The latest in the infrequent series of interviews that we should probably try and make more frequent is with Graham Benton of Roko Gym in Portsmouth. A newcomer to indoor rowing, Graham first brought himself to people's attention with a 6:03.9 and really made his name at last year's British IRC, when he did 5:57.7, just 0.4 seconds behind world rowing champion Josh West. Graham will be competing at the World IRC in February, where he will be hoping to become the first Brit to be in the Men's Open Hwt final since Greg Searle finished fourth back in 1998.Q. You're the new name on the block in indoor rowing, what is your background in sport? A. I like playing cricket in the summer. My team (Havant Cricket Club) succeeded in reaching the quarterfinals in the National Cup 2002. We were ranked in the top ten last year. I also played rugby but a few years ago I broke my jaw. An opponent elbowed me just before Christmas and my Christmas dinner had to be made in the blender! It just wasn't the same… and I haven't played rugby since.Q. Do you have any favourite memories?A. The BIRC, November 2002, when I got my best time and went below six minutes for the first time ever. Normally I fall off my machine at the end of a race but this year everything went really well on the day. Q. When did you first get hooked on sport?A. I've always been into team sports although I've never been fantastic at anything. I've been playing cricket since I was eleven years old and I love watching football although I'm not particularly good at it. About ten years ago I started going to the Roko gym in Portsmouth. I've always been pretty slim so I started going to the gym to get myself a bit bigger. It was a vanity thing to be honest. Q. How did you become so focussed on indoor rowing?A. My gym sponsored a competition. I had a go and managed a time of 6 minutes 35 seconds. I looked on the Concept 2 website and it turned out I ranked 250th in the world. I then went onto the message board and started to chat to others about it and found out some more. It was a mixture between a random competition and a decent website that did it!Q. What's been your best indoor rowing race and why?A. The AXA PPP healthcare British Championships - definitely. Thankfully, I was on the second row. People on the web expected a lot from me but the heat was certainly taken off a bit by not being on the very front. I sat on my own and just got on with it. It was a good event, really well organised.Q. Do you have any tips for other indoor rowers?A. Get on Concept 2's message board. We send each other emails with advice on training and new products. The other guys know a lot more about it and everyone helps each other out. Q. Do you have a special diet?A. I'm not obsessed with my diet but I do try to eat the right sort of food like lots of pasta and lots of chicken. I drink a lot of water. I don't drink alcohol a week before an event and I stopped smoking a few months ago. I don't miss my meals either because I get weak quite quickly if I do. Even so, my diet is definitely something I should look at in the future.Q. What preparation do you do physically for a 2,000-metre race?A. I do a lot of interval training and try and build up my pace. It's all about conning your body really.Q. Do you have your own warm-up?A. I don't really have a warm-up. I try to save as much energy as possible for the race. I hold my hand up though - I know it's a shortcoming.Q. What keeps you motivated?A. The competitions. My times are only coming down in competitions now because I never work as hard in training as I do on the day. I live for the next one, the next target. I fear letting myself down and letting others down. You've just got to do your best really. My main aim is to be winning competitions when I'm thirty. My short-term aim is keeping an eye on Nik Fleming.Q. Where do you plan to race in 2003?A. Manchester and Boston in February, then Nottingham, and possibly Cambridge. I'll be looking at any good events really. It's good to have something to train for.Q. With all the training, how do you relax?A. A sociable beer on a Saturday night! I see a lot of my friends, and I like watching movies and DVDs. My work can be pretty taxing too and I can end up working long hours. The gym helps me to relax and keep stress to a minimum.Q. What is your main advice for anyone taking up serious sport?A. Don't expect to break any records from the start. Be realistic with your targets. Aim high, but set smaller targets on the way. Respect others who compete with you and don't think you're any better than them. They're the ones that will give you advice.Q. When did you first compete at indoor rowing?A. The first time was in Portsmouth. I sat next to Nik Fleming and Peter Fields (who is huge!) and I thought: I'm going to get blown away here. My foot straps came loose after about ten strokes and people came from the crowd to rescue me. They held my feet all the way through the race. They must have made me go faster. I got 6 minutes 3.9 seconds but Nik beat me with 6 minutes 3.2 seconds. That was when I started to get excited. Q. How much have you improved since then?A. I've improved my technique now. One of the guys videoed it, and gave me some pointers. You don't realise how complex these things are so the website is a great help. I'm on it nearly every day!Q. How much more do you think you can still improve?A. I took twelve seconds off my time within four months last year and I've now got my own rowing machine so that should improve my PB. My long-term aim is to get down to 5 minutes 50 seconds.