Steve Redgrave

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Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave, KBE (born on 23 March, 1962, in Marlow, England) is a British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988.

As the only Briton ever to achieve this feat, he is widely considered to be Britain's greatest Olympian. Only four other Olympians achieved the same: Pál Kovács, Aladár Gerevich, Reiner Klimke and Birgit Fischer, and only one of those in an "endurance" event. Redgrave also won a bronze medal with Holmes in the coxed pairs in 1988. He has won nine Rowing World Championship gold medals.

Even by rowing standards, Redgrave is a big, powerful man. He stands 6 ft 5 inches, nearly 2 meters. In his prime, he weighed more than 100 kg. He rowed very fast times on the indoor rowing machine and once won the World Championship for Indoor Rowing. He was also a world class single sculler winning the British National Championship numerous times, but not quite a world champion class single sculler. He is best remembered, however, for rowing in sweep boats. He excelled in rowing with others, and when teamed with similarly gift rowers, his results were extraordinary.

But what set Redgrave and his compatriots apart from their international bretheren was not their dominance, but their consistency. They were exceptionally talent, but so were their competitors. Redgrave's boats did not win their races easily: Most were hard fought and won by small margins. Four of Redgrave's five Olympic victories were by less then 2 seconds. But race after race, year in and year out, Redgrave could be found at the top of the medal podium.

His feats in the last four years of his career are even more outstanding when taking into account that Redgrave was suffering from ulcerative colitis and, since 1997, diabetes. These ailments caused unforeseeable bouts of fatigue when rowing.

Redgrave was an outstanding competitor at the Henley Royal Regatta, winning at least 13 times. (Diamond Scull, 1983, 1985, Double Sculls Challenge Cup 1981, 1982, the Silver Goblets & Nickalls Cup, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995, and the Steward's Cup 1997 and 1998).

In 1989/1990 he was a member of the British bobsleigh team.

In 2000, he won his fifth consecutive Olympic Gold Medal, and retired as one of the greatest rowers of all time and became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He made an MBE in 1987, CBE in 1997 and knighted in 2001.

In 2002, his achievement of winning gold medals at five consecutive Olympic games was voted the greatest sporting moment in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

Contents

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Achievements

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Olympic Games

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World Championships

  • 1999 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Ed Coode, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1998 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1997 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1995 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1994 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1993 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1991 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1990 - Bronze, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1989 - Silver, Coxless Pairs (with Simon Berrisford)
  • 1987 - Gold, Coxless Pairs (with Andy Holmes)
  • 1987 - Silver, Coxed Pairs (with Andy Holmes and Patrick Sweeney)
  • 1986 - Gold, Coxed Pairs (with Andy Holmes and Patrick Sweeney)
  • 1985 - 12th, Single Sculls
  • 1983 - Single Sculls
  • 1982 - 6th, Quadruple Scull
  • 1981 - 8th, Quadruple Scull
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World Junior Championships

  • 1980 - Silver, Double Sculls
  • 1979 - Single Sculls
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Quote

After winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996, Redgrave, when asked if he would be competing in Sydney four years hence, said, live on British television: "Anyone who sees me go anywhere near a boat again, ever, you've got my permission to shoot me." (He reversed his decision in 1997)

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Bibliography

Redgrave has also written a forward to Diabetes: The at Your Fingertips Guide

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See also

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External links

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