Pinsent's golden hope for rowers

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Archive: Matthew Pinsent 2004

Sir Matthew Pinsent insists it will be a "disaster" if his old coxless four boat don't win Olympic gold in Beijing.

British rowing's flagship boat has won the last two Olympic crowns and Beijing is the first Games of the legendary post Pinsent and Steve Redgrave era.

Team GB's quartet of Andy Triggs Hodge, Steve Williams, Peter Reed and Welshman Tom James are favourites to win.

Pinsent said: "They would see it as failure if they don't win gold, they're not going for silver and bronze."

Sir Steve Redgrave rowed to five successive Olympic golds from the Los Angeles Games in 1994 to the Sydney showpiece of 2000.

Pinsent and his new team successfully continued the mantle winning the title - Pinsent's fourth Olympic gold - at the 2004 Athens Games.

Now Great Britain's new breed, who won back-to-back World titles in 2005 and 2006, bear the weight of history and expectation on their collective shoulders as they begin their Olympic challenge in the first heat on Saturday (1030 BST).

Great Britain's Olympic awesome foursome of Athens 2004

But Pinsent has told the current incumbents of British rowing's iconic boat not to be over-burdened by the past glories of past crew.

He told BBC Sport: "After the Athens Games, the coxless four guys would have felt the mantle of being in such an iconic boat.

"But by now they have developed their own confidence and racing tactics.

"When Steve Redgrave retired after Sydney I continued in the boat and we quickly moved on post-Redgrave, it wasn't a burden hanging over us.

"And the boys currently in charge of the four will feel the same.

"They know past success will not win them races in the future, they want to create their own history.

"They are deserved gold medal favourites in their own right, nothing to do with what Steve and I achieved in the same boat.

"They feel they should win gold because they were world champions in 2005 and 2006, anything other than victory would be a disaster for them.

"The New Zealanders and the Dutch are the ones to watch out for but this event is so strong now, probably four or five boats will fancy their chances."

606: DEBATE Can the four-man team of 2008 live up to Pinsent and Redgrave?

The British four missed out on a World Championship medal last year - the New Zealand team won gold - for the first time since 1993.

Their coach Jurgen Grobler has produced Olympic gold winning crews since 1972, initially as East German rowing's top man and latterly Britain's chief after switching sides in 1991, and the great Grobler is not about to stop now.

He has cranked up the pressure on his four-man crew as Pinsent acknowledges: "He's the best rowing coach in the world, the Sir Alex Ferguson of our sport who is used to winning."

The British four has had more than its fair share of injury disruptions as 24-year-old James suffered with a long-standing back problem.

But Pinsent said: "In the run-up to Athens we suffered plenty of disruptions as James Cracknell and I were initially going to race in the two-man boat.

"But we went back to the four and still won.

James helped Cambridge to University Boat Race glory in 2007

"This current four have stronger ingredients as they've been training together for many years and if you've got that good background of practice and momentum, it's a lot easier to prepare for a major event."

James, who was part of the eight-man crew at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is bidding to become the first Welsh competitor to win Olympic gold in 36 years.

Richard Meade's double equestrian gold at the 1972 Munich Games was the last Olympic success for Wales.

"We're in good shape and feeling very confident," Cardiff-born James told BBC Sport.

"Britain have good heritage in this boat and we hope to come away with a gold."