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.

从战术上讲，在马拉松比赛前5公里的赛程中全速冲刺是荒唐的，但是要赢得2000米赛艇比赛的胜利，队员们就必须在前500米全速冲刺。

Such are the demands in the sport of the Athlete of the Century and the Oarsome Foursome.

这是本世纪最佳运动员所从事的运动，也是无敌4人组所从事的运动。

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.

赛艇是一项考验耐力与持久力的比赛，终点冲刺的速度通常都超过每秒10米。在赛程中段的10000米，队员们每分钟要划桨40下，而在前段和后段的两个500米中，划桨的频率要加快到每分钟47下。

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.

当代赛艇明星是英国的史蒂夫·雷德格雷夫，他被誉为历史上最好的选手。他曾6次获得世界冠军，连续5次夺得奥运会金牌，被称为本世纪最佳运动员。