Steven Redgrave

Steven Redgrave in May 2011

Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born March 23, 1962 in Marlow , Buckinghamshire ) is a retired British rower who won gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games between 1984 and 2000 . With a total of six medals won, Redgrave is the second most successful British Olympian behind Chris Hoy .

Life

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles , he won gold in a four-man with helmsman (with Martin Cross, Adrian Ellison, Andrew Holmes and Richard Budgett). Together with Andrew Holmes he won the gold medal in the two-man without helmsman in Seoul in 1988 . In addition, Redgrave and Holmes won the bronze medal in two with a helmsman (with Patrick Sweeney at the wheel). The two-man race took place on the same day.

In 1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta the gold medals 3 and 4 followed, both times Redgrave won the race in two without a helmsman together with Matthew Pinsent . The coronation followed in Sydney in 2000 , when he won together with Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster and James Cracknell in the four without a helmsman. In the same year he was voted Sportsman of the Year in Great Britain.

Redgrave was also nine times world champion (1986, 1987, 1991, 1993–95 and 1997–99). Due to his extraordinary success, he was ennobled as a Knight Bachelor in 2001 by Queen Elizabeth II . In 1987 he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and in 1997 Commander (CBE) of this order. In 2002 he received the highest honor in rowing, the Thomas Keller Medal .

Works

• Complete Book of Rowing . Partridge Press, London 1995, ISBN 1-85225-230-8
• A golden age. The autobiography . BBC Books, London 2004, ISBN 0-563-52203-8 (with Nick Townsend)
• You can win at life . BBC Books, London 2005, ISBN 0-563-48776-3

Web links

• Steven Redgrave's website
• Steven Redgrave in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )