German crew primed for men?s eight victory

Men’s events from 12.30pm & women’s events from 12.50pm across the BBC

Men’s eight
Some see the men’s eight as the blue riband event of the Olympic regatta and it should prove to be one of the most competitive categories of the 2016 Games.

It looks to be a three-way shootout between 2012 champions Germany, who have four oarsmen and the cox from the London crew, Great Britain, who have won the world championship for the last three years, and progressive Holland.

The form of the British boat is misleading as some classy performers who gained those wins have been stripped out to crew the coxless four in Rio, and it’s no surprise to see the fast-finishing Germans, who narrowly beat the Brits in the most recent World Cup, as favourites.