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Saturday, 30 September, 2000, 08:20 GMT 09:20 UK
Steve Redgrave answers your questions
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Steve Redgrave, Great Britain's history making rower, answers the questions posed for him by Sport Online users.
Do you feel physically stronger now than you did 15 years ago? If not, when was your peak? Steve Redgrave: I'm definitely stronger than I was 15 years ago, though I don't think I'm as strong as I was around four years ago. In fact I don't think I've improved very much in the last four to six years. I was definitely at my peak when I was around 30 - that was when I was at my strongest.
Could you get a sixth Olympic medal by taking a middle seat in an eight and letting the others do the work? SR: I think I could get another gold medal - but I'd rather do it in a single scull.
What does your daily training routine consist of? SR: Now, absolutely nothing, I'm glad to say. But before the Olympics we would have two to three sessions a day. I would get down to the rowing club for 07:30 in the morning and start with about an hour to an hour and a half of endurance work on the water. The second session would be muscular so I'd spend some time on the weights. The third session would again be endurance, either on the water or in the gym. When we were on our intensive training program, the number of sessions a day rose to four and a couple of times a week we would even add a fifth!
Can Matthew Pinsent achieve five golds? SR: I'm sure he could, but if you ask him he would tell you that you only look four years in advance. He'll be there at the next Olympics, I've no doubt about that and he will then assess it from there. To get five he'll have to keep going for a couple of years yet. And to get six he'll have to go on even longer. It's a tall order. But if he does get five or six gold medals, I would be the first person to congratulate him.
How did being diagnosed with diabetes affect your view of competing in the future? SR: It made it much harder that's for sure. The road certainly hasn't been smooth. But a specialist told me on the first day I was diagnosed that there was no reason I wouldn't be able to achieve the goals I had set for myself - and as soon as I heard that I was OK. It's been hard having to make sure my body gets the necessary level of insulin - and balancing that with all the training as well as ensuring my diet gives me what I need.
Should more youngsters be given the chance to row and not just the privileged few? SR: Wherever there is a river that's rowable there's now a club. It's not a case of coming from a privileged background anymore. I certainly didn't come from that or go to a specialist school. Anyone can row nowadays if they want to.
After Atlanta what made you change your mind? SR: I didn't want to be sitting on the bank, or watching the guys on TV and thinking 'I could be doing that'. That's the feeling I didn't want to have and I knew that I would have it. I wanted to be part of the Sydney experience. I knew it would be a fantastic Games and it has been, particularly for Great Britain. It's been very special and it hasn't let me down.
Do we, as a nation, put enough effort into encouraging sports development in schools? SR: It's very important our youth get as much encouragement as possible. But it's not essential that they are involved at a young age in the sport in which they eventually succeed. I'm in great favour of the 'Sport for All' scheme and I think it's vital young people have a go at as many sports as possible. Of course there comes a time when they need to start specialising in the sport that suits them physically.
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