Steve Redgrave

Sir Steven G. Redgrave, (1962-) was Great Britain’s first competitor to win five Olympic Gold medals in five consecutive Games and he achieved this feat from 1984 to 2000, after which he retired from the gruelling sport of rowing. His hometown is in Buckinghamshire next to the River Thames and it was in those waters that he began building his fitness, skills and love of rowing, and where he has now taken up canoeing for his own pleasure.

At 6ft.5in. tall, with a 16-stone frame and plenty of tactical knowledge, he powered his way to his first success at national junior level and soon moved up to take Olympic Gold no.1 at age 22 in the Coxed Fours. He and Andy Holmes (1959-2010) then won Gold no.2 in the Coxless Pairs and Bronze in the Coxed Pairs in 1988. Gold nos.3, 4 and 5 came with a new partner, Norfolk-born Sir Matthew C. Pinsent (1970-), who went on to win another Gold for his own four-in-a-row in 2004.

In this video from 2000 Pinsent is seen clambering to reach Redgrave in celebration.

Redgrave has coached the Chinese rowing team and supported projects such as River Action UK to clean up river pollution. He is also Chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta.

(Top images: Steve Redgrave by Brunel University at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Gold medal by Plashing Vole at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC 2.0, Bronze medal by Arne Müseler at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)