Lucerne

:00:53. > :00:55.is quite a well-known rugby stadium just over there. And we are heading

:00:56. > :01:00.to Twickenham rowing club, one of the oldest on the River Thames, more

:01:01. > :01:05.than 150 years old, to review the final regatta of the year.

:01:06. > :01:09.than 150 years old, to review the final regatta of What is unique

:01:10. > :01:14.about Twickenham Rowing Club is that it is situated on a private island,

:01:15. > :01:18.slap in the middle of the river between Twickenham on one side and

:01:19. > :01:23.Kingston on the other. We are here to consider what happened at

:01:24. > :01:26.Lucerne, the final regatta of the year, before the World Championships

:01:27. > :01:53.in August. COMMENTATOR: Greg Britain, get

:01:54. > :01:59.bronze! Greg Britain pushing for silver! It is silver for Great

:02:00. > :02:07.Britain. Helen Glover, Heather Stanning, they are back in style.

:02:08. > :02:10.Fantastic, gold for Great Britain. Big statement, big, big statement

:02:11. > :02:25.here to day. And there was some fantastic tick

:02:26. > :02:31.rowing nearer to home last weekend, at the 175th Henley Regatta. Some

:02:32. > :02:38.great victories for some we will be seeing in action at Lucerne later

:02:39. > :02:43.on. Katherine Grainger is with us to reflect on all things rowing. In a

:02:44. > :02:49.very congested part of the year, where does Henley sit for the elite

:02:50. > :02:54.athletes? Henley Royal Regatta always sits in the second and third

:02:55. > :03:01.World Cup, so it is a busy time of the for racing. But Jewish athletes

:03:02. > :03:07.want to try to race there. Before we had London 2012, it was the biggest

:03:08. > :03:11.thing people would ever experience. Two -lane racing, it is a different

:03:12. > :03:17.intensity from the six lane internationals. The top athletes

:03:18. > :03:23.want to do it. Who most impressed you in France, at Aiguebelette,

:03:24. > :03:27.three weeks ago? Looking back to the last World Cup, when we saw the full

:03:28. > :03:34.team, the women's pair is winning and winning very well. The men's

:03:35. > :03:40.four have really set a different standard in that event. And the

:03:41. > :03:44.men's squad are doing really well and providing the standards that we

:03:45. > :03:53.are looking for. Also, seeing the women's double, seeing Imogen and

:03:54. > :03:58.Kat, they put it right in. Aiguebelette So, it is an exciting

:03:59. > :04:06.time. Are there individuals who are still competing for places in the

:04:07. > :04:11.World Championships? Yes, one of the biggest ones you will probably see

:04:12. > :04:17.would be things like the men's pair and the men's eight. They have been

:04:18. > :04:24.shuffling around a bit in the last few weeks, but actually, they have

:04:25. > :04:27.all done well. And there are different personalities coming

:04:28. > :04:30.through in different roles, but that is one which is still in the mix.

:04:31. > :04:35.Here is what we have got coming up for you over the next hour. We will

:04:36. > :04:42.be hearing from Alex Gregory, Olympic, world and European

:04:43. > :04:47.champion. There is no compensation is in this boat. We got in on the

:04:48. > :04:51.first day and it went quite well. It was pretty balanced, which is a good

:04:52. > :04:56.start for a boat. Glover and Stanning are back, and they mean

:04:57. > :05:03.business. Unbeaten to Rio, that is the aim. We want to have a massive

:05:04. > :05:07.trajectory of improvement. Will Satch tells us that for this group,

:05:08. > :05:14.there really is just one target for the season. We will just be trying

:05:15. > :05:21.to go there and hit it from the word go, as always. Starting off with the

:05:22. > :05:24.main, at the heart of the boat, Alex Gregory, world, Olympic and European

:05:25. > :05:33.champion, and fit aureus at Henley last week as well.

:05:34. > :05:40.It was a good race for us, and to but a good lightweight French crew

:05:41. > :05:45.on top of that is a bonus, in front of our home crowd. This is near

:05:46. > :05:52.enough my hometown, we get so few chances to race in Britain, this is

:05:53. > :05:56.quite special for us. There is no complete and is in this boat. We got

:05:57. > :06:00.in on the first day and it went quite well. It was pretty balanced,

:06:01. > :06:06.which is a good start for a boat. We all see it pretty much the same way,

:06:07. > :06:10.and it makes life a lot easier. I am not saying it has to be like that,

:06:11. > :06:13.and we will still develop as a cruel and have differing opinions, but

:06:14. > :06:19.there is a good feeling between the four of us. The winter is not a

:06:20. > :06:23.pleasant time, but if you get the training right and put in the good

:06:24. > :06:28.performances, almost you can relax a bit in the summer. If you enable

:06:29. > :06:36.yourself to relax in the summer, you perform better. I am confident with

:06:37. > :06:40.what we COMMENTATOR: Great Britain are making it look

:06:41. > :06:44.very easy. I am not surprised the boat has gone

:06:45. > :06:49.well from the start. The three guys I am rowing with our quality

:06:50. > :06:53.athletes. We are all fit, healthy, consistent in what we have been

:06:54. > :06:57.doing, so in one way, I am not surprised to. In another way, it is

:06:58. > :07:02.a shock that we are so far ahead of the competition. I know that will

:07:03. > :07:05.change, the World Championships. Kroos typically improve a huge

:07:06. > :07:10.amount in the last few weeks, so we have to keep being motivated. There

:07:11. > :07:22.is no confusion in what we are doing. It is really simple rowing,

:07:23. > :07:42.and that is the way I like it. I have had good experiences in Lucerne

:07:43. > :07:47.in the four. 2012, Olympic year, was not so good. But sometimes there is

:07:48. > :07:48.not much you can do about it, other nations perhaps peek at different

:07:49. > :07:50.times for top but no question, we are going out to win. I feel

:07:51. > :07:51.confident that it is going to be difficult to beat us, unless we get

:07:52. > :07:56.something wrong. At the moment I am really confident, really enjoying

:07:57. > :08:00.it. COMMENTATOR: Great Britain,

:08:01. > :08:07.undefeated this season in this new combination. They are in lane three.

:08:08. > :08:11.And the Dutch are showing their consistency, they know how to get

:08:12. > :08:16.themselves down the course as quick as possible, which is a shame Well,

:08:17. > :08:21.It Is Not A Shame At All, They Are Not As Quick As The Brits!

:08:22. > :08:27.Netherlands, The World Champions, Are In Lane Five. And the Czech

:08:28. > :08:30.Republic are closest to us. Regardless of whatever boat,

:08:31. > :08:35.whatever size, the Italians get out quick, as always. But look at the

:08:36. > :08:43.power unleashed by Andy Hodge, backed up by George Nash. What a

:08:44. > :08:47.fine he has been. Alex Gregory in the bow seat, easing out, and they

:08:48. > :08:53.have already got a quarter of a length. Yes, and the Italians

:08:54. > :08:58.traditionally will lay down what they have got at the start, but even

:08:59. > :09:03.that is not enough to put the Brits out of their stride. What this

:09:04. > :09:07.British crew has got, they have a very good combination of a natural

:09:08. > :09:11.rhythm, but also very powerful. I think the best oarsmen in the boat

:09:12. > :09:16.is Alex Gregory, and he is in the bow seat, so he can see what

:09:17. > :09:27.everybody is doing. Mohammed Sidibe is incredibly strong. They are

:09:28. > :09:33.basically front wheel drive. It is just working really well. 500

:09:34. > :09:38.metres, three quarters of a length, great written over the rest of the

:09:39. > :09:41.world. Canada in second place. The world champions, Netherlands,

:09:42. > :09:46.currently in the bronze medal position. Moving into the second

:09:47. > :09:51.500. Expect the British four to move on again. They will find their

:09:52. > :09:58.transition into their rhythm, but you will expect the power still to

:09:59. > :10:07.be on, and just moving away. You're right, their speed in the second

:10:08. > :10:12.503rd 500 is easy speed. It comes because they are very natural

:10:13. > :10:18.together, so they are not wasting any energy. All of the energy is

:10:19. > :10:22.going into the end of the oar. The Dutch crew last year did not

:10:23. > :10:26.threaten apart from the last few hundred metres, so they are very

:10:27. > :10:34.confident. I am sure they will come into second place. But this is where

:10:35. > :10:37.the Brits, between 500 and 1000, this is where they are going to rip

:10:38. > :10:44.the heart and guts out of the opposition. The rhythm, long and

:10:45. > :10:52.loose, backed up by George Nash in the three seat. Up in lane one,

:10:53. > :10:55.though, Canada. Three of this crew were 14th in the World Championships

:10:56. > :11:02.last year. They have changed their stroke man, Langerfeld has come in.

:11:03. > :11:09.Halfway now, in this final, the men's four. Great Britain have eased

:11:10. > :11:15.out to a length in that second 500. The world champions remain in bronze

:11:16. > :11:19.medal position. If you compare great written, they are a lot longer,

:11:20. > :11:23.there is more fluidity coming forwards, around the finish, then

:11:24. > :11:30.the Netherlands, who are the reigning world champions. If you

:11:31. > :11:35.look at the tandem, which means two oars close together, between the two

:11:36. > :11:41.and the number three man, they are very much together. The Brits will

:11:42. > :11:46.look to have at least half a length of clear water by 1500 metres. That

:11:47. > :11:48.is what they are going to take away to their training camp.

:11:49. > :11:49.is what they are going to take away will be disappointed if they do not

:11:50. > :11:52.have will be disappointed if they do not

:11:53. > :11:54.that would mean other people were sticking with them. They want to not

:11:55. > :12:00.just dominate this race, sticking with them. They want to not

:12:01. > :12:05.want to rip the guts out of the other crews over the next six weeks.

:12:06. > :12:08.You have been in this position with Juergen Gruber, the chief wizard of

:12:09. > :12:13.all of this, ever since he has come over here! You are out, you are

:12:14. > :12:24.clear, you are feeling good, the legs hurt, but you are still pushing

:12:25. > :12:32.on? Yes. What he said to us before the race in Sydney, and now they

:12:33. > :12:43.have come through 1500 metres, they have moved out incredibly well...

:12:44. > :12:49.But what Juergen said to us, with Matt Pinsent and Steve Redgrave, we

:12:50. > :12:52.had an incredibly fast first 500, and then often our speed would drop

:12:53. > :12:57.and people would come back at us and then we would go again in the second

:12:58. > :13:05.half. Whereas this crew have a quick first 500, AND keep going, which is

:13:06. > :13:13.really annoying to race against, I can tell you! Canada, long and loose

:13:14. > :13:18.on the far side, more powerful, rather than any technique. But they

:13:19. > :13:23.are doing a great job, in the bronze medal position. But from the very

:13:24. > :13:27.first stroke to the very last, in full command of the men's

:13:28. > :13:31.heavyweight coxless four, making it look easy, although it is not, the

:13:32. > :13:37.power is coming down off those legs through the finish... It is, but

:13:38. > :13:43.there is a lot left in the tank. They have not been pushed. These

:13:44. > :13:46.boys may let themselves off the leash in the last hundred metres,

:13:47. > :13:51.but there is loads more in the tank. The opposition do not know how fast

:13:52. > :13:57.they are, and neither do the Brits, because they have not had to. Coming

:13:58. > :14:04.up to the line now, great written just complete the domination of the

:14:05. > :14:09.2014 World Cup series. -- Great Britain. They are World Cup

:14:10. > :14:17.champions, it does not get any better than that, as they head of

:14:18. > :14:22.for their summer training camps. Netherlands get silver, Canada,

:14:23. > :14:27.bronze. The Dutch showing their consistency, they may not have won

:14:28. > :14:31.their semi, but they know how to get themselves down the course as

:14:32. > :14:35.quickly as possible. It is just a shame that they are not as quick as

:14:36. > :14:40.the Brits! Can you see anyone getting close to you? We are racing

:14:41. > :14:42.the clock, we have got bigger markers to put down in our training.

:14:43. > :14:49.We have done some really good stuff. We have got to finish the

:14:50. > :14:54.season in style, so we have got work to do over the next four weeks. The

:14:55. > :14:57.last six weeks have been really good, but everybody remembers the

:14:58. > :15:03.World Championships, so we have to put everything into that. The men's

:15:04. > :15:07.four is such an iconic boat, and you are in the middle of it, with an

:15:08. > :15:18.unbeaten record going into the World Championships, I guess is must give

:15:19. > :15:23.you a lot of pleasure? Absolutely. It has been awesome. Cannot find

:15:24. > :15:28.enough superlatives for it, it has been great. There were almost tears

:15:29. > :15:32.there, George Nash! And one thing, as you go forward to the World

:15:33. > :15:38.Championships, I'm sure you have got some improvements to make? Yes, we

:15:39. > :15:45.go back to our winter training so it is more long milage, low intensity

:15:46. > :15:50.and build ourselves up again a lot can happen in the six weeks. We know

:15:51. > :15:55.we have got a bit more to come and I am sure other crews have as well. We

:15:56. > :16:00.have to keep that in our minds, no question about it. We are excited

:16:01. > :16:05.about our project, just got to keep it going.

:16:06. > :16:14.There is always the risk of being blas?. What did you make about that

:16:15. > :16:19.performance? You have got to consider that the boys have raced

:16:20. > :16:22.the European Championships, the Aiguebelette World Cup, the Regatta

:16:23. > :16:27.and now the Lucerne World Cup so a lot of racing in a short space of

:16:28. > :16:30.time. They will be feeling the fatigue of that. Generally, the

:16:31. > :16:38.British crews at this time in the calendar are looking for a break.

:16:39. > :16:41.And yet, they still won by a length and in a four that is a comfortable

:16:42. > :16:45.margin. Gary was saying in the commentary that this is the four who

:16:46. > :16:50.will go on for the next couple of years or so. Is that how you see

:16:51. > :16:55.them? The main way it works is that has to be a reason to change a crew.

:16:56. > :16:58.If a crew is winning, it is seen as the status quo unless there is a

:16:59. > :17:18.reason to change it. At the moment, you would say, why would you change

:17:19. > :17:21.that? It would be very exciting to see it go all the way but we are

:17:22. > :17:23.still two years away. From one crew which is unbeaten, Helen Glover and

:17:24. > :17:26.Heather Stanning. They have big hopes not just for now, but for the

:17:27. > :17:33.future. It was really natural to have Heather back. Really exciting

:17:34. > :17:38.to have Helen back in the boat and racing again. It was the first time

:17:39. > :17:43.since the Olympic final. Great Britain are the Olympic champions!

:17:44. > :17:49.IR anticipating being anxious and forgetting what I am doing but when

:17:50. > :17:53.I was there it was fine. For myself there was less on the line in that I

:17:54. > :17:57.had won the European Championships three weeks before. Knowing Helen

:17:58. > :18:02.had done incredibly well last year with Polly made it a really good

:18:03. > :18:07.challenge for me. It was something I know I wanted to do. She's the sort

:18:08. > :18:12.of person you can wind her up, put her on the start line and you would

:18:13. > :18:17.not know she felt pressure. You cannot tell. It was not going to be

:18:18. > :18:20.giving to me and that was the best thing. The last thing you want as an

:18:21. > :18:29.athlete is to be handed something on a plate. I think the close Bond

:18:30. > :18:33.between us as friends and as team-mates is really important. I

:18:34. > :18:38.think any relationship takes time to build. Helen has stepped massively

:18:39. > :18:41.in the year I was away. I did say to her, have a great year and keep

:18:42. > :18:47.getting better and I will try and catch up with you when I get back.

:18:48. > :18:51.What made it really easy is nothing has changed between us. I was

:18:52. > :18:56.excited to have her back. It is always exciting moving forward. I

:18:57. > :19:02.was aware that she was ahead of me and I am still catching up a bit. As

:19:03. > :19:07.the season progresses, hopefully I will close that gap a bit! And we

:19:08. > :19:12.will be two well matched athletes again! Helen Glover and Heather

:19:13. > :19:17.Stanning, they are back in style. We have a load more work to do and more

:19:18. > :19:23.speed to find. The upcoming people will have a big trajectory of

:19:24. > :19:28.improvement. We want to match that. Rio is where we want to defend our

:19:29. > :19:30.title. We have to make sure we have moved on before the rest of the

:19:31. > :19:48.world move on and move fastest. The women's pair under way. A slow

:19:49. > :20:00.start from New Zealand. Great Britain jumped out of the blocks.

:20:01. > :20:07.The Netherlands, South Africa, Great Britain in lane three, New Zealand

:20:08. > :20:14.in lane four will stop the New Zealand under 23 bed in lane number

:20:15. > :20:23.five and Romania in lane six. They have gone out quick. They may be

:20:24. > :20:31.slightly ahead -- less ahead of the Dutch in lane one. I expect it will

:20:32. > :20:39.be between New Zealand and GB. The way GB are moving, they could be

:20:40. > :20:43.enjoying a nice view of the race. 300 metres already. Helen Glover and

:20:44. > :20:46.Heather Stanning from Great Britain. Doing what they do best. They jumped

:20:47. > :20:51.out. They set the tone of the race, Doing what they do best. They jumped

:20:52. > :20:58.their authority on it. A clean start. Slow for New

:20:59. > :21:03.their authority on it. A clean compatriots, the under 23 New

:21:04. > :21:10.Zealand pair of Prendergast and Growler. They are in five. There was

:21:11. > :21:17.a look from grace Pendergast to see if they are tracking the British

:21:18. > :21:22.pair. A court of the race gone in the winning's coxless pair. It is a

:21:23. > :21:27.length now from Great Britain over the New Zealand under 23 pair who

:21:28. > :21:33.themselves have got clear water over the New Zealand first win in's pair.

:21:34. > :21:37.That in itself is extraordinary, between an under 23 crew in the

:21:38. > :21:44.all-black strip to the right there leading their first boat. The crews

:21:45. > :21:51.now start to transition into their race pace. They will have come down

:21:52. > :21:55.into their race pace a little quicker because they will know they

:21:56. > :21:59.have got things under control right now. They are dominating the race.

:22:00. > :22:02.You do not need to make a race faster than it have to be. What

:22:03. > :22:06.Glover and Stanning have faster than it have to be. What

:22:07. > :22:11.really useful is a quick start, quicker than the rest of the field

:22:12. > :22:15.but it does not seem to take anything out of them. They are not

:22:16. > :22:27.nailing the start to get ahead. They have a naturally quick start which

:22:28. > :22:29.gives them the perfect platform to hit race pace. The race pace, the

:22:30. > :22:32.crucial 1200 metres is where you grind the opposition down and you

:22:33. > :22:36.just squeeze the life out of them. If you want to do an analogy it is

:22:37. > :22:40.like water boarding them for five minutes. They are effectively

:22:41. > :22:46.sucking the life out of them. It is hard when they are world Olympic

:22:47. > :22:54.champions inching away with every stroke. Their play for using a quick

:22:55. > :23:02.start and making the most of it. Helen Glover in the bow seat of the

:23:03. > :23:08.British pair. A little call to keep the squeeze going. That has opened

:23:09. > :23:15.up more water between the New Zealand two crew. Great Britain

:23:16. > :23:21.comfortably clear water over New Zealand's Prendergast and Growler.

:23:22. > :23:27.The big surprise here is that trap it and Scown from New Zealand one,

:23:28. > :23:36.that is the main crew, they have been left, a dodgy five or six is

:23:37. > :23:48.jokes off the start. -- five or six strokes off the start.

:23:49. > :23:54.Look at the gap now which has opened up here between the Olympic and

:23:55. > :23:59.world champions Great Britain, and third placed New Zealand. The yellow

:24:00. > :24:02.vests from the New Zealand crew indicate they are current World Cup

:24:03. > :24:08.leaders. The crucial thing to remember here is the under 23 World

:24:09. > :24:11.leaders. The crucial thing to the World Championships. The New

:24:12. > :24:14.leaders. The crucial thing to Zealand second crew is effectively

:24:15. > :24:17.more race ready for their big race of the year. The crucial

:24:18. > :24:20.more race ready for their big race looking ahead to Rio which all of

:24:21. > :24:24.these girls will be, for the New Zealand under 23 younger boat to

:24:25. > :24:30.beat their senior boat is a massive scalp. They will suddenly start

:24:31. > :24:33.putting questions about whether the other New Zealand team should be the

:24:34. > :24:38.Olympic boat or they should be. Every race they can do that, the

:24:39. > :24:42.better. There is nothing worse than being beaten by somebody you train

:24:43. > :24:46.with every day. Every day you go to the boat club and you have to look

:24:47. > :24:52.at the people who beat you, especially if they are younger than

:24:53. > :25:02.you and they should not beat you. Louise trap it in the bow seat and

:25:03. > :25:08.Rebecca Scown in the other seat. 1500 metres down, 500 metres to go.

:25:09. > :25:18.They have done enough in the middle 500 metre mark.

:25:19. > :25:23.They have done enough in the middle of thousands, the Great Britain team

:25:24. > :25:30.have, just to hold off a bit. Helen Glover, 27 years of age and Heather

:25:31. > :25:35.Stanning, 29, from the Army rowing club. What a phenomenal Bond and

:25:36. > :25:42.relationship and friendship these guys have. Robin Williams is the

:25:43. > :25:47.main coach. Between the four of them and robin here is the main driving

:25:48. > :25:55.here, this group of athletes are fantastic. They are but they will

:25:56. > :26:02.not enjoy the New Zealand beat team following them. To have time taken

:26:03. > :26:07.out of you by a crew which you should be beating, well, are beating

:26:08. > :26:12.anyway, we'll hurt. From the comments Helen was making, they want

:26:13. > :26:17.to make sure they move away in the four or 500. Every race they do and

:26:18. > :26:23.they dominate, it sets them up well, not just for the World Championships

:26:24. > :26:28.but for Rio. I think Helen Glover is making a lot more calls than usual

:26:29. > :26:35.in the bow seat. Still, they are going on. It is a big race. It is

:26:36. > :26:39.the final race before the World Championships. You have memories and

:26:40. > :26:47.you want everyone to be a positive one, rather than negative. Coming up

:26:48. > :26:50.to the line now. Helen Glover, Heather Stanning, completely

:26:51. > :26:56.dominating the event all the way through this year. The New Zealand

:26:57. > :27:05.under 23 crew coming in second and the main New Zealand crew into the

:27:06. > :27:10.bronze medal position. It is lovely to see a smile on your

:27:11. > :27:14.face. Yes, really pleased to get another medal and the gold. Did you

:27:15. > :27:19.feel more comfortable today because I know it was your first race back

:27:20. > :27:25.three weeks ago after some time? Yes, I am feeling fitter and fitter

:27:26. > :27:32.every week. For us, it was about getting a race done. Heather has had

:27:33. > :27:38.a cold. For us it was about coming in and getting the job done rather

:27:39. > :27:48.than any fireworks or anything special. Helen, you had accrued to

:27:49. > :27:54.push you. The Kiwi 's were on good form. We decided we would push as

:27:55. > :27:58.much as we needed to do. It feels a sensible way of doing things. We do

:27:59. > :28:02.like to come to Lucerne and use it as the last race before the World

:28:03. > :28:07.Championships to try things and is sprint to the line which we did not

:28:08. > :28:08.need to do too much today. Just holding them off was enough for

:28:09. > :28:16.today. It is one of those difficult

:28:17. > :28:20.situations then when everyone expects you to win the pressure is

:28:21. > :28:24.greater and when you do not, people will start saying, I am not sure

:28:25. > :28:30.about this. Is greater and when you do not, people will start saying, I

:28:31. > :28:34.am not sure about this. Isn't that will still be happy with their

:28:35. > :28:43.performance. It always starts getting uncomfortable, they are the

:28:44. > :28:50.target. They are the ones to beat so people will track you. What Helen

:28:51. > :28:55.has already commented is varies suddenly a new crew that nobody

:28:56. > :28:59.knows about and that is a very freeing moment, when you come on as

:29:00. > :29:02.the new young guns and no one knows what you're capable of that is when

:29:03. > :29:12.you can do some amazing performances. Helen and Heather will

:29:13. > :29:16.counter that. Isn't an unbeaten record in any sport sometimes an

:29:17. > :29:22.albatross? It depends. I think given the choice, athletes would like an

:29:23. > :29:26.unbeaten record. You would take that ever being beaten regularly. But

:29:27. > :29:30.what you don't want to do is start becoming a pressure. When people are

:29:31. > :29:34.counting how many races you have gone without a loss, people wonder

:29:35. > :29:38.if it will be the one you lose out on. What they cannot let to happen

:29:39. > :29:50.is that become a focus. With Robin Williams to coach them, he has got a

:29:51. > :29:52.cool head on his shoulders. He understands as well. Experienced

:29:53. > :29:56.athletes will carry that burden and not see it as a problem. Summon who

:29:57. > :30:07.has missed out is Polly Swan. She is now in the women's eight.

:30:08. > :30:16.The final of the women's eight. Great Britain in lane three,

:30:17. > :30:23.well-positioned. Canada for them will be the team to watch, in lane

:30:24. > :30:35.four. The Australians have gone off quickly. Romania as well. Canada in

:30:36. > :30:39.lane four. So important for the British eight to track them down.

:30:40. > :30:45.Lesley Thompson, in the cox seat, that upright as ocean, as she has

:30:46. > :30:50.today, as she had back in 1992, when she coxed the Canadians to the

:30:51. > :30:57.Olympic gold medal. A real stalwart in Canadian remains rowing, and this

:30:58. > :31:02.British crew will look to her to get them down the track. Doing what they

:31:03. > :31:07.have done before, Canada, Clearwater at the halfway mark. Great Britain

:31:08. > :31:12.now just sneaking into the silver medal position. Just a couple of

:31:13. > :31:17.feet between Germany and Great Britain. Through this year, Great

:31:18. > :31:20.Britain have beaten the Germans. So, the Germans have raised their

:31:21. > :31:26.game in this final World Cup regatta, taking on Great Britain

:31:27. > :31:30.here. And look at Romania, in lane five. They cannot be discounted,

:31:31. > :31:38.either, the world silver medallists from last year, Romania. We are well

:31:39. > :31:43.and truly into the third 500 now, and they will have the knowledge of

:31:44. > :31:46.racing the eights, which is a different game from the smaller

:31:47. > :31:53.boats. JAMES CRACKNELL: The Canadians are

:31:54. > :31:56.racing well. The British, if they can catch Romania, the Netherlands

:31:57. > :32:01.and Germany and beat them, and can catch Romania, the Netherlands

:32:02. > :32:06.over, then they can look back and think it has been a good weekend's

:32:07. > :32:10.racing. They cannot let it slip now. The Germans have had a decent

:32:11. > :32:15.last minute or so, but that is it. Do not let them go any further,

:32:16. > :32:20.start inching away from them, and don't give Romania or Holland a

:32:21. > :32:23.sniff. That way you are building yourself up Tom are giving yourself

:32:24. > :32:28.a nice platform for the World Championships. It looks very, very

:32:29. > :32:37.good for Great Britain. They are coming on strong, I fancy them for

:32:38. > :32:50.silver. Leading the British crew through 1500 metres, Caragh

:32:51. > :32:53.McMurtry. But watch out for Romania, they are now the threat for the

:32:54. > :32:58.British in the last quarter. And here come Romania. Both of the

:32:59. > :33:04.crews, Great Britain, a quarter of a length over Germany. Germany gave it

:33:05. > :33:07.all they could over that third five, and now the British have got to

:33:08. > :33:11.contend with Romania. Out of your picture, Canada have

:33:12. > :33:15.contend with Romania. Out of your Romanians have got a proud history

:33:16. > :33:21.in the women's eight. They were a dominant force in the 1990s and the

:33:22. > :33:24.early 2000s. But the British have placed it well, and here is where

:33:25. > :33:29.they need to start showing their class and belief, so that they can

:33:30. > :33:35.be at the sharp end of the field, the World Championships.

:33:36. > :33:38.GARRY HERBERT: It is looking as though great return are just ahead,

:33:39. > :33:43.but this is going to go all the way to the line. A last push coming on

:33:44. > :33:48.from Romania, just throwing their boat a couple of feet ahead of the

:33:49. > :33:53.British. The British are hanging on! That is good blade work from

:33:54. > :33:56.Romania, they have got the experience and history in this

:33:57. > :34:01.event, to get the best out of themselves. I would want to make

:34:02. > :34:08.sure you do not let them sneak through now. So, up to the line,

:34:09. > :34:13.Canada, by Clearwater. And the silver medal going to Romania, by

:34:14. > :34:14.two or three feet, if that. Great Britain will be disappointed with

:34:15. > :34:27.the bronze medal. Next to the inside of the boathouse

:34:28. > :34:32.here at Twickenham Rowing Club. James is on the committee here. Why

:34:33. > :34:38.on earth is Twickenham why is it on a private island? The land was given

:34:39. > :34:43.to us in the eight teams 60s by the owner of this piece of land, who

:34:44. > :34:46.liked his rowing. It has been in trust ever since, which is why it

:34:47. > :34:51.has never been developed or anything, because it is only allowed

:34:52. > :34:57.to be a rowing club. It is an extraordinary place, isn't it? Yes,

:34:58. > :35:00.we have got some interesting characters, two Bayliss, who did the

:35:01. > :35:07.clockwork radio, who lives here, lots of characters. And it is a

:35:08. > :35:12.vibrant place, because you have got lots of members? About 450, which

:35:13. > :35:17.makes us one of the largest rowing clubs in the country. Is this the

:35:18. > :35:23.original building? Yes, it is, which is falling to pieces. But we built

:35:24. > :35:28.the new area all around it, so we could preserve it. How many boats

:35:29. > :35:34.have you got in here? About 35 private racks and 55 club boats, so

:35:35. > :35:40.quite a fleet to look after. And we have a waiting list as well. We need

:35:41. > :35:44.more space, but we have not got any more space, that is the problem.

:35:45. > :35:48.Lovely to meet you and thank you for being such great hosts today. Let's

:35:49. > :35:55.go back to Lucerne to see a couple more races.

:35:56. > :35:59.Into the last quarter of this final of the men's lightweight double

:36:00. > :36:05.sculls. Great Britain currently back in fifth having come up from sixth,

:36:06. > :36:11.where they were at the halfway mark, they are off the pace, which is

:36:12. > :36:15.being set by the French. The French coming under pressure in the third

:36:16. > :36:20.500 from the Italians, who themselves were back towards the

:36:21. > :36:33.back, but they are now starting to slow up again. The French,

:36:34. > :36:36.undefeated throughout this year. There was concern whether they would

:36:37. > :36:41.perform well, because they won at Henley in a tight race against a

:36:42. > :36:46.heavyweight British crew. But now, the French have got open water, with

:36:47. > :36:50.250 remaining. It is now all about holding on for the Italians, as the

:36:51. > :36:58.heads go down for the last 25 painful strokes. The Italians can be

:36:59. > :37:04.really proud of themselves, because they are doing something which was

:37:05. > :37:09.not expected of them. And it is amazing how your body can find inner

:37:10. > :37:14.strength in this situation. You are in a situation where you have got a

:37:15. > :37:17.silver medal and nobody can take it off you, and your body will hold on

:37:18. > :37:23.for the last 200 metres, and they have given themselves the chance to

:37:24. > :37:27.do that, the Italians, so fair play. Up to the line come France. The

:37:28. > :37:31.Italians holding on, half a length, over Norway, the world champions,

:37:32. > :37:34.who today have to settle for the bronze medal. And Great Britain now

:37:35. > :37:46.coming through in fifth position. Through 1500, it is Croatia from

:37:47. > :37:56.Great Britain. The British crew have worked so hard. Croatia have got

:37:57. > :38:01.clear water. And the Australians in lane two, and the Lithuanians. It is

:38:02. > :38:08.now between Australia, Lithuania and Great Britain for that final two

:38:09. > :38:13.spots on the podium. The Aussies have gone, and they have gone early.

:38:14. > :38:23.The bowels of the Aussie boat in lane two. They are in to the silver

:38:24. > :38:31.medal position. The race is now between Lithuania and Great Britain

:38:32. > :38:38.for the bronze. But it looks like the Lithuanians are easing ahead. It

:38:39. > :38:45.is now the last 500, and into the last 200, these are such important

:38:46. > :38:50.strokes. The only important stroke which matters is the last one. The

:38:51. > :38:57.problem is that the Aussies have gone, and they have pasted very

:38:58. > :39:01.well. The Lithuanians have been in form all season. The Brits are going

:39:02. > :39:12.to have a tough job to get on the podium. So, Croatia coming up to the

:39:13. > :39:26.line, easily done in the end. Great Britain coming in in fourth

:39:27. > :39:34.position. Look at the difference there. The Austrian getting the

:39:35. > :39:40.bronze medal. The Czech Republic Olympic champion in fourth. And it

:39:41. > :39:45.is fifth today for Victoria Thornley from Great Britain. One other race

:39:46. > :39:50.we must mention is the men's single sculls, won as usual by the

:39:51. > :39:55.remarkable Drysdale from New Zealand. Even more remarkable, what

:39:56. > :39:59.happened earlier in the race. One moment, the Lithuanian was right in

:40:00. > :40:04.contention, and the next, he wasn't, after a capsized of epic

:40:05. > :40:08.proportions in a World Cup regatta. On now to one of the most

:40:09. > :40:13.progressive boats in the Great Britain team, the men's quad.

:40:14. > :40:18.Victorious at Aiguebelette, and also at Henley last week. For one of

:40:19. > :40:27.their quartet, Sam Townsend, success has been a long time coming.

:40:28. > :40:32.Pretty nice to win, we have not always had it that way. We are

:40:33. > :40:38.growing in confidence all the time, and another win I do not think will

:40:39. > :40:42.do us any harm at all. I think it says a lot about where we are trying

:40:43. > :40:47.to get to, when we are disappointed with a silver medal at the Europeans

:40:48. > :40:53.just I think it is fair to say that when we saw a picture afterwards of

:40:54. > :41:00.us on the podium, we were really disappointed with that. We have set

:41:01. > :41:09.ourselves high standards this year, and we hope it will always come

:41:10. > :41:16.off, but it might not always, and we need to learn from that. We are the

:41:17. > :41:18.same crew now for coming up to two years, and I think there is a lot to

:41:19. > :41:18.be said for that. You start to learn about each other, how you react.

:41:19. > :41:21.That is definitely a plus. I am quite cautious, I always want to

:41:22. > :41:23.make sure everything is right. Graham is probably a lot more

:41:24. > :41:30.outwardly confident than all three of us. Charles is inwardly quite

:41:31. > :41:34.confident, and Pete, he respects the opposition, but he is a bit of a

:41:35. > :41:39.terrier when it comes to racing. There are differences, but we seem

:41:40. > :41:50.to gel very well as a crew, which is always helpful. When I first started

:41:51. > :41:55.rolling, there really was not a lot going on in the sculling. The guys

:41:56. > :41:59.went to Athens and I think they were 12th. It was a really big deal that

:42:00. > :42:04.they qualified the boat, as it is for any Olympic rings, but it has

:42:05. > :42:11.taken a long time to start building it through. In 2007, we were 15th in

:42:12. > :42:14.Munich, we did not qualify. We have had a lot of disappointment in the

:42:15. > :42:20.quads, it is a tough field to break into. And it has taken the best part

:42:21. > :42:24.of 10-12 is for us to finally cracked through, and it is finally

:42:25. > :42:28.starting to get there. But it is hard when you do not have a history

:42:29. > :42:34.in something, it is harder to think, can we actually do it? We have had

:42:35. > :42:38.amazing coxless fours for a long time. Hopefully this will not be a

:42:39. > :42:44.peak which ends in a trough again, it will keep going.

:42:45. > :42:49.GARRY HERBERT: Here we go, the journey continues in the final of

:42:50. > :42:58.the men's quadruple sculls here at Lucerne. USA in lane one.

:42:59. > :43:04.The first time we are seeing the American crew. All of the other

:43:05. > :43:09.crews Great Britain have beaten during this season. So it is every

:43:10. > :43:13.opportunity now for the British quadruple sculls to get on the top

:43:14. > :43:16.of the podium here at Lucerne. It is a big ask, but Peter Lambert in the

:43:17. > :43:21.stroke seat knows what he has got to do. They have had a phenomenal

:43:22. > :43:27.season this year. History makers at the World Championships last year,

:43:28. > :43:31.the first time a British quad has got a medal. That has given them all

:43:32. > :43:39.the confidence for the winter, and indeed for this regatta season.

:43:40. > :43:41.JAMES CRACKNELL: You mention that they are history makers, and on

:43:42. > :43:46.their left, the Germans, is a crew with history. That nation has

:43:47. > :43:51.history in this event. There is a lot of pride in German or correct

:43:52. > :43:54.sculling, that they have been multiple world champions and Olympic

:43:55. > :43:57.medallists over the last two decades, and they will not want to

:43:58. > :44:06.give it up to the young upstarts from Britain. A little bit of a

:44:07. > :44:13.breeze, but nothing to concerned the crews. Coming up to 500 now come and

:44:14. > :44:19.buy a couple of feet, it is Germany over Poland. Great Britain currently

:44:20. > :44:24.in fourth position. That is OK. What is imperative now, in the next 100,

:44:25. > :44:28.is that the British quad really comes into a long rhythm. They have

:44:29. > :44:33.to get length, they have to be efficient in this second 500. It is

:44:34. > :44:37.an easy cruising speed, nothing is easy, but it is a natural speed

:44:38. > :44:43.which they will need, because that will give them the platform. At the

:44:44. > :44:50.they are starting to injure back on the Germans, and the Germans have

:44:51. > :44:55.been overtaken by the Estonians. -- two inch back. Ideally they would

:44:56. > :45:01.want to be inching ahead, but they are coming back into it. The third

:45:02. > :45:14.500 is a tough part of the race, and you could well see a blanket

:45:15. > :45:18.covering Germany, Estonia and us. Estonia have been beaten by Great

:45:19. > :45:23.Britain then and in this season. They lead the British by about a

:45:24. > :45:28.third of the length. The Polish rhythm looks good. They have a

:45:29. > :45:36.history in this event. It is not the same guys who won the Olympics in

:45:37. > :45:42.Beijing. Coming up to the halfway mark. We will see some big push is

:45:43. > :45:47.coming up here. Great Britain move into third position. They have moved

:45:48. > :45:54.from fourth to third. That is OK for the second 500. The Germans have

:45:55. > :46:01.gone from first to fourth. I think the Germans could be out of it. The

:46:02. > :46:07.Polish closest to us. A big push. They caught a massive push through

:46:08. > :46:13.the halfway mark here. Now look how easy Great Britain are moving. They

:46:14. > :46:20.make it look easy. They have got a very sustainable rhythm. It is all

:46:21. > :46:26.about platforms now. They will have a plan. The third quarter of the

:46:27. > :46:29.race is when it is really tough. The polls have put themselves in a good

:46:30. > :46:35.position. The US are doing well on the far side. The reality is, it

:46:36. > :46:38.will be between written and Estonia. As good as a Regatta the British

:46:39. > :46:41.have had, having come third As good as a Regatta the British

:46:42. > :46:53.World Championships, you do not want to lose to the Estonians. Peter

:46:54. > :46:56.Lambert, Charles Cousins, sand house and -- Sam tells them from Reading

:46:57. > :47:09.University and Graeme Thomas in the bowels. -- bows.

:47:10. > :47:16.Great guys here. Now we need a great last 500 metres. Great Britain move

:47:17. > :47:24.into second position. It is all about poise. Now they will know how

:47:25. > :47:31.much sprint they have got. They will start to move. Data nearly a second

:47:32. > :47:39.out of this stony and is in the third 500. -- they took nearly a

:47:40. > :47:46.out of this stony and is in the second out of the Estonians. There

:47:47. > :47:54.is pain written all over the Estonian three-man faces. They are

:47:55. > :48:02.starting to move into first place. Up it goes from Peter Lambert in the

:48:03. > :48:08./seat. Estonia will not roll over. We have got this. One last push from

:48:09. > :48:13.Peter Lambert. They are going through now by effort, two feet,

:48:14. > :48:19.three feet. The British team have got to keep their heads up. Graeme

:48:20. > :48:25.Thomas is hanging on for dear life. The momentum they feel now as they

:48:26. > :48:33.come into first place. Nail it, win by not little bit, win by as much as

:48:34. > :48:37.you can. Up to the line here. Great Britain now absolutely perfectly

:48:38. > :48:43.timed. A gold medal for them over Estonia. The USA sneaking in with

:48:44. > :48:48.the bronze. If you want to see how to execute a race from the very

:48:49. > :48:55.first stroke to the last, you will not get a better demonstration than

:48:56. > :49:06.the Great Britain's men's Drupal scull. -- quadruple sculls.

:49:07. > :49:11.The first win at Aiguebelette must have been great. We have really

:49:12. > :49:14.stepped up. One thing we have not had is consistency so it is

:49:15. > :49:19.brilliant to come back with another win here and last year, we just

:49:20. > :49:24.missed out on the medals so to leave here with a gold, we are really

:49:25. > :49:30.happy, we are over the moon. We have still got work to do. There is no

:49:31. > :49:36.kidding else. What is making the difference to this crew? We just

:49:37. > :49:41.have a lot of confidence in what we are doing and trying to do. It is a

:49:42. > :49:47.very simple plan. We executed it well today. We hit something as soon

:49:48. > :49:50.as we went through the 750 and I was confident from there that we would

:49:51. > :49:54.start moving to the front which obviously we did. Later than I would

:49:55. > :49:57.have liked but we got there in the end.

:49:58. > :50:02.If we are expecting victories from the men's four and the women's pair,

:50:03. > :50:08.did that come out of the blue or did you think there was a chance of that

:50:09. > :50:13.happening? No, I think the men's squad, absolutely, it was there for

:50:14. > :50:17.the taking. They did when it clearly. Maybe not the style I

:50:18. > :50:23.expected. There was an absolutely phenomenal second half. The last 500

:50:24. > :50:28.blew the opposition apart. They will feel the same, they can do that from

:50:29. > :50:34.the very beginning. In terms of how that crew has progressed, from the

:50:35. > :50:39.last three or four months, it is a substantial improvement, isn't it?

:50:40. > :50:44.Absolutely transformed. The potential is there. We saw it at the

:50:45. > :50:48.World Championships, it is very strong. From the race we have just

:50:49. > :50:51.seen, they expected to win. When you find yourself down the middle of the

:50:52. > :50:55.pack and you are not where you want to be, if you expect to win and you

:50:56. > :51:03.believe you should be winning, you will find anything it takes to get

:51:04. > :51:06.right through the pack and win. Subconsciously otherwise use it in

:51:07. > :51:12.the pack for longer but now they see themselves as winners which is

:51:13. > :51:18.great. From a positive performance from men's heavyweight crew, let's

:51:19. > :51:21.see how the lightweight ones got on. The men's light four underway.

:51:22. > :51:37.France in one, the Danes traditionally have

:51:38. > :51:48.dominated this, not the Olympic champions.

:51:49. > :51:56.They have not had it all their own way. They were beaten by New Zealand

:51:57. > :52:02.in their semifinal. The Danes, James, they are up there, they are

:52:03. > :52:07.onto their race and they take it through. The best thing for the

:52:08. > :52:13.British is they are next to Denmark and New Zealand. They are in a

:52:14. > :52:17.classy sandwich. The Danes may not have had the best season and a half

:52:18. > :52:23.since the Olympics, but what they do have is a really fast 75%. If the

:52:24. > :52:29.Brits coming sure they live with the Danes, they will be in the mix come

:52:30. > :52:34.the sharp end of the race. New Zealand are not only in the Best

:52:35. > :52:40.Lane, Lane four, they have also got the other semi winners the Brits and

:52:41. > :52:44.then the Australians on the other side so they will be enjoying their

:52:45. > :52:54.battle as well. Just coming up to 500 metres. Great Britain are back

:52:55. > :52:59.in fourth position. That is OK. We're now in the second five. The

:53:00. > :53:05.crews will start to ease into their rhythm. But not Denmark, they must

:53:06. > :53:09.stay up on 3839 strokes per minute. The rain is starting to come down.

:53:10. > :53:14.There is Great Britain, The rain is starting to come down.

:53:15. > :53:21.Aiguebelette, the World Cup three weeks back. Chris Bartley, the

:53:22. > :53:23.Chambers Brothers and Mark Aldred. The Danish rhythm is they go off

:53:24. > :53:28.flat out and stay flat out. If The Danish rhythm is they go off

:53:29. > :53:32.can match it, good on you. The danger for the Brits is as they are

:53:33. > :53:37.three quarters of a length down on the two crews either side of them,

:53:38. > :53:42.you can see that the referral vision of all four of the guys. They need

:53:43. > :53:47.to have strong belief in the second half of the race now. They cannot

:53:48. > :53:52.see the Danes or the Kiwis out of the corner of their eyes. They will

:53:53. > :54:02.have to tough it out on their own. This is where they need to dig in

:54:03. > :54:05.and digging even before halfway. Great Britain are in danger

:54:06. > :54:11.territory as we move towards the halfway mark. On their right,

:54:12. > :54:17.Denmark, the world champions, they to lead. It is getting tight now

:54:18. > :54:27.because here come New Zealand on the halfway mark, just by an inch or not

:54:28. > :54:30.any more. Great Britain moving up from fourth into third place. That

:54:31. > :54:38.is OK. They are not racing for bronze here. They will now look to

:54:39. > :54:41.move on in this third 500. Look at the all-black strip of New Zealand.

:54:42. > :54:49.They beat the Danes in their semifinal. Here they are, stepping

:54:50. > :54:54.up again. The British are not racing for bronze. If they let their

:54:55. > :54:58.mindset switch from racing New Zealand and Denmark, to picking off

:54:59. > :55:02.Australia and Italy, that is the hardest thing, coming third. They

:55:03. > :55:09.cannot let their objective change, just because they are down on these

:55:10. > :55:15.crews. They can gain a length over the next thousand. They have got

:55:16. > :55:19.three minutes of tough racing. Don't change your objective of saying, we

:55:20. > :55:28.are going to win, to saying, we will settle for third. Peter Taylor is

:55:29. > :55:35.making the calls in the all-black boat. James Hunter is in the bow

:55:36. > :55:49.seat. New Zealand are starting to use away. -- starting to ease away.

:55:50. > :55:54.The last five spread the crews out. New Zealand by a length over the

:55:55. > :55:58.world champions, Denmark in second place, Great Britain fighting for

:55:59. > :56:03.that length of clear water to push them into bronze position. They are

:56:04. > :56:09.holding bronze right now. We are in the last quarter. The race and the

:56:10. > :56:13.sprints will still go up. Denmark have got nowhere to go. Denmark have

:56:14. > :56:19.lost ground on the Brits in the last 500 metres. The Brits, the first

:56:20. > :56:27.thing they have got to do is don't start racing for bronze. Say, we are

:56:28. > :56:33.going to pick of the Danes. That will give a good platform to get

:56:34. > :56:41.back on terms with the Kiwis. Great accuracy as the blade goes into the

:56:42. > :56:44.water from New Zealand. The Italians, the second boat here.

:56:45. > :56:47.water from New Zealand. The here comes Great Britain. Chris

:56:48. > :56:53.Bartley has done this plenty of times before. Up go Great Britain,

:56:54. > :56:58.they are on 40 strokes per minute. They are pushing hard. It is

:56:59. > :57:03.unlikely for them to catch Denmark, the world champions in Lane number

:57:04. > :57:08.two. New Zealand just stretching out again. They know race done, job well

:57:09. > :57:13.done, as they head off, for their training camp. Coming up to the

:57:14. > :57:17.line, the last five strokes. It is two in a row in this regatta for

:57:18. > :57:24.these World Championships. New Zealand, gold, Denmark the world

:57:25. > :57:27.champions, silver and Great Britain coming in bronze medal position.

:57:28. > :57:29.They will be disappointed but that is a good thing for them to be

:57:30. > :57:45.disappointed with that bronze. The Italians are world champions in

:57:46. > :57:49.Lane one. Image and Walsh and Cap Copeland from Great Britain or in

:57:50. > :57:59.Lane number three. -- image in Walsh and Kat Copeland. Great Britain will

:58:00. > :58:00.no it will be a massive, massive scalp if they can take the Italians

:58:01. > :58:12.here now. The early leaders are Poland closest

:58:13. > :58:22.to us. I would not expect the Polish to be leading come the sharp end,

:58:23. > :58:25.the business end of this final. There might be some illness or the

:58:26. > :58:30.Italians recovering from something in the last couple of weeks, because

:58:31. > :58:40.for the world champions to be dropped at half the length, 200

:58:41. > :58:51.metres, that is not normal for the world champions. They are not on

:58:52. > :58:55.form. The Swedish pair in Lane number one. 37 strokes per minute.

:58:56. > :59:00.Still going at it somewhat. They would go off at about north of 40

:59:01. > :59:03.strokes per minute and then starting to come down. You can see Great

:59:04. > :59:07.Britain settling into 36, to come down. You can see Great

:59:08. > :59:12.Britain settling into 35. You would expect 35 for the middle part of

:59:13. > :59:20.this race. Coming up to the first time in mark. The Italians, the

:59:21. > :59:24.world champions in Lane number two, something is going wrong here. They

:59:25. > :59:31.have never been dropped by so much. They are back in fifth position at

:59:32. > :59:35.the time in point. And they did not win their semi yesterday. What is

:59:36. > :59:39.happening now is all the other crews are seeing a missed opportunity, not

:59:40. > :59:44.just to win the race, but to beat the world champions as well. They

:59:45. > :59:49.will make more of themselves and make the Italians question it. What

:59:50. > :59:54.surprises me is how well the Swedes have gone. They have given

:59:55. > :00:00.themselves a chance of being right in the mix, and for the British, it

:00:01. > :00:12.is fine winning your semi, you have to carry that form on, and win a

:00:13. > :00:19.medal. The Italians now just getting a bit of speed, as we go through

:00:20. > :00:24.750. Great Britain's Imogen Walsh and Catherine Copeland, almost just

:00:25. > :00:31.contained, really. Not too worried about the Australians in lane four.

:00:32. > :00:33.But they are creeping back on the Swedish pair, in lane one. The

:00:34. > :00:37.Australians have got a good Swedish pair, in lane one. The

:00:38. > :00:41.Australians have rhythm at the moment, they are taking half an inch

:00:42. > :00:44.every stroke out of the British, the British need to check that

:00:45. > :00:48.Australian movement. Because every little movement the Australians make

:00:49. > :00:53.is fuelling them with confidence. I agree with you, I think the Swedes

:00:54. > :00:57.will come back into the mix, but it could well be a battle between

:00:58. > :01:03.Australia and Great Britain. So, the Brits do not want to give the

:01:04. > :01:06.Aussies anything. At the halfway mark in this final of the

:01:07. > :01:12.lightweight women's double sculls, here on the Lake of the gods. And

:01:13. > :01:16.from the halfway point, Sweden leading, Great Britain now in a

:01:17. > :01:27.tussle with Australia. The Italians, still struggling. The Italians are

:01:28. > :01:31.going to struggle here to find anything, because they are on the

:01:32. > :01:34.back foot. All of the energy they are using is just to get them into

:01:35. > :01:38.the race here. But at the moment, are using is just to get them into

:01:39. > :01:46.the race here. the momentum going with Great Britain, as well as the

:01:47. > :01:51.Australian pair. It is now the Australians moving an inch per

:01:52. > :01:55.stroke. I think these will be the two who claim gold and silver. The

:01:56. > :02:02.Italians looked like they have had a strong middle part of the race. And

:02:03. > :02:18.the Swedes could come back and challenge as well. Imogen Walsh, 30

:02:19. > :02:26.years of age, from London Rowing Club. Kat Copeland took last year

:02:27. > :02:31.off, but has come back. She was the top lightweight single sculls roller

:02:32. > :02:35.at the trials earlier this year, testament to the athlete that she

:02:36. > :02:40.did. This is where the Olympic champion, Catherine Copeland, in the

:02:41. > :02:43.stroke seat, really have to draw on that experience. Both to be

:02:44. > :02:47.flustered by the fact that Sweden were leading them at one point. That

:02:48. > :02:54.has gone, they have come back on that.

:02:55. > :03:02.JAMES CRACKNELL: I think they have got the measure of the Aussies now.

:03:03. > :03:08.GARRY HERBERT: A great third 500 for Walsh and Kat Copeland. Australia

:03:09. > :03:12.are now struggling to hang on to the bronze medal position. It will be a

:03:13. > :03:18.big 500 for them to stay on the podium. I think it is going to be

:03:19. > :03:24.Britain, Australia and Italy. The Italians may not be having the best

:03:25. > :03:27.weekend overall, but they have shown pride in their pedigree, of having

:03:28. > :03:35.won the World Championships and been unbeaten this year. I think that

:03:36. > :03:41.will tell on the Swedish. Italy, a couple of feet down from the bronze

:03:42. > :03:44.position. Out in front, Kat Copeland, the Olympic champion,

:03:45. > :03:57.showing great style. Yes, they have cracked the Aussies. We have still

:03:58. > :04:01.got 25 strokes remaining. Great Britain doing well, holding it

:04:02. > :04:07.nicely, but here come the world champions, Milani and Sancassani.

:04:08. > :04:11.Well, nothing like leaving it to the last minute. Millpond conditions

:04:12. > :04:15.here, but the race has been pushed on. Kat Copeland has responded, and

:04:16. > :04:21.Great Britain have found another gear. But here is the race for the

:04:22. > :04:25.silver medal position. If the Aussies get beaten by the Italians,

:04:26. > :04:32.that is a major setback ahead of the World Championships. They were so

:04:33. > :04:34.far ahead at 1000 metres. The belief that the Italians will get if they

:04:35. > :04:39.can claim silver will be immense. that the Italians will get if they

:04:40. > :04:41.The Canadians also pushing to the line, but out in front, Great

:04:42. > :04:47.Britain get the gold medal. Australia get the silver, and almost

:04:48. > :04:53.throwing the boat over the line, Canada, sneaking in over the last

:04:54. > :05:01.100 metres to get the bronze. The Italians will be disappointed. But a

:05:02. > :05:08.class act, Imogen Walsh and Catherine Copeland, finishing the

:05:09. > :05:12.2014 World Cup in style. Imaging, just tell us about the last 500

:05:13. > :05:18.metres. It was you and Australia, stroke for stroke? Yes, we are

:05:19. > :05:22.pretty confident in our boat, and we try to stay in our rhythm, and

:05:23. > :05:33.actually, when we crossed the finish line, Kat was asking where we have

:05:34. > :05:37.finished! You are certainly getting to 500 metres quicker than you were

:05:38. > :05:41.in the first part of the season? Desk, we have been together longer,

:05:42. > :05:48.and we are more efficient. It is having the speed without killing

:05:49. > :05:54.ourselves. We said before the race, it is who is first to 2000 metres,

:05:55. > :06:00.it does not matter who is first to 500 metres, it is a two kilometre

:06:01. > :06:05.race. So, a fourth gold medal, how about that? Another Amazing Grace

:06:06. > :06:12.will stop a bit like the men's quad, it was in the mix. We have seen Kat

:06:13. > :06:18.and Imogen progressing through the whole summer. They are looking

:06:19. > :06:23.really good now. And they won why a comfortable margin in the end, so it

:06:24. > :06:28.was a great race for them. When you get to 500 metres from the end, and

:06:29. > :06:34.you are in the mix, how do you know that you have got more inside them

:06:35. > :06:37.they have? It can be accommodation of things. You will know physically

:06:38. > :06:43.how you are feeling, you will know how smoothly the boat is moving just

:06:44. > :06:46.we speak about going through the gears, you will know if you have got

:06:47. > :06:51.more to give, that gives you confidence. Somebody in the boat

:06:52. > :06:55.will be looking at the opposition, and often you can tell, they are at

:06:56. > :06:56.the absolute maximum, whereas you might feel you have got

:06:57. > :07:00.the absolute maximum, whereas you might more to give. And there is the

:07:01. > :07:05.momentum, when you start moving away from the field, you live off that

:07:06. > :07:09.momentum, and it becomes easier and easier, as you drop the field behind

:07:10. > :07:15.you. If the field is fighting for those other medals, there is a

:07:16. > :07:21.panic, whereas if you can just move out, then it becomes fun. If we

:07:22. > :07:29.leave Katherine Grainger to one side for a moment, back in the last

:07:30. > :07:35.century, somebody who competed with her was Rachel Wolff! Tellers what

:07:36. > :07:39.she was like. That is a tricky one. She was always great fun, I have to

:07:40. > :07:44.say. We had a lot of fun with water pistols and various things, and The

:07:45. > :07:50.Spice Girls were always be on the agenda. Was she posh or sporty?

:07:51. > :07:57.Probably sporty, actually, it has to be said. We have got a very

:07:58. > :08:01.inexperienced crew going out here. We were hearing earlier on about how

:08:02. > :08:07.buoyant this club is, with more than 400 members. With rowing clubs, you

:08:08. > :08:11.need water, and you need space, so tell us how people like this have

:08:12. > :08:16.been getting involved. We are lucky, we have a beautiful stretch of

:08:17. > :08:23.water, with no other clubs on. It is a great place for people to learn.

:08:24. > :08:27.We want to get as many people from many we are in touch with many local

:08:28. > :08:34.schools, so we have 11-year-olds, right up to 16-year-olds, right up

:08:35. > :08:40.to Masters programmes. I will not reveal their true ages, but some of

:08:41. > :08:47.them are in their late 70s. But equally, we have some interesting

:08:48. > :08:51.programmes, we have got a row to health programme, for people who

:08:52. > :08:58.have suffered from cancer. Going all the way up to the Start programme,

:08:59. > :09:02.so some of the athletes we have seen in Lucerne have been on the Start

:09:03. > :09:07.programme. We have got a couple of athletes who have started on that

:09:08. > :09:11.programme. When you mention Lucerne, with the World Championships coming

:09:12. > :09:13.up in a few weeks, how much has international success been a

:09:14. > :09:20.catalyst for people wanting to come and join your club? Obviously, the

:09:21. > :09:24.Olympics had a huge impact, the next few days, we were inundated with

:09:25. > :09:28.people who wanted to learn to Rome. It was a big step for the club,

:09:29. > :09:33.because we are a voluntary club, run by members, for members. Afterwards

:09:34. > :09:39.we started having to employ people because we were so inundated, and we

:09:40. > :09:43.have to start paying some coaches and some rowing managers. We are

:09:44. > :09:48.still very much voluntary-based. But it has had a fantastic impact. It is

:09:49. > :09:53.a brilliant sport. What else would you rather do than be out on the

:09:54. > :09:57.river? Not a lot. Going back to Lucerne, let's focus on the men's

:09:58. > :10:03.pair. Coming through the 600 metre mark

:10:04. > :10:06.now, that early start from the South African crews, both of them, as well

:10:07. > :10:11.as the Italian crew, starting to feel the pain. We also have New

:10:12. > :10:18.Zealand, Great Britain and Serbia, in lane six. They look laboured, but

:10:19. > :10:25.they have got some speed here. If you look along the lines, Serbia in

:10:26. > :10:29.second place, but as James was saying, the afterburner coming on.

:10:30. > :10:34.The all-black strip, New Zealand, in the middle of the picture, taking

:10:35. > :10:41.with them Great Britain. Sometimes, though, the 28-year-old in the

:10:42. > :10:46.stroke seat, there is a question, how does he do it? He is not a huge

:10:47. > :10:51.guy, but his ability to move boats is incredible. He has got three

:10:52. > :10:57.things which are incredibly useful in any endurance sport. He is

:10:58. > :11:03.strong, incredibly strong, and he is light, and he rose well. If you have

:11:04. > :11:13.those three things in your locker, you will be very, very hard to beat.

:11:14. > :11:17.And crucially, they do not extend themselves in the early minutes,

:11:18. > :11:19.they have not gone into oxygen debt like the Italians and South

:11:20. > :11:26.Africans, who are now paying the price. The British work level with

:11:27. > :11:32.the New Zealand is New Zealanders, but they have not put themselves in

:11:33. > :11:41.oxygen debt. And they have got a good chance of getting that silver

:11:42. > :11:50.medal. Not an awful lot being said in the New Zealand crow. They Hamish

:11:51. > :11:56.Bond, just one word, the boat moves on. Look how easy it is. They are

:11:57. > :12:01.still racing hard, I would say that James Foden and Matt Langridge, they

:12:02. > :12:09.are in a scrap for the silver medal. The Italians are on the far side,

:12:10. > :12:11.they were out in that first 500, but the middle thousands of this race

:12:12. > :12:26.has all been about Eric Marie and Hamish Bond. I will be disappointed

:12:27. > :12:29.if Great Britain do not come second from here. The Italians should not

:12:30. > :12:35.catch them because they have put themselves in oxygen debt. Matt is a

:12:36. > :12:39.phenomenal athlete, he just needs to get his racing head on. Serbia

:12:40. > :12:42.qualified third from their semifinal, which is why they are in

:12:43. > :12:48.the outside lane. New Zealand have gone, but second has not gone. Look

:12:49. > :12:55.at the rate. The gap is in credible between New Zealand... In the middle

:12:56. > :13:01.1000, they have put a phenomenal afterburner on, and they are still

:13:02. > :13:03.going with the rate! It is New Zealand clear, and then Serbia and

:13:04. > :13:11.Great Britain in for the silver medal. The Italians, the angle is a

:13:12. > :13:28.bit off, Italy should be one leg behind here. The New Zealanders, the

:13:29. > :13:31.racing, for them, is easier than the training. Because they

:13:32. > :13:34.racing, for them, is easier than the standards up so high in training,

:13:35. > :13:38.they do not have to bother in the race. They are performing at a

:13:39. > :13:41.different level. But this is the real race, the Serbians, not looking

:13:42. > :13:49.so relaxed. Here is Langridge, go on, son, push those legs! It is a

:13:50. > :13:52.new combination for the British, but they can start claiming that second

:13:53. > :13:59.place, which would be great, leading into the World Championships. Two

:14:00. > :14:05.psychologically phenomenally strong athletes here. When they come out,

:14:06. > :14:09.let's hope they have got the bounds ahead of Serbia. They have got the

:14:10. > :14:15.rate up. Out in the distance, paddling away, inside ten strokes or

:14:16. > :14:21.so, New Zealand making it easy. The problem is, the British pair may be

:14:22. > :14:29.getting some bounce off the water of the Kiwis, they are so far ahead.

:14:30. > :14:32.Here comes Great Britain. That is a nice result, silver for Great

:14:33. > :14:39.Britain. Bronze for Serbia. A job well done. Forget the distance

:14:40. > :14:56.between the silver and gold, because the New Zealand crew of Murray and

:14:57. > :14:59.Bond are just exceptional. But Matt Langridge and James Foad have done

:15:00. > :15:02.very well. If you put that New Zealand crew to one side, how good a

:15:03. > :15:08.performance was that from Great Britain? It was fantastic. It is

:15:09. > :15:13.still a competitive event, even though the Kiwi pair have almost

:15:14. > :15:17.created the gold medal as an entity in its own right. Nobody else is

:15:18. > :15:21.getting near. But there is this phenomenal race for the silver

:15:22. > :15:24.medal, which becomes the new gold. The British pair have not been

:15:25. > :15:28.together long, they have been doing different things all season. And it

:15:29. > :15:33.is a big win for them, it really is. What is interesting is what will

:15:34. > :15:36.happen next. How much does their performance highlight what you said

:15:37. > :15:45.at the start of the programme, about how competitive the battle is for

:15:46. > :15:51.places in some of the boats? It proves that all the places will be

:15:52. > :15:56.key. The fact that the fours become the top boat and the pairs become

:15:57. > :16:00.the finger at the moment. And yet, the guys at this regatta and the

:16:01. > :16:08.last World Cup have started getting medals. They will become the feeder

:16:09. > :16:13.system into the eights or will they be on the podium? You mentioned the

:16:14. > :16:21.eighth. Let's see them in action. But before then we can focus on the

:16:22. > :16:31.guy at the front to set the tempo. He is very important.

:16:32. > :16:38.We have made history in the men's's eight at the World Championships!

:16:39. > :16:45.I have always been used to being the underdog. Last year was a real fast

:16:46. > :16:52.track year for me. You have to learn how to deal with it and it seems to

:16:53. > :16:57.be working. My mentality has always been head down, work hard sort of

:16:58. > :17:02.attitude. Sometimes that can lead you into quite a dark place,

:17:03. > :17:06.especially when it is over the winter. You have to be more

:17:07. > :17:12.positive. If I get a bit of anxiety, stress, it comes in, my performance

:17:13. > :17:20.suffers. I am constantly trying to be relaxed. Obviously, everyone's

:17:21. > :17:25.aim is to make the top boat. I would like to be in the four, I think

:17:26. > :17:32.everyone would. That is the top boat but I would like to do the best I

:17:33. > :17:35.can, whoever that is with. A fantastic result for that new

:17:36. > :17:42.combination and there is plenty more to come for Great Britain as we head

:17:43. > :17:45.through the 2014 season. The new blood coming in, it is quite an

:17:46. > :17:52.exciting project. We have guys who have never been on that stage

:17:53. > :17:58.before. We are doing it as a pack, we are not doing it as individuals.

:17:59. > :18:02.That is the thing about the eights. It is a big, moving project. It is

:18:03. > :18:08.trying to change their minds that little bit. We are training away all

:18:09. > :18:12.through the winter in pairs. Now we are back in the eights. It is about

:18:13. > :18:15.trying to find that high pace with them. I think we are back in the

:18:16. > :18:20.eights. It is about trying to find that high pace with them. I think

:18:21. > :18:28.we'll I don't think our aim is achieved B team, is that everyone

:18:29. > :18:35.knows how we do it, we are not a machine -- as a GB team. On the day

:18:36. > :18:41.somebody could be built. You just have to get it together. You have to

:18:42. > :18:49.hit it as hard as you can from the word go. That is not a secret.

:18:50. > :18:59.They get away cleanly. Great Britain are in Lane two. Germany the Olympic

:19:00. > :19:06.champions in Lane three, Russia in Lane four, Poland and five,

:19:07. > :19:13.Australia in Lane and the six. The Germans are absolutely pounding it

:19:14. > :19:19.off in the first 100. The Russians in Lane four going hard. Australia

:19:20. > :19:27.have already been dumped in Lane number six. The Germans looked very

:19:28. > :19:31.well drilled. If I'm honest, they don't look that powerful. The

:19:32. > :19:37.Russians look powerful but not as well drilled. The British, they have

:19:38. > :19:44.got power on-board but they are still finding their feet a unit.

:19:45. > :19:54.Pete Reed, no is a bit knackered. Mo Sbihi just going through there.

:19:55. > :20:06.All crews are still up there. Great Britain are currently third on the

:20:07. > :20:13.speed. New Zealand and Australia are out of it. Who goes through in first

:20:14. > :20:19.place? Germany, just. Great Britain in fourth. Traditionally, in the

:20:20. > :20:25.men's eight, whoever goes through the 500 metre mark winds. Will that

:20:26. > :20:30.raced turnaround on but? Germany just over Russia. The British now

:20:31. > :20:38.going through the boys are in first position. The Germans, even though

:20:39. > :20:44.it is half the eight which won the Olympics, they drain as a very close

:20:45. > :20:52.eights group. They have a very homogenous tech week. -- technique.

:20:53. > :21:03.The Russians are finding the uniform approach. The British crew will be

:21:04. > :21:14.strong in the final third of the race. Easing out by almost a

:21:15. > :21:15.strong in the final third of the of a length, the green boat. This is

:21:16. > :21:17.strong in the final third of the what we would have expected. We are

:21:18. > :21:21.coming towards the halfway mark. what we would have expected. We are

:21:22. > :21:29.This is an absolute humdinger here, in the final of the men's eight at

:21:30. > :21:36.Lucerne. Dare I say, the Russians are going to come through just

:21:37. > :21:40.ahead, almost/full/? It is still Germany but it is now down to less

:21:41. > :21:45.than a foot over Russia at the halfway mark. Great Britain moving

:21:46. > :21:51.up into bronze medal position. Poland moving back from third into

:21:52. > :21:57.fourth. But still the race is on. The polls of a quick at this stage

:21:58. > :22:03.of the season. -- the Polish are very quick. The Russians, they will

:22:04. > :22:14.be hungry to prove themselves all season. The Germans want to carry on

:22:15. > :22:34.the pasta and pool party at Lake Como.

:22:35. > :22:43.Big bad will such is the in /CT. He did a phenomenal job in the Olympics

:22:44. > :22:52.in the men's pair, getting the bronze medal. They are starting to

:22:53. > :22:57.stretch out. The Russians, the hard training is starting to pay off in

:22:58. > :23:02.this third quarter of the race. They are really starting to hurt and they

:23:03. > :23:06.enjoy it. Russia taking on Germany, Great Britain first, second and

:23:07. > :23:10.third. Poland maintaining fourth position. We are now into the

:23:11. > :23:17.business end, the crunch part of this blue ribbon event here at

:23:18. > :23:21.Lucerne. Great Britain just sliding back off it here. The Germans, who

:23:22. > :23:26.led to the 500 mark, they led to the halfway mark, they have taken it.

:23:27. > :23:33.They were embarrassed that the 1500. The Russians dared to take them on

:23:34. > :23:35.at 1500. Great Britain in the top left of your picture here.

:23:36. > :23:42.Incredible stuff developing in the last 200. The Germans have shown

:23:43. > :23:48.that their uniformity and self belief they have whereas the

:23:49. > :23:52.Russians, it is not quite in-built. They are absolutely exhausted. That

:23:53. > :23:58.is why the Germans have been able to pull through in the last quarter.

:23:59. > :24:02.The disappointing thing is the Brits are now a length behind. 's stunning

:24:03. > :24:10.stuff here from Germany in the closing stages. They are long, they

:24:11. > :24:18.are fast, they are feeling pain but their heads are up here. The

:24:19. > :24:22.Russians dared to take them on. Germany first, clear water over

:24:23. > :24:26.Great Britain. Russia second and Great Britain getting the bronze

:24:27. > :24:30.medal. They are clear of Poland. Their heads go down in the British

:24:31. > :24:36.crew. Their heads are well and truly up in the Germans. Look how much it

:24:37. > :24:40.has taken out of it. That is a race to the line.

:24:41. > :24:45.That is it from this year's World Cup campaign but there is still one

:24:46. > :24:49.event to come, the biggest of them all, the World Championships in

:24:50. > :24:55.Amsterdam, Holland. There is coverage on the red button and BBC

:24:56. > :24:58.Two, live both days of that weekend. Before that, plenty more live sport

:24:59. > :25:07.here on the BBC across all platforms.

:25:08. > :25:15.The week after that, all roads lead to Scotland.

:25:16. > :25:25.That man there is a Commonwealth gold medallist. He gets it! Ian

:25:26. > :25:32.Thorpe is getting a standing ovation from this crowd. That was

:25:33. > :25:53.magnificent. Chris got a Commonwealth gold! It was so close!

:25:54. > :26:00.A pretty dramatic men's eight rounding off an intriguing regatta.

:26:01. > :26:09.Now all roads lead to the Netherlands. Overall it has been an

:26:10. > :26:15.impressive weekend. Four strong gold medals and that is a pretty good

:26:16. > :26:19.place to be. There has always been some disappointments. Some crews are

:26:20. > :26:25.further down than they would like to be. It is the third World Cup for

:26:26. > :26:29.the Great Britain crews who have done the European Championships and

:26:30. > :26:33.two world cups. It is a fatigued part of the year. We always say

:26:34. > :26:37.that. They have some tough training camps ahead. I think we all expect

:26:38. > :26:42.to see improvements and then we will see what everyone does by Amsterdam.

:26:43. > :26:45.There are certain crews that you would think barring major issues are

:26:46. > :26:52.very strong odds-on favourites to win the Golden Amsterdam?

:26:53. > :26:58.Absolutely. Right now, the men's four. The women's parents well. They

:26:59. > :27:07.had a bit more of a challenge than we have seen now. The men's what I

:27:08. > :27:10.think could face tough opposition but are now getting confident. The

:27:11. > :27:16.women's lightweight double, I think they have had an impressive race

:27:17. > :27:21.today. But as four gold medals that you could not count on but

:27:22. > :27:26.realistically see in the world Championships. Just one final

:27:27. > :27:30.thought, who are still to come in who could shake up the order that we

:27:31. > :27:34.have seen in Lucerne? There is nobody really who hasn't come in yet

:27:35. > :27:38.but what we have seniors some of the countries have dipped in and out.

:27:39. > :27:45.There are some countries which have not got finalised crews yet. They

:27:46. > :27:50.could have some surprising combinations we have not seen yet.

:27:51. > :27:52.And we have also got quite a few weeks before the World Championships

:27:53. > :27:57.now and there is always a hesitation of we do not know who is doing what

:27:58. > :28:01.where and how. There will be some new things to see in Amsterdam but

:28:02. > :28:05.from the British point of view you do not worry about that, you do not

:28:06. > :28:11.worry about who will turn up and how good they will be. You worry about

:28:12. > :28:17.you and your boat. That is it from here at Twickenham rowing club. The

:28:18. > :28:19.next stop for us and hopefully for you, is Holland. We will see you for

:28:20. > :28:44.that. Goodbye. We have made history in the men's

:28:45. > :28:47.eight at the World Championships! Helen Glover will add World

:28:48. > :28:49.Championship gold to the Olympic gold-medal she won.