The boys on the boat are heading to Tokyo.

The U.S. men's rowing team will kick off competition on the same day as the Opening Ceremony, July 23.

The guys have called Oakland, California, home for the last few years. They're based out of the Cal Berkeley boathouse on the Oakland Estuary where athletes credit straight, flat water for getting them in shape for the games.

But, the pandemic posed big challenges for this team.

Rowing isn't social-distance friendly. The guys went months without training in their boats and had to get creative with their quarantine workouts.

They also had to face personal decisions about whether they could delay careers for another year after the 2020 Olympics got pushed back.

On this Dying to Ask:

How athletes made the decision to delay careers one more year to compete in Tokyo

Why they describe being an Olympian as a selfish act

And how much fun it is to get up before the sun to hang out with your friends on the water