THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT “Matthew replied, ‘I’m sure he said apple strudel,’ and we all started falling down laughing. “Just then, we heard Jürgen call back to us: “‘Ja, Ja, better zo!’”6909 Redgrave and Pinsent After his arrival, Jürgen molded Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent into one of history’s greatest pairs, rebounding from their 1990 Bronze to a Gold Medal in 1991. Grobler was named Britain’s head coach for the Olympic year of 1992. As I write this, he still holds that position. Under Jürgen, Steve and FISA 2000 Video Leander Club Men’s Coxless-Four 2000 Olympic Champion, Penrith Matthew won again in 1992, and then in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Steve had now won Gold Medals in four consecutive Olympic Games6910 and Matthew in two. Stroke Matthew Pinsent 6’5” 196cm 238lb. 108kg, 3 Tim Foster 6’3” 190cm 196lb. 89kg, 2 Steve Redgrave 6’4” 193cm 227lb. 103kg, Bow James Cracknell 6’4” 192cm 220lb. 100kg chose to switch to a coxless-four for the next Olympic cycle. To join 34-year-old Steve and 26-year- After Atlanta, Steve retired briefly and then thought better of it. He decided to train with Jürgen four more years and go for a record fifth Olympic Gold. Hoping to avoid the stress of the coxless-pair and looking forward to taking on the then-dominant Oarsome Foursome at their home Olympics in Sydney, Matthew and Steve 6909 Redgrave, op. cit. 6910 Redgrave was only the fifth athlete in Olympic history to achieve this, joining Danish yachtsman Paul Elvström (1948-1960), Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich (1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960), American discus thrower Al Oerter (1956-1968) and American sprinter/long jumper Carl Lewis (1984-1996). old Matthew, Jürgen chose two more members of Pinsent’s generation, 6’3” 190cm 196lb. 89kg Tim Foster, 26, Pinsent’s 1988 Junior World Champion pair-partner, and 6’4” 192cm 220lb. 100kg James Cracknell, 24, who had asked Redgrave for his autograph as a teenager ten years earlier.6911 Pinsent: “Tim was a smaller athlete than most, but he had an ability that went way beyond his statistics. He was middle of the group in most of the rowing machine tests and below that on any of the weight- lifting exercises, but in a boat the picture changed. He had a fluid style and accuracy 6911 Ross, p. 40 1923
