24 September 2000, Games of the XXVII Olympiad. Georgeta DAMIAN, Viorica SUSANU, Ioana OLTEANU, Veronica COCHELA, Maria Magdalena DUNITRACHE, Elisabeta LIPA, Liliana GAFENCU, Doina IGNAT and Elena GEORGESCU of Romania win gold in the women's rowing eight oars with coxwain event at the Sydney International Regatta Centre. Credit: Getty Images/Jamie Squire

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.

Discipline's origin

Rowing was first used as a means of transport in the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Rowing as a sport probably began in Victorian England in the 17th and early 18th centuries. By the 19th century, rowing was popular in Europe and had been exported to America. Early races were usually contested by professionals, and heavy betting on races was common.

The earliest recognised champion was Toronto's Edward "Ned" Hanlan, nicknamed "The Boy in Blue," because of his penchant for racing in a sky blue outfit. Hanlan has also been described as the first true world champion of any sport. Competitive rowing precedes most of the other Olympic sports in its recorded modern history. The first Oxford-Cambridge race took place in 1828 and Yale and Harvard first rowed against each other in 1852 on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee.

Rowing equipment

Blade

The flattened, or spoon-shaped, part of an oar that touches the water during rowing.

Boot

A device that holds the bow of a boat before a race, then drops below the water on the starting signal.

Bow

The forward section of a boat.

Bowball

A rubber ball attached to the bow tip of a shell to protect against damage and injury in case of a collision.

Button

A collar around the shaft of the oar that keeps the oar from slipping through the oarlock and can be adjusted up and down the oar to increase or decrease leverage.

Cox box

An electronic device used by the coxswain to amplify his or her voice and broadcast it through speakers located throughout the shell.

Double

A sculling boat for two rowers.

Eight

A sweep-oar boat with eight rowers and a coxswain.

Fin

A small, flat piece of wood or plastic attached perpendicularly to the bottom of the shell to help the shell stay on a true course; also known as a "skeg".

Four

A sweep-oar boat for four rowers, with or without a coxswain.

Gate

A bar across the oarlock to prevent the oar from popping out.

Gunwale

A horizontal strip of wood running the length of a shell, to which the ribs and other parts traditionally are attached.

Handle

The part of an oar held by an oarsman.

Keel

The body of the shell that runs from box to stern.

Loom

The part of an oar between the blade and the handle.

Oar

A lever used to propel and steer a boat through water, consisting of a long shaft of wood with a blade at one end.

Oarlock

A U-shaped device on a boat's gunwale where the oar rests and swings; also called a "rowlock".

Outrigger

A framework attached to the shell and used to support the oarlock; also called a "rigger".

Pin

The metal rod upon which the oarlock is mounted.

Rib

A U-shaped piece of fabricated wood, aluminium or carbon fibre that supports the hull by fitting inside the shell between the keel and the gunwale.

Rigger

A framework attached to the shell and used to support the oarlock; also called an "outrigger".

Rowlock

A device on a boat's gunwale where the oar rests and swings