Five time Olympic Gold Medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave, sits among the greats of British Sports. Now chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, he needs no further introduction.

The most memorable place I have been in the past year is…

Sailing on the Mediterranean Sea.  Not being very experienced sailors learning a new skill, travelling around from port to port each day; mooring up each night; enjoying the local food in fantastic weather; for somebody who doesn’t enjoy sitting on a beach it was heaven.

My favourite city is…

Sydney because I don’t like big cities and Sydney isn’t huge, but you have all the advantages of city life, based around the waterfront and great beaches, fantastic outdoor life and fantastic weather. Unfortunately I haven’t been back since 2000, which was a memorable time for me.

I always go back to eat at…

Chequers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  My son and I love our steaks. This is a great place to go and choose your own.

The first thing to appear on my list of guilty pleasures would be…

I have a sweet tooth; so desserts are always a favourite of mine.  When I was training at Leander Club, Henley-on-Thames, Matthew Pinsent and I for lunch would quite often have starter and dessert and miss main course! But in those days we were trying to have something between 6 and 7.000 calories a day.

My style icon is…

I have never had a style icon.  My sport came first; so I tended to be in rowing gear most of the time.  I am most comfortable casually dressed, but would never have worn jeans. Now being Chairman of Henley Royal Regatta I am wearing more suits than ever before. Also feel very comfortable in a good quality shirt.

In a fire the one item of clothing I would grab from my wardrobe would be…

I would grab my Olympic blazers.  Not because of the style or cloth but because of the memories.  I certainly couldn’t do them up!

My favourite movie is…

Johnny Dangerously with Michael Keaton.  A very silly film, but made me laugh a lot.

When I was 25 my ambition was to…

To equal Jack Beresford by winning three Olympic Gold Medals.

My alternative career path would have been…

 

I probably would have been a builder following in my father’s footsteps. He had a small family business and I used to work with him before my rowing took over.

To row at International level the most important attribute you have to have is…

There are many athletes that have the ability to do well, but what makes a champion is dedication, discipline and desire.

My most memorable moment on the water is…

Winning my first Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 when I was 22.

I would describe Henley Royal Regatta to someone unfamiliar with rowing as…

A fantastic event with a garden party feel, set in Henley’s rural countryside; where you can watch some outstanding rowing close up; you can almost reach out and touch the athletes.

My aim as Chairman of Henley Royal Regatta is to…

Continue the traditions of the Regatta as we have done for the last 176 years.

The person I would be most interested to meet, dead or alive is…

Nelson Mandela; having been to Robben Island and met some of the inmates that were imprisoned at the same time he would be such an interesting character to talk to and we can all learn from his example.

The greatest challenge I have had to surmount in my life so far is…

In 1997 I was diagnosed with diabetes.  I thought my rowing career was over.  However with support from my Diabetic Consultant, Ian Gallen, I was able to find strategies to deal with the condition and continue my path to gold at Sydney.

As a member of a Pub quiz team, my specialist category would be…

Nuclear science; I’m joking!!  Sport, but I don’t have good record on Question of Sport!!

This time in ten years I will be…

The fittest 63 year old in the country. A lot of work to be done to achieve that!  Things have slipped since being an athlete…

Sir Steve Redgrave’s site; http://www.steveredgrave.com/index.pl

Chequers; http://www.thechequersmarlow.co.uk

 

 

 

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