Olympic sport since 1896
Tactically, it sounds as ludicrous as sprinting the first five kilometres
of a marathon. To win a 2000-metre rowing race, the crew must sprint for the
first 500 metres.
Such are the demands in the sport of the Athlete of the Century and the
Oarsome Foursome.
Rowing is an endurance test that finishes at a speed of up to 10 metres a
second. Crews cover the middle 1000 metres at about 40 strokes per minute, but,
over the first and last 500 metres, shift up a gear to as many as 47.
The modern master is Steve Redgrave of Great Britain, widely hailed as the
greatest rower ever. A six-time World Champion, he won gold medals at the last
five Olympic Games and has been loosely crowned Athlete of the Century.
