Rowing champions Hamish Bond and Mahe Drysdale are five weeks into their quest for a third Olympics gold, this time with the men's eight.
But the transition for the squad's two oldest members was never going to be easy and they have just three months left, before they attempt to qualify the boat for the Tokyo games.
- Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale sets high standard for NZ eight
- Hamish Bond confirms return for Tokyo Olympics bid
Bond is back in a boat after two years in road cycling. He won accolades on the bike, including national titles and records, and a time-trial bronze medal at last year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
But a change of heart saw him return to rowing in March, saying "representing New Zealand in a bigger crew has become a challenge and opportunity I can't ignore".
Bond won back-to-back Olympic golds with Eric Murray in the coxless pair, while winning 69 consecutive races during their time together.
Drysdale joins the men's eight after a dominant period in the single sculls, where he claimed Olympic bronze at Beijing, and gold at London and Rio de Janeiro.
But after taking a break from the sport in 2017, he fell down the pecking order in the solo boat, with the rise of Robbie Manson.
Drysdale had already started his rowing career, before the youngest member of the eight - Matt Macdonald - was even born.
New Zealand has a proud tradition in the big boat, winning gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics and a world title 10 years later, but has concentrated on small boats over recent years.
Watch the above video for the full story on how the eight is shaping up for Tokyo.
Newshub.
