Once every four years the eyes of Britain turn to the Team GB rowing team to watch them dominate on the water. 

This Olympics will be no different, with numerous medal hopes across the board in the rowing. 

GB's rowing and general Olympic prospects have transformed since 1996 when the team's only gold across all sports came from Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent in the pair.

In 2016, the rowers alone took home 5 medals, but even this was below target. 

With the sport comes a lot of unfamiliar jargon, so as we prepare to watch the boats battle it out on the water, here's everything you need to know about rowing and Team GB's medal hopes...

What is a repechage?

A repechage is when the people who have failed to qualify for a semi or final in the heats get another chance to race for a qualification spot.

For example, if there are six people in a heat and the first two to cross the line gain automatic qualification, the remaining four boats would get another chance to qualify by racing in the repechage. 

What are the stroke and bow seats? 

The stroke seat is the person at the front of the boat who is responsible for setting the rhythm. 

The bow person is the person right at the back of the boat, who is usually a smaller build and responsible for setting up the boat. 

Seat numbers are counted from the back of the boat, so bow person is always number one, while stroke seat in an 8+ would be number eight. 

Who are Team GB's top medal hopes in rowing? 

A familiar name from London and Rio is Helen Glover, who made a comeback from retirement in the past year in order to defend her Olympic title. 

Twice the gold medallist in the pair (W2-), she will partner doctor Polly Swann who balanced training with working for the NHS during the Covid pandemic. 

The men's 4- have been unbeaten in the event since 2000 and it's a run the young boat of Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter, Rory Gibs and Sholto Carnegie will not want to end in Tokyo.

For the first time in history, a women's 4- event has been added to the line up with GB's boat of Karen Bennett, Rowan McKellar, Hattie Taylor and Rebecca Shorten a favourite to medal

Team GB's top men's boat comes in the 8+, which is stacked with experienced athletes including Moe Sbihi, who will carry Team GB's flag during the opening ceremony. 

Another boat to look out for is the W4x, which will see Edinburgh University's Lucy Glover at stroke, followed by Hannah Scott and sisters Mathilda and Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne.