Sir Steve Redgrave is a former British rower who was a gold winner at five Olympic Games in a row (1984-2000). He was also the winner of three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and nine golds at the World Rowing Championships. In fact, Great Britain regards him as their greatest-ever Olympian. The sport of rowing even recognises him as their greatest competitor in its history. He’s also the only athlete with gold medals at five Olympic games in an endurance sport.

In a 2002 survey of the Greatest Britons, Redgrave ranked at No. 36. He is among the most decorated of British Olympians after the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy. He has also held up the British Flag at two Olympic Games’ opening ceremonies and has won the Lifetime Achievement Award in at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event in 2011. Redgrave’s long and exceptional career came to an end at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. But it was way back in 1984 in the Los Angeles games when he earned his first Gold medal. He won his next gold with Andy Holmes, his former partner, in the Coxless Pairs in 1988 at Seoul.

Redgrave also won gold medals in the same event with Matthew Pinsent as his new partner at both Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. His most famous win, of course, was in the Coxless Fours at Sydney 2000. Along with Pinsent, Redgrave held the Coxless Pairs World Record from 1994-2002. As well as his success in the Olympic, and after four undefeated seasons from 1993-1996, he won a ninth World Championship Gold in 1999 in St Catherine, Canada. Redgrave was named MBE in 1987 and CBE in 1997. A year following his Sydney success, he was knighted by the Queen. He was also awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of Durham in 1996. Here are just a few of the events in which Redgrave was awarded a gold medal.

Los Angeles 1984

Also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, this global multi-sport event took place in Los Angeles. There was just one other city interested in hosting the event but that city declined as a result of the concurrent Iranian social and political changes. By default, Los Angeles was asked to host the Games by the IOC. Los Angeles had previously hosted the event in 1932. Steve Redgrave won what would be his first of five Gold medals.

Barcelona 1992

This was the first Games to be staged in Tokyo since 1964 and the second Games in Asia, overall. It was also the fourth Games that took place in autumn.

Atlanta 1996

In 1986, the IOC voted to divide the Winter and Summer Games, which, since 1924, had been staged in the same year. Barcelona 1992 would be the last hosted in the same year as the Winter Games.

Steve Redgrave became one of a select member who had won gold at five Olympic Games in a row when he won the coxless four. The event also saw the first under 4-minute women’s relay, with the United States setting a world record.