Rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave believes the British men's coxless four can dominate the sport for years. Only Steve Williams remains from last year's Olympic champion crew but Redgrave backed Alex Partridge, Andy Hodge and Peter Reed for greatness.
He told BBC Sport: "I would have said at the beginning of the season that the men's team may struggle.
"But now I can see them dominating the World Championships and being a class act all the way up to Beijing."
With Matthew Pinsent, Jame Cracknell and Ed Coode disappearing from rowing after their Athens success, it was left to the new trio of Hodge, Partridge and and Reed to join Williams in the four.
Although emulating Britain's past glories may seem a tall order, the new crew have risen to the challenge and went to the World Rowing Championships in Japan this week with an unbroken winning record.
 |  I'm really interested in seeing the women's quad performance over the next four years |
"I'm looking forward to the men's four," said five-time Olympic champion Redgrave, who retired after his fifth gold medal at Sydney 2000. "After Matthew (Pinsent) retiring, James (Cracknell) not sure if he's going to carry on and Ed Coode stopping - it's almost a totally new four, with only Steve Williams left from last year.
"But they've dominated the international circuit this year and done really well indeed."
The men's four eased into the semi-finals in Japan on Monday and look certain to reach next weekend's final.
But Redgrave believes the crew will have to exceed past Olympic performances, including his own, to ensure success at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
"If you don't go quicker from one Olympics to the next, you won't be winning the same colour of medal - you have to be able to move on.
"Matthew and I won in Barcelona by five seconds and we improved a great deal from Barcelona up to Atlanta.
"But the other crews were much closer to us and we ended up winning by just under a second in Atlanta - and they were the same personnel on board as at the previous Games.
"Levels always go up, they're going hopefully quicker than our Sydney four did five years ago."
Redgrave also believes the women's quadruple sculls crew of Katherine Grainger, Frances Houghton, Rebecca Romero and Sarah Winckless are ready to conquer the world.
"Although I'm interested in seeing the (men's) four this year, I'm really interested in seeing the women's quad performance over the next four years.
"I think they can be the first women's crew ever to win an Olympic gold medal which would be absolutely fantastic."
MMIX
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