Sir Steve Redgrave "had what it takes" - but what is that exactly?

Sir Steven Redgrave and Michael Johnson are two of the greatest athletes to grace the Olympic stage.

In 2000 Redgrave rowed his way to an incredible fifth Olympic gold at Sydney.

And at the same Olympics, Johnson sprinted to 400m glory, making it five golds for the American running machine.

They reached the top of their sports, and just stayed there, year after year after year.

So how did they do it?

Brunel University psychologist Paul Dent tells BBC Sport what made Redgrave and Johnson so special.

Redgrave and Johnson had total belief in themselves.

And whether it was in training or competition, they were unfailing in whatever happened.

Pinsent shares his training secrets

Even if they were struggling with form or lost a race. Of course they had great talent.

Lots of people have talent. The difference is having the confidence to produce and knowing what to produce at the right time.

It's all about realising that lifelong dream

To get to the top, the training schedules can be relentless. Not to mention the early mornings!

And Redgrave was one person who did not fear the pain.

There are many stories of him falling off the rowing machine unconscious!

They have to be willing to take themselves that extra bit further - no matter how tough it's going.

On top of all these efforts, or perhaps as a result of all these efforts, they believed they would eventually succeed.

They simply did not entertain the idea of failure - they had absolutely no doubts whatsoever.

And not only did they achieve this, they did it time, and time again.

The standard tool for any sportsperson is goal-setting.

Some will be just happy to compete, some will settle with being on the Olympic podium.

And then there are the best athletes who will set extra high, challenging targets.

They'll go for Olympic medals, and then even more medals.

To help achieve these goals, they are broken down over a long period of time.

Britain's hockey team use goals to progress

For example the GB hockey team began their Olympic preparations for the 2004 Athens Games a year before.

They toured across the world and each visit had its own angle and goal.

And they weren't all about achieving victory.

The main aim was developing the style for that particular group of GB players and building up their confidence.

Whatever sport it is, the right short-term goals might not necessarily be success.

And it's exactly the same approach for individuals.

Working towards the Olympics, Redgrave and Johnson will have competed in some races, but sometimes they wouldn't focus on winning.

They would see it as another phase in gaining fitness and using the event as a measure of their fitness.

Peaking at the right time for major championships would have been their main goal.

Redgrave was absolutely unflappable.

There are many things you can worry about before competing and one of Redgrave's greatest strengths was his focus.

It was the idea of not getting paranoid. He didn't see the point in worrying about trying to control the uncontrollable.

Be it the weather or his competitors.

He simply focused on himself and ignored everybody else.

Redgrave did though suggest if things do change, you should be ready for it - "expect the unexpected".

He believed the Olympics was like a "circus" and that athletes were thrown into this circus and asked to perform.

His main point was that there are so many distractions for a competitor to contend with.

Johnson was a tremendously focused athlete

"Focus on what you need to do," he said, and "concentrate like crazy."

In the build-up to a championship like the Olympics, it is very easy to panic.

There are huge temptations to put in extra training sessions.

But if your plan and goal-setting have been good, there shouldn't be a need for concern.

And it was the same for Michael Johnson.

Many of his competitors complained Johnson ignored them.

But the great runner always claimed he was just out on the track "to win....period."

He would just focus on his own performance and never considered anybody else.

Johnson's simple philosophy for success was this: "Hard work, commitment and loyalty".

Few people realise just how much effort and time athletes put into something like the Olympics.

So okay, you're making the effort. But one thing that can strike the best of athletes down - be it at the Olympics or a small race - is nerves.

How to start rowing Contact: Amateur Rowing Association Tel: 020 8237 6700 Email: info@ara-rowing.org www.ara-rowing.org

Most athletes get nervous. It's important to know that nerves are not a bad thing.

It just shows it means something to them. Nervous energy can be creative and it's about harnessing this energy.

It's good to talk through your nerves and alter the thinking process.

You do this by focusing on performance outcomes - how you run the race or row your boat - not the actual outcome.

If you're too uptight about winning or losing, your body will not be able to perform.

And if you want to be the best, the best ever, you've got to want it, really want it.

And remember, there's always an amazing coach behind all these great athletes.

So as well as desire, commitment and drive, you need someone to help you get there on the first rung of the ladder.

And once you've achieved something, it's all about being able to do it again.

And again. And again.