Francais | English | Espanõl

Steve Redgrave

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Olympic medalist
Image:Steveredgrave.jpg
Sir Steve Redgrave
Medal record
Men's Rowing
Gold 1984 Los Angeles Coxed Four
Gold 1988 Seoul Coxless Pair
Gold 1992 Barcelona Coxless Pair
Gold 1996 Atlanta Coxless Pair
Gold 2000 Sydney Coxless Four
Bronze 1988 Seoul Coxed Pair
World Championships
Gold 1986 Coxed Pair
Gold 1987 Coxless Pair
Gold 1987 Coxless Pair
Gold 1991 Coxless Pair
Gold 1993 Coxless Pair
Gold 1994 Coxless Pair
Gold 1995 Coxless Pair
Gold 1997 Coxless Four
Gold 1998 Coxless Four
Gold 1999 Coxless Four
Silver 1987 Coxed Pair
Silver 1989 Coxless Pair
Bronze 1990 Coxless Pair

Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave CBE (born on 23 March, 1962, in Marlow, England) is a British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988.

As the only Briton ever to achieve this feat, Redgrave is widely considered to be Britain's greatest Olympian. Only four other Olympians achieved the same: Pál Kovács, Aladár Gerevich, Reiner Klimke, and Birgit Fischer, and only one of those in an "endurance" event. Redgrave has also won nine Rowing World Championship gold medals.

Contents

[edit] Rowing career

Even by rowing standards, Redgrave is a big, powerful man. He stands 6 ft 5 inches tall, nearly 2 metres . In his prime, he weighed more than 100 kg. He rowed very fast times on the indoor rowing machine and once won the World Championship for Indoor Rowing. He was also a world class single sculler winning the British National Championship numerous times, but not quite a world champion class single sculler. He is best remembered, however, for rowing in sweep boats.

But what set Redgrave and his compatriots apart from their international brethren was not their dominance, but their consistency. They were exceptionally talented, but so were their competitors. Redgrave's boats did not win their races easily: Most were hard fought and won by small margins. Four of Redgrave's five Olympic victories were by less than 2 seconds. But race after race, year in and year out, Redgrave could be found at the top of the medal podium.

His feats in the last four years of his career were made even more difficult when Redgrave was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and, since 1997, diabetes. These ailments caused unforeseeable bouts of fatigue when rowing.

In addition to his Olympic medals, Redgrave won 10 gold medals, 2 Silvers and a Bronze at the Rowing World Championships. His 15 total Olympic and World Championship gold medals is unsurpassed by any other rower in history.

Redgrave was an outstanding competitor at Henley Royal Regatta, winning at least 13 times. (Diamond Scull, 1983, 1985, Double Sculls Challenge Cup 1981, 1982, the Silver Goblets & Nickalls Cup, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995, and the Steward's Cup 1997 and 1998).

In 1989/1990 he was a member of the British bobsleigh team, as well as national champion.

In 2000, Redgrave won his fifth consecutive Olympic Gold Medal, retired from the sport, and became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was made an MBE in 1987, CBE in 1997 and knighted in 2001.

In 2002, his achievement of winning gold medals at five consecutive Olympic games was voted the greatest sporting moment in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

In April 2006 he completed his third London Marathon, raising over £1,000,000 for charity.

Redgrave is a supporter of Chelsea FC. [1]

[edit] Achievements

[edit] Olympic Games

[edit] World Rowing Championships

  • 1999 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Ed Coode, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1998 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1997 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1995 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1994 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1993 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1991 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1990 - Bronze, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
  • 1989 - Silver, Coxless Pairs (with Simon Berrisford)
  • 1987 - Gold, Coxless Pairs (with Andy Holmes)
  • 1987 - Silver, Coxed Pairs (with Andy Holmes and Patrick Sweeney)
  • 1986 - Gold, Coxed Pairs (with Andy Holmes and Patrick Sweeney)
  • 1985 - 12th, Single Sculls
  • 1983 - Single Sculls
  • 1982 - 6th, Quadruple Scull
  • 1981 - 8th, Quadruple Scull

[edit] Junior World Rowing Championships

  • 1980 - Silver, Double Sculls
  • 1979 - Single Sculls

[edit] Quote

After winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996, Redgrave, when asked if he would be competing in Sydney four years hence, said, live on British television: "Anyone who sees me go anywhere near a boat again, ever, you've got my permission to shoot me." (He reversed his decision in 1997)

[edit] Bibliography

Redgrave has also written a forward to Diabetes: The at Your Fingertips Guide.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Lennox Lewis 		BBC Sports Personality of the Year
2000 		Succeeded by:
David Beckham
de:Steven Redgrave

fr:Steve Redgrave hr:Steve Redgrave nl:Steve Redgrave no:Steve Redgrave sh:Steve Redgrave fi:Steve Redgrave

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Steve_Redgrave"
Personal tools