Rowing in 14: Boat weight and the coxswains weight

Rowing is older than the modern Olympics as a public contest. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race began in 1829, Henley Royal Regatta in 1839, and the international federation in 1892. Women joined the Olympic programme in 1976. The greatest Olympic record in the sport belongs to Steve Redgrave, who won gold at five Games in a row. Elisabeta Lipă of Romania matched the five golds and collected eight Olympic medals across six Games.

The object is to cross 2,000 metres first in the prescribed boat class. Crews race in lanes on still water. Each boat must carry a bow ball, a small white ball on the bow that makes the hull safer in a clash and gives the finish judges a clear point. Timing and placing are taken when that ball reaches the line. Photo finish decides races that the eye cannot separate.

A championship regatta is not one race. Crews qualify through heats. Those who miss automatic qualification get a second chance in the repechage. Semi-finals, where the programme uses them, feed the A final for medals and the B final for the next places. Lane draws and conditions matter because a crosswind can favour one side of the course, which is why umpires and the fairness committee watch the water as well as the crews.