Steven Redgrave

Steven Redgrave is the most titled rower in history. He first came to the fore of British rowing in 1983 when he won the Diamond Sculls, and he won an Olympic gold medal in the coxed fours the following year. Redgrave continued to compete internationally, winning gold medals at five consecutive Olympics – 1984-2000 – the only endurance athlete to make this claim.

Between 1986-99, Redgrave also was a nine-time World Champion, always in a pair or four. His most frequent partner was Matthew Pinsent with whom he won seven World Titles and three Olympic golds in the pairs and fours. At Henley, Redgrave obliterated all records with 23 titles. He started as a sculler, and won the Diamond Challenge Sculls in 1983 and 1985.

Redgrave also claimed five consecutive successes at the Wingfield Sculls from 1985-89, and seven times won the Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games, Redgrave uniquely won three rowing gold medals – singles, coxless pairs, and coxless fours. Steve Redgrave was a member of the Marlow Leander Rowing Club and his wife, Ann Callaway, was a member of Britain’s women’s eight at the 1984 Olympics and later became the first woman President of the Marlow club.

In 1989, he took up bobsledding and was a member of the crew which won the British 4-man championship that year. Redgrave was awarded a MBE in 1987, a CBE in 1997, and became a Knight Bachelor in 2001.