Redgrave rows into history

SYDNEY, SEPT. 23. British rower Steven Redgrave has earned a unique place in Olympic history after winning a gold medal in his fifth consecutive games - an unparalleled achievement for an endurance athlete.

Only Hungarian Aladar Gerevich, who won six golds between 1932 and 1960 in the far less gruelling sport of fencing, has done better.

The 38-year-old's triumph is just the latest conquest of a man who has overcome class barriers - and more recently diabetes - to become the undisputed king of world rowing and the greatest ever British Olympian.

His victory alongside Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster and Jamie Cracknell was also his third in the company of Pinsent, who partnered him in 1992 and 1996 in his coxless pairs triumphs.

It also comes four years after his triumph in Atlanta where he retired immediately after winning the gold medal saying: ``anyone who sees me go anywhere near a boat again, ever, you've got my permission to hoot me.''

Fortunately the marksmen held their fire and Redgrave has now completed that historic fifth victory. And it confirms his reputation as the talisman of the British Olympic team. For the third consecutive Games Redgrave was the choice of his compatriots to carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony but at Sydney he chose to let Pinsent take that honour.

Redgrave's gold run had begun in 1984 when he triumphed in the coxed fours alongside Martin cross, Richard Budgett, Andrew Holmes and Adrian Ellison.

He teamed up with Holmes in Seoul for his second title in 1988 but the pair split. A partnership with Simon Berrisford ended when the latter injured his back and Pinsent, then only 19, was the new man.

Approaching the Sydney games there had been indications that at the age of 38, Redgrave was finding it hard to maintain the high levels of fitness required for the event. He was diagnosed with diabetes and a television documentary showed him in great distress in training as his three team-mates were outperforming him in a 6,000m run on rowing machines.

And the invincibility that had surrounded him for 16 years was also slipping as the British ``Oarsome Foursome'' - a nickname disputed by the Australian quartet until the Sydney final settled the issue - were defeated both in the semifinal and final of the World championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Redgrave, also a nine-time World champion, gave short shrift to claims that he was past it, saying: ``I'm not as good as I was at the last Olympics - I'm better. ''I'm stronger mentally than I was before and in many of the tests we do in training I am still at the same level I was before Atlanta.``

It was only in Saturday's final that Redgrave produced the final answer to those critics. His diabetes means he need several injections a day but Redgrave is philosophical, saying: ''is that a big deal to live a normal life?``

Rowing in Britain is synonymous with the more privileged classes but builder's son Redgrave has made disparaging remarks about the famous annual boat race on the Thames between Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

But Redgrave, who took up rowing at Marlow Comprehensive (a British state school), does not carry a chip on his shoulder - his friend and colleague for his last three Olympics Pinsent was educated at Eton.Pinsent was the first to congratulate Redgrave after the Sydney final, embracing him before diving into the Penrith water. He may be blue-collar rather than blue-blood but Redgrave's historic fifth gold earned him a place as one of the aristocrats in the 104-year history of the modern games.

- AFP

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