Feet firmly on the ground

Steve Redgrave may be a national hero, but Emma Hawes finds success has not gone to his head

My interview with five-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave is one of many he will be giving this morning, I say to him. "Oh, that's okay," he shrugs, engulfing my hand in his before sprawling in a chair and talking eloquently and without a hint of boredom for the next three-quarters of an hour. This quiet acceptance of the territory that goes with being a celebrity is typical of the oarsman. The phrase "gentle giant" could have been coined for him. Not only is he physically imposing, weighing in at 17 stones of pure muscle, but he is an A-list name, loved by virtually everyone. And he seems genuinely unaffected by his fame.

Steve won his fifth consecutive Olympic rowing gold in Sydney last year, yet doesn't seem to see celebrity as a way of gaining power or kudos, but of helping others.

"The better known you become, the more you get asked to do things for charities," he says. "If a name or profile can benefit the cause in some way, then I am willing to do that. I feel I have been very lucky, so it's important to me that other people can get something out of it too."

Steve, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1997, is patron of the British Sports Association for the Disabled, and more recently he became honorary vice-president of Diabetes UK.

He also plans to raise money to help children, including those with disabilities, get into sport.
In April, he launched his own charity, the Steven Redgrave Charitable Trust, by taking the number one bib in the Flora London Marathon - an honour usually reserved for the previous winner. He aims to raise £1m through the race towards a total target of £5m.

He is also creating a celebrity golf circuit called the Golden Five, which will hold five events a year.
"Everything is five-orientated based on my five gold medals," he says, the only reference to his achievement.

The possibility of winning that fifth medal was threatened in 1997, when he showed symptoms of diabetes, including an excessive thirst. His wife Ann, who is a doctor, tested him, and it was positive.

Even now he refuses to talk about the 12 months that followed his diagnosis. All he will say is that he went to hospital and within hours was given his first insulin injection. When I ask if it was a shock, he replies with a curt "yes" which is clearly meant to end that line of discussion. Then he relents slightly and says: "I thought 'this shouldn't be happening to me.' My first thought was that my sporting career was over.

"But the specialist said there was no reason why I couldn't achieve my ambitions, and as soon as he said that I set myself a target to continue with my career, to be the best. I am the type of guy that, once I have got a target set, then I will aim to achieve it."

At the height of his rowing career, in order to get enough energy for his punishing training schedule, Steve had to eat 6,000 calories a day, more than twice the recommended amount for an adult man. He was even having to down high-sugar drinks to boost his energy.

That is very risky for someone with diabetes, because if their blood sugar levels become too high the body begins to poison itself, and they can pass out and need hospital treatment. Continuing to exercise would make this worse. So Steve had to control his blood sugar levels by taking extra insulin, even though this is not recommended by experts.

"It's actually the worst thing a person with diabetes can do," he says. "It's a chicken and egg situation, a whole balancing act, and I have to be very careful. I found I was depleted and struggling to do the training, and that took a long time to come to terms with.

"At times it was extremely difficult, and it was a big struggle to manage. I have tried not to let diabetes affect my life, but obviously it does, because every time I eat anything I have to take blood tests."

"In the last three years of rowing it was very much an element that I had to fit into the routines I was doing before," he adds. "It was important to me that I shouldn't be treated differently to any of the other guys, and that's the way I approached it."

As far as Steve is concerned, he is just a normal bloke. He may be a national hero who has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and nominated for the Laureus Sports Award for World Sportsman of the Year 2001, but he says modestly: "I feel I have been very lucky."

For DN news, views and subscriptions click here...

Search for other articles like this Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.youreable.com

About us Our partners Terms & conditions Jobs at Youreable designed by