began thing so fantastically, now we

:58:43. > :58:46.have the final final of the opening day of coverage in Amsterdam for

:58:47. > :58:48.Great Britain to make it a fantastic hat-trick. We will see if they can

:58:49. > :58:58.do it. This was always going to be a

:58:59. > :59:10.seminal year, bronze last year, was that a run ash macro? -- run-off --

:59:11. > :59:16.This as shown to be the latter, one last race. One last race on this

:59:17. > :59:21.incredible story, this incredible journey. Redrawn, Great Britain one,

:59:22. > :59:25.Ukraine two, Germany three, China four, Estonia five. And,

:59:26. > :59:32.Switzerland, six. And the Germans are the Olympic

:59:33. > :59:39.champions. Three of that by returning. Into this year. The world

:59:40. > :59:44.champions from last year, Croatia, we have not seen them this year.

:59:45. > :59:49.champions from last year, Croatia, we have not Great Britain, Ukraine,

:59:50. > :59:52.and Germany, Lane one, two, three. We will be watching out for them,

:59:53. > :00:20.particularly in the opening stages. Britain are looking for the perfect

:00:21. > :00:24.race, the race of their lives so far and looking at Peter Lambert,

:00:25. > :00:29.storming off, leaving out Charles Cousins behind him, Sam Townsend in

:00:30. > :00:35.the two seat and Graeme Thomas in the bow. Great Britain in one,

:00:36. > :00:43.Ukraine into, Germany in three, China in four, Estonia in five and

:00:44. > :00:49.Switzerland closest to us in six. Already the early stages, Ukraine

:00:50. > :00:53.just starting to squeeze but the British will be all about getting

:00:54. > :01:03.good boat speed so they can transition into a solid rhythm. The

:01:04. > :01:08.crucial thing is they gave themselves a massive favour by

:01:09. > :01:12.winning the semifinal. Estonia came third in the semifinal and they are

:01:13. > :01:17.in and outside lane, they beat Germany so they are outside them so

:01:18. > :01:21.they are in the best possible position by winning their

:01:22. > :01:27.semifinal. Ukraine are currently leading, they also won there's only

:01:28. > :01:35.final. Arguably the second best crew is right next to them. Through the

:01:36. > :01:40.first quarter mark, Ukraine from Great Britain, that is OK, they will

:01:41. > :01:47.not be worrying. The next 200 metres is critical, the next 20 strokes,

:01:48. > :01:52.length, composure, stretch out, get into the rhythm so they can think

:01:53. > :02:02.about the crew on the left in lane two, Ukraine. But look at the crews

:02:03. > :02:07.in third, fourth, fifth, Olympic champions Germany in third being

:02:08. > :02:11.pushed hard by China. China came forth at the Aiguebelette World Cup

:02:12. > :02:18.regatta. They are starting to move through. Our high-quality field

:02:19. > :02:23.here. It is but there are two key things to think about, Ukraine have

:02:24. > :02:33.disappeared from Pete Lambert's vision. From the German position and

:02:34. > :02:39.the Chinese position in third and fourth place, both Ukraine and Great

:02:40. > :02:42.Britain have gone so you feel isolated in the stroke and you have

:02:43. > :02:49.to keep believing you are in the race. Great Britain have got to hold

:02:50. > :02:56.down Ukraine and Germany have got to hold down Great Britain and Ukraine.

:02:57. > :03:04.It is close. Almost neck and neck. Halfway mark of the men's

:03:05. > :03:13.heavyweight core Drupal skulls -- quadruple sculls. Regardless of the

:03:14. > :03:21.result of this final, we are looking at something very special here in

:03:22. > :03:27.the men's quad scull. Peter Lambert, Charles Cousins, Sam Townsend,

:03:28. > :03:32.Graeme Thomas, but remember they get stronger as they churn out every

:03:33. > :03:36.quarter of this race, they know they have a sprint and they will have to

:03:37. > :03:42.rely on that if they will come through Ukraine. Their heads will be

:03:43. > :03:48.high, they will be thinking this is on. And thinking that because they

:03:49. > :03:52.are closing down Ukraine. Through halfway I was slightly worried,

:03:53. > :03:58.there looked to be a lot of tension in the crew but that will be easing

:03:59. > :04:04.now as they are level pegging. Ukraine still look fairly relaxed

:04:05. > :04:11.but the British crew have a strong last 750 metres and they will need

:04:12. > :04:15.it. 12 months ago we were ecstatic, the celebration of a bronze medal

:04:16. > :04:20.but this is far removed from the minds of the British crew in lane

:04:21. > :04:26.one now. Ukraine and Great Britain out to the right of your picture.

:04:27. > :04:30.Now approaching the last 500 metres, in towards the home straight, it is

:04:31. > :04:38.looking like Ukraine have moved out a little bit here but this race is

:04:39. > :04:44.far from over. Ticks or seven feet down, definitely doable. -- six or

:04:45. > :04:49.seven. It is but Ukraine still look relaxed, Great Britain have not

:04:50. > :04:58.slipped back but they need to move on now. Sport is in context, and

:04:59. > :05:04.Ukraine as a nation is in all sorts of trouble and I imagine this would

:05:05. > :05:08.be some release for the guys as well do have something else to focus on

:05:09. > :05:12.if only for six minutes. It will mean more to them and their

:05:13. > :05:17.supporters at home. That was the shot of Germany, the world champions

:05:18. > :05:21.struggling and fighting it out for a bronze but now the British machine

:05:22. > :05:25.starts to wind up because they have 200 metres remaining. They are

:05:26. > :05:31.stroke for stroke here, surely Ukraine have done enough. One last

:05:32. > :05:36.push from Great Britain on the far side, the crowd are on their feet.

:05:37. > :05:43.Down to three feet here, they are going to run it out, run out but

:05:44. > :05:51.they have got the push... Ukraine just holding on! The power that was

:05:52. > :05:56.Great Britain was not enough on the day but there I say it, bronze

:05:57. > :06:00.medallists last year, we will celebrate writing history here again

:06:01. > :06:06.today in Amsterdam because Great Britain in the men's quad sculls are

:06:07. > :06:10.world silver medallists. It is just slowly getting better and better.

:06:11. > :06:16.James, that will give them some motivation. You have got to keep on

:06:17. > :06:22.the edge, of course they would have wanted the gold medal but it gives

:06:23. > :06:28.you another drive to go through to next year and keeps you hungry. Hats

:06:29. > :06:35.off to a brilliant silver medal. It was really on. If it was another 20

:06:36. > :06:40.metres they would have won but it was not. They were punching the air

:06:41. > :06:45.with bronze last year but not punching the air with silver, that

:06:46. > :06:49.is the difference. For young man as a team together, hats off one more

:06:50. > :06:55.time to Paul Stannard, and inspirational coach.

:06:56. > :07:02.You could see how agonisingly close it was. I have to say, the last five

:07:03. > :07:05.or six strokes, we thought they could do it. It could have gone

:07:06. > :07:10.either way, that kind of race will stop the whole team, everybody who

:07:11. > :07:15.knows them, they are waiting for that moment. You feel they are on

:07:16. > :07:23.the cusp of greatness and they will win that race one day will stop they

:07:24. > :07:27.put Ukraine under pressure. One or two strokes different and they could

:07:28. > :07:31.have had the gold. They will be devastated to come that close and

:07:32. > :07:39.not get it. Two gold medals, two silver medals today, very handy.

:07:40. > :07:46.Well done. How do you assess the British team today? Gold medals is

:07:47. > :07:51.the standard for the British team. The two we expect this deliberate

:07:52. > :07:57.and in style and that is reassuring. Every team needs those role models

:07:58. > :08:01.to lead by example. And the silver medals were good silver medals, very

:08:02. > :08:07.strong, that men's quad is showing time and again the improvements they

:08:08. > :08:14.are making. And the men's pair, like they said, six races in and they are

:08:15. > :08:18.close to that unbeatable Kiwi pair. At the end of the first day, Great

:08:19. > :08:22.Britain will be on top of the medal table and tomorrow they will be

:08:23. > :08:26.hoping to add to that, not these with the men's eight. Champions in

:08:27. > :08:28.Korea last year, can they do it again tomorrow? We will see you

:08:29. > :08:48.tomorrow. Goodbye. They are certainly a fast crew. They

:08:49. > :08:55.have more to come. We have got to stick it out there in the first 500

:08:56. > :09:02.and hang on. Raw speed and raw power, we are packing a lot of heat.

:09:03. > :09:04.Everybody wants to win gold. We are not going there to lose.