By Garry Herbert Olympic gold medallist and BBC Sport rowing commentator in Japan

The British men's coxless four are leading our challenge at this week's World Championships, and I rate them as highly as the 2004 Athens Olympic four.

Yet the thing you have to remember is that these guys are only just starting out on their journey.

British rowers reach world semis

Be under no illusion, they are focused completely on winning gold at the Beijing Games in 2008 and their preparation will be second to none.

Japan is a big step towards that and the manner of their victory will be important.

They certainly looked good as they won their opening heat on Monday to reach the semi-finals.

And I have been very impressed with the way that the crew have "clicked" this year, winning all the World Cup regattas.

Importantly, they have been the first to each marker (500m, 1000m, 1500m) in every final.

But when you are a new crew in an event with such an illustrious past as Great Britain has in the coxless fours, domination and high standards are unwritten prerequisites.

The aim is to make sure when they are on the start line in Beijing, they have crushed (metaphorically speaking) each and every other crew in that final.

That sort of psychological advantage is built up over time, and the clock is ticking right now.

The four's strengths are not their size and power. Although these attributes are obviously very important (and they have plenty of both), their strengths lie in their personalities.

Hodgey (Andrew Hodge) is a great person to have in the stroke seat - his ability to set up the rhythm is fantastic and his "no fear" approach to racing make him an exciting prospect.

He's an extrovert and I love that.

Contrast that with Steve Williams (at bow) - he's quiet, calm, someone who doesn't get outwardly flustered under any circumstances, relying on his bags of experience.

GB men's coxless four strike gold

What a weapon to have as the pressure increases throughout the coming week and years to 2008.

In the middle of the boat, Peter Reed is a young guy experiencing his first major year at the very highest level and just loving every minute of it.

He has more than just risen to the challenge, he has taken it on further and set new standards.

And Alex Partridge (like Ed Coode before him) has a very big point to prove to himself - and that sort of motivation is invaluable.

They are a crew, it seems, that will row for each other until they can't row another single stroke.

So they should win. But watch out for the Italians, always strong at the World Championships and in men's fours.

Also keep an eye on the USA, with two members from their gold medal-winning eight in Athens, and also the Netherlands.

The women's team have had a real fairytale story in their improvement over the last four to five years, culminating in those fantastic medals in Athens last year (women's quad - silver, women's pair - silver and women's double - bronze).

Now we have to convert those into gold medals, and the women's quad are in the best position to do that.

I love surprises and the men's quadruple scull could do just that

They have to get into the race in the first 500m and be prepared to race early for the finish line, otherwise the gold will go to Russia.

The women's double scull of Debbie Flood and Elise Laverick showed their potential in Lucerne after just two weeks, together taking a bronze medal in a controlled race.

There are no such races at world championship-level, but with their experience they should reach the podium - the colour of the medal will really be down to how well they race on the day.

I love surprises and the men's quadruple scull could do just that.

Coached by Tim Foster, their rapid rise through the season to a well-fought bronze in Lucerne is a credit to their hands-on approach and sheer hard work.

But they are really playing with the big boys here; Slovenia have made things very sexy by putting out a very strong quad. British prediction: bronze or sixth.

The men's eight have had a very up and down season. The eight is perhaps the hardest boat to get right and this is going to be a long-term project.

But given that we have a very good tradition in this boat, I would expect nothing less than a place in the final.