Steve Redgrave

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Medal record
Olympic Games
Men's Rowing
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	Coxed Four
Gold	1988 Seoul	Coxless Pair
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Coxless Pair
Gold	1996 Atlanta	Coxless Pair
Gold	2000 Sydney	Coxless Four
Bronze	1988 Seoul	Coxed Pair
World Championships
Gold	1986 Nottingham	Coxed Pair
Gold	1987 Copenhagen	Coxless Pair
Gold	1987 Copenhagen	Coxless Pair
Gold	1991 Vienna	Coxless Pair
Gold	1993 Račice	Coxless Pair
Gold	1994 Indianapolis	Coxless Pair
Gold	1995 Tampere	Coxless Pair
Gold	1997 Aiguebelette	Coxless Four
Gold	1998 Cologne	Coxless Four
Gold	1999 St. Catharines	Coxless Four
Silver	1987 Copenhagen	Coxed Pair
Silver	1989 Bled	Coxless Pair
Bronze	1990 Tasmania	Coxless Pair

Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave CBE (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, Redgrave is widely considered to be Britain's greatest Olympian. Only four other Olympians achieved the same: Pál Kovács, Aladár Gerevich (the only one to surpass it with 6 consecutive golds), Reiner Klimke, and Birgit Fischer, and only one of those in an "endurance" event. Redgrave has also won nine Rowing World Championship gold medals.

Contents 1 Rowing career 2 Achievements 2.1 Olympic Games 2.2 World Rowing Championships 2.3 Junior World Rowing Championships 3 Quote 4 Bibliography 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Rowing career

Even by rowing standards, Redgrave is a big, powerful man. He stands 6 ft 5 inches tall, nearly 2 metres . 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.

But what set Redgrave and his compatriots apart from their international brethren was not their dominance, but their consistency. They were exceptionally talented, 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 than 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 were made even more difficult when Redgrave was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and, since 1997, diabetes. These ailments caused unforeseeable bouts of fatigue when rowing.

In addition to his Olympic medals, Redgrave won 10 gold medals, 2 Silvers and a Bronze at the Rowing World Championships. His 15 total Olympic and World Championship gold medals is unsurpassed by any other rower in history.

Redgrave was an outstanding competitor at 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, as well as national champion.

In 2000, Redgrave won his fifth consecutive Olympic Gold Medal, retired from the sport, and became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, he took part in a 3-part BBC documentary entitled Gold Fever. This followed Redgrave and his coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in the quest for his fifth consecutive gold.

He was 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.

In April 2006 he completed his third London Marathon, raising over £1,000,000 for charity.

Redgrave is a supporter of Chelsea FC.[1] He is also diabetic.

[edit] Achievements

• Olympic Medals: 5 Gold, 1 Bronze
• World Championship Medals: 9 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
• Junior World Championship Medals: 1 Silver
• Thomas Keller Medal Outstanding International Rowing Career: 2001 (Awarded by FISA)

[edit] Olympic Games

• 2000 - Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster, James Cracknell)
• 1996 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 1992 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 1988 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Andy Holmes)
• 1988 - Bronze, Coxed Pair (with Andy Holmes and Patrick Sweeney)
• 1984 - Gold, Coxed Four (with Martin Cross, Adrian Ellison, Andy Holmes, Richard Budgett).

[edit] World Rowing 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

[edit] Junior World Rowing Championships

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

[edit] 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)

[edit] Bibliography

• Steve Redgrave: A Golden age (2000) with Nick Townsend (ghostwriter). ISBN 0-563-55182-8
  • 2nd edition: 2001 ISBN 0-563-53821-X
• Steve Redgrave's Complete Book of Rowing (1992). ISBN 1-85225-124-7
  • 2nd edition: 1995 ISBN 1-85225-230-8
• You Can Win At Life! (2005) with Nick Townsend. ISBN 0-563-48776-3.

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

[edit] See also

• 100 Greatest Sporting Moments
• Leander Club (member)
• Marlow
• Jack Beresford, British Rower circa 1920s, won medals (not all gold) at 5 successive Olympics

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Virtual Library rowing information
• Marlow information
• Profile on RowingOne

Steven Redgrave is also commemorated at Burnham Grammar School as one of the four houses there. Steven Redgrave is also commemorated at Burnham Grammar School as one of the four houses there.