Our journey starts on the waters of the Sydney International Regatta Centre on 23 September 2000, with the story of one of the greatest rowers of all time: Sir Steve Redgrave.
When Great Britain’s Coxless Four crew triumphed at Sydney 2000, the 38-year-old Redgrave became the first endurance athlete in history to win a gold medal in five consecutive Olympic Games.
The first four golds
Even before Sydney 2000, Sir Steve Redgrave has proved himself an Olympian of the highest order.
His first gold medal came at Los Angeles 1984 in the men’s Coxed Four, and this was followed at Seoul 1988 with victory in the men’s Coxless Pairs alongside Andrew Holmes. He went on to triumph in the same event at the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Games, rowing on both occasions alongside Matthew Pinsent.
Moment of glory
In Sydney, Redgrave was joined in the boat by Tim Foster, James Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent, with the eyes of an expectant rowing world willing him on to glory.
The race itself was a tense affair. In lane three, Great Britain got off to a good start, and established a lead of almost half a second by 1000m.
However, they knew were up against a strong field, including a formidable Italian outfit and the technically gifted Australia, who hoped to triumph on home soil. Indeed, in the final quarter of the race the Italian team – renowned for their strong finish – began putting Great Britain under enormous pressure.
As the excitement in the crowd – not to mention for the millions watching back in Britain – reached fever pitch, the Great Britain crew hung on to win the race in a time of 5:56.24, just 0.38 seconds ahead of Italy.
Once the race was over Redgrave was visibly exhausted, but a warm embrace by his friend Pinsent was the cue for the celebrations to begin. In his 25th year in the sport, Redgrave had achieved something quite incredible, cementing a legacy that will inspire athletes at London 2012 and for many Games to come.
Following his success in Sydney, Redgrave was awarded a Knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours List. In 2009 he was appointed '2012 Sports Legacy Champion', tasked with assisting the drive to get more people playing sport as a lasting legacy of London 2012, and in 2011 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event.
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