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Sometimes at Henley in the first week of July, you can imagine one reveller turning to another and, over the smoked salmon and champagne, asking why there are people rowing.

, with its blazers (which must not be removed even in the middle of a heat wave), hats and flowing dresses (which ), deckchairs and pints of Pimms and lemonade, is arguably more famous as a social occasion than a sporting event.

It's a very good sporting event too, though, and especially so this year, with the possibility of three Olympic champions not even making it to the finals.

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Want to win a medal at London 2012? How long are your arms?

Having an arm span longer than your height is just one of the indicators that you might be geared for Olympic success, and rowing is one of the best-placed sports to spot it.

Lung capacity is another. Peter Reed, who won Olympic gold in the GB coxless four, can take on board 11.68 litres of air - almost twice that of the average person.

But, as he prepares for the , even he is a little scared of the group of "seven-foot monsters with horns", all dying to take his place in the top crews.

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