There were a lot of unknowns going into the Tokyo Olympic Games. Coming through the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the full range of crews with varying recent race experience. The New Zealand men's eight had not raced since the 2019 World Championships, with the exception of the FOQR, so how they would stack up with the rest of the field was a huge question mark. They finished second in their heat, won the rep, then lead the field for the second half of the A Final, winning the gold over Germany and Great Britain. Here they are celebrating their win following the medal ceremony.