Steve Redgrave carries the flag at the 1992 Olympics

He stepped up to the senior ranks in 1981, helping Britain to finish eighth at the World Championships in the quadruple scull, before the team moved up to sixth the following year.

Having been persuaded to take a break from sculling, Redgrave really rose to the nation's attention as part of the coxed four that picked up Olympic Gold in Los Angeles in 1984. Also in that victorious boat was Andy Holmes and the pair were to go on to form a successful partnership.

Regular basis

A return to single sculls at the World Championships in 1985 saw Redgrave finish 12th, but soon the medals began to flow on a regular basis.

1986 saw him win his first World Championship title in the coxed pair and he followed it up with a hat-trick of gold's at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in the single scull, coxless pair and coxed four.

A coxless pair gold medal at the 1987 World Championships and a silver in the coxed pair served as a prelude to a second Olympic success in Seoul as he and Holmes race to victory in the coxless pair. He also picks up a bronze in the coxed pair.

Redgrave was to then link up with a new partner, in the shape of Simon Berrisford, and they teamed up to good effect at the 1989 World Championships to take the silver medal in the coxless pair.

Dominance

However, a serious back injury was to curtail Berrisford's involvement and Redgrave joined up with youngster Matthew Pinsent to enjoy further coxless pair dominance.

Steve Redgrave enjoys 1997 World success

Following bronze at the 1990 Bronze World Championships, the pair took gold a year later, before Redgrave completed his Olympic hat-trick in Barcelona in 1992.

Three further World title's followed in successive year's for the new pairing of youth and experience, before having carried the British flag for the second successive Olympics, Redgrave along with Pinsent succesfully's retained their title in Atlanta in 1996.

Retirement looks on the cards after this latest success, but following talks with his family, the father-of-three is back on the water picking up the coxless four World title in 1997 and adding the FISA World Cup title.

Despite discovering that he now suffers from diabetes, Redgrave retained his World coxless four title in both 1999 and 2000 as well as two further FISA World Cup's despite he and Pinsent slipping to their first defeat in major race for eight years.

And so on to Sydney where along with Pinsent, Tim Foster and James Cracknell he made Olympic history with his coxless four success.