SIR STEVE REDGRAVE CBE

The 23rd September 2000 was guaranteed a special place in the history of the Olympic Games, when Britain's Sir Steve Redgrave won his FIFTH GOLD MEDAL in five successive Games - Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney.   Redgrave's feat is unique in the annals of Olympic endurance achievements and, in the words of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, "Raises Sir Steve Redgrave to the highest rank of Olympic participants."

But even before the Sydney Games, Sir Steve Redgrave had already confirmed his status as Britain's most successful Olympian and the world's greatest ever oarsman.  In addition to his Olympic successes, and following four unbeaten seasons from 1993 to 1996, Steve (and partner Matthew Pinsent) won his NINTH World Championship GOLD in August 1999 in St Catherines, Canada.  His previous World Championship Golds were in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998.  He had also won many other honours in the sport over the previous eleven years, including the Henley Royal Regatta Diamond Sculls several times, the Silver Goblets a record seven times while in 1986 he became a Triple Commonwealth Gold Medallist at Edinburgh, winning the Single Scull, Coxless Pairs, and Coxed Four. . Together with partner Matthew Pinsent, Steve is still the holder of the OLYMPIC RECORD, the coxless pairs, set in Atlanta in 1996.

His other sporting interests include golf and winter sports, and during the 1989/90 season, he was a member of the British Bobsleigh Team.

But perhaps even more impressive than Redgrave's extraordinary athletic performances themselves, is the fact that they were achieved against a background of serious illnesses.   He nearly missed the Barcelona Olympics due to colitis, for which he still receives treatment, and in 1997 he was diagnosed as diabetic, which requires him to have six insulin injections per day to keep it under control.

Sir Steve was knighted in the New Year's Honours List 2001, which accompanies his MBE, he was awarded in the New Year's Honours List in 1987 and the CBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997.     The Universities of Durham, Oxford Brookes, Loughborough, Hull and Buckingham and the Open University amongst others have also awarded him Honorary Degrees.  Steve was appointed Vice-President of the British Olympic Association in November 2000 and also an Honorary Vice-President of Diabetes UK.

Since retiring, he has a busy career representing commercial companies in motivating their workforce, one being VISA and the set up Team Visa which is helping some young talented athletes to achieve their dreams at the Olympic Games.