In rowing, the "eights" are considered the most exciting class, and in Rio for the first time, New Zealand will have a men and women's boat on the water.
The Kiwi eights are considered real medal hopes, with both racing overnight in the final of the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne.
As the fastest boats on the water, the eights are rowing's high-speed crowd pleaser, not to mention a major athlete pleaser.
"It's pretty special for us there -- a lot of prestige around the eight," says Kiwi rower Stephen Jones.
This year there's a lot of buzz too, because this is the first time New Zealand has had a men's eight at the Olympics since 1984 -- well before anyone in this current incarnation was born.
"We're just hoping we can live up to the eight's name for New Zealand," says Kiwi rower Brook Robertson.
It was a name carved most decidedly into the sport's history in 1972, with an emphatic gold win at Munich.
"We want to try and do what they did, and I think we're on our way," says Robertson. "It'll be good to see what we can do come Rio."
Nearly every day for the past four years, the boys have been with each other, often nestled in close quarters in their shell.
"We get along really well together," says Robertson. "We're all really good friends."
"It makes it feel like a real team sport," says Jones. "You can all go out together. When you're out on the water struggling you've got a whole bunch of mates to hold you up and keep you going."
They're through to the World Cup finals in Lucerne, having come fourth in their heat. But this isn't the truest indication of where the team is at.
"This time last week we were sleeping on the floor in Singapore airport, so in that sense there's a bit of jetlag and what not, so out probably isn't for us going to be the best indicator," says Jones.
Rio is the only true test, throwing up a few hurdles of its own.
"We've done a lot of extra things in terms of keeping healthy -- more hand sanitiser, washing the boat a bit differently, different practices with drinking water and all that," says Jones.
Every little bit counts because the boys are shouldering not only the weight of Rio but also the great expectations set at Olympics past.
Newshub.
