Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Great Britain
Men's Rowing
Gold	2000 Sydney	Coxless Fours
Bronze	1996 Atlanta	Coxless Fours
Rowing World Championships
Gold	1997 Aiguebelette	Coxless Four
Gold	1998 Cologne	Coxless Four
Silver	1995 Tampere	Coxless Four
Silver	1999 St. Catharines	Eight
Bronze	1989 Bled	Eight
Bronze	1991 Vienna	Eight
Bronze	1994 Indianapolis	Coxless Four

Timothy "Tim" James Carrington Foster MBE (born 19 January 1970) is a British rower. He began rowing at Bedford Modern School and competed in the Junior World Rowing Championships in 1987 and 1988. In the latter he competed in a pair with Matthew Pinsent. He became the first British rower to win gold medals at two consecutive Junior Worlds. From there he proceeded into the senior squad.

In 1993 he underwent back surgery but was straight back in the boat for the 1994 season - winning Bronze in the coxless four at the World Championships. This boat stayed together until the 1996 Olympics, where they won Bronze.

Following his Olympic medal, he continued his university studies at Oxford, competing in the 1997 Boat Race.

In 1997 he won a seat in the coxless four alongside Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell. In the run up to the Olympics, he again needed back surgery and time off after severing tendons in his hand by punching a window at a boat club party. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, a 3-part BBC documentary entitled Gold Fever was broadcast. This followed the coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in the quest for gold. Despite the problems Foster had had, he was in the final crew and they won the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.^[1] He was awarded an MBE for his part in this in 2001.

After Sydney, he retired from international rowing, and retired as an active rower in July 2001. After a stint coaching at the University of London Boat Club, he joined the UK Sport-sponsored Elite Coach Programme in 2004.^[2] In January 2007, he became the Head Coach of the Swiss national rowing squad.^[3]

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China he proposed to Joy Fahrenkrog, a four-time member of the United States Archery Team. The pair met in 2000 while Joy was studying at the London School of Economics and rowing for the University of London Boat Club.

Achievements[link]

• Olympic Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Bronze
• World Championship Medals: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze
• Junior World Championship Medals: 2 Gold
• Blue Boat Appearances: 1 (0 wins)

Olympic Games[link]

• 2000 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave)
• 1996 - Bronze, Coxless Four
• 1992 - 6th, Eight

World Championships[link]

• 1999 - Silver, Eight
• 1998 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave)
• 1997 - Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave)
• 1995 - Silver, Coxless Four
• 1994 - Bronze, Coxless Four
• 1993 - Injured, did not compete in World Championships
• 1991 - Bronze, Eight
• 1990 - 4th, Coxless Four (with Martin Cross, Peter Mulkerrins, Gavin Stewart)
• 1989 - Bronze, Eight

Junior World Championships[link]

• 1988 - Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 1987 - Gold, Coxless Four

Bibliography[link]

• Four Men in a Boat (2004) ISBN 0-297-84725-2

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile on RowingOne
• Gold Fever at bbc.co.uk

Sir Matthew Pinsent

Personal information
Birth name	Matthew Clive Pinsent
Nationality	British
Born	(1970-10-10) 10 October 1970 (age 41) Holt, Norfolk, England
Height	6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) (2004)
Weight	17 stone (110 kg) (2004)
Website	www.matthewpinsent.com
Sport
Country	United Kingdom
Sport	Men's rowing
Event(s)	Coxless pair, coxless four
College team	Oxford University Boat Club
Club	Leander Club
Coached by	Jürgen Gröbler
Retired	2004
Medal record Competitor for  Great Britain Men's rowing Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona Coxless Pair Gold 1996 Atlanta Coxless Pair Gold 2000 Sydney Coxless Four Gold 2004 Athens Coxless Four Rowing World Championships Bronze 1989 Bled Coxed Four Bronze 1990 Tasmania Coxless Pair Gold 1991 Vienna Coxless Pair Gold 1993 Račice Coxless Pair Gold 1994 Indianapolis Coxless Pair Gold 1995 Tampere Coxless Pair Gold 1997 Aiguebelette Coxless Four Gold 1998 Cologne Coxless Four Gold 1999 St. Catharines Coxless Four Gold 2001 Lucerne Coxless Pair Gold 2001 Lucerne Coxed Pair Gold 2002 Seville Coxless Pair

Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent CBE (born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, of which three were with Steve Redgrave. Since retiring, he has worked as a sports broadcaster with the BBC.

Background[link]

Pinsent was born in Holt, Norfolk, the son of Reverend Ewen Macpherson Pinsent, curate of St Andrew's parish church. His grandfather Clive Pinsent was a younger son of Sir Richard Pinsent, 1st Baronet, President of the Law Society between 1918 and 1919 (see Pinsent Baronets).^[1] Pinsent is directly descended from John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk and thus from Edward I of England and William the Conqueror. Sir George Anson is also an ancestor.^[2] He attended Aysgarth School in North Yorkshire before he began rowing at Eton College. He began his international career at the Junior World Rowing Championships in 1987. He raced again in 1988, winning the junior coxless pairs with Tim Foster. After finishing school, Pinsent studied Geography at St Catherine's College, Oxford. He competed in three Boat Races, winning in 1990 and 1991 but unsuccessful in 1993 (when he was Boat Club President), having taken a year out in 1992 in order to concentrate on preparing for the Barcelona Olympics.

Rowing[link]

International career[link]

In 1990, while still at Oxford, he joined Steve Redgrave in the coxless pair at the World Rowing Championships – winning bronze. This was the beginning of a long partnership, and the pair won at the World Championships in 1991, and at the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996.

In 2000 he won Olympic gold again as part of a coxless four with Redgrave, James Cracknell and Tim Foster. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, he took part in a 3-part BBC documentary entitled Gold Fever. This followed the coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in the quest for what would be Pinsent's third consecutive gold.

Pinsent and Cracknell then formed a men's coxless pair and won the coxless and coxed pairs (with Neil Chugani coxing) in the 2001 World Championships, and the coxless pair in 2002. However, after a disappointing 2003 season that saw Pinsent's first World Championships defeat since 1990, he and Cracknell moved to the men's coxless four for 2004.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Pinsent's fourth Olympic Games, Pinsent stroked the boat, with Cracknell, Ed Coode and Steve Williams. In a close race with world champions Canada, they again won gold.

Pinsent was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletics Commission in 2001, replacing Jan Železný. In 2004, at the Athens Olympics, Pinsent failed to secure re-election to the post, being replaced by Železný.^[3]

The 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), 17 stone (110 kg)^[4] Pinsent had at one time the largest lung capacity recorded for a sportsman at 8.5 litres. This has since been surpassed by fellow rower Peter Reed who has been measured at 11.68 litres.^[5]

Retirement[link]

Pinsent announced his retirement from rowing on 30 November 2004,^[6] and was made a Knight Bachelor in the New Year's Honours list announced on 31 December 2004.^[7] He had already been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1993,^[8] raised to Commander in 2001.^[9] He was awarded the Thomas Keller Medal by the International Rowing Federation in 2005.^[10]

Achievements[link]

Olympic Games[link]

• 2004 – Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Steve Williams, Ed Coode)
• 2000 – Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)
• 1996 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1992 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)

World Championships[link]

• 2003 – 4th, Coxless Pair (with James Cracknell)
• 2002 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with James Cracknell)
• 2001 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with James Cracknell)
• 2001 – Gold, Coxed Pair (with James Cracknell, Neil Chugani)
• 1999 – Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Ed Coode, Steve Redgrave)
• 1998 – Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)
• 1997 – Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)
• 1995 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1994 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1993 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1991 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1990 – Bronze, Coxless Pair (with Steve Redgrave)
• 1989 – Bronze, Coxed Four (with Terry Dillon, Steve Turner, Gavin Stewart, Vaughn Thomas)

Junior World Championships[link]

• 1988 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with Tim Foster)
• 1987 – 4th, Eight

Broadcasting career[link]

Since retiring from rowing, Pinsent has worked for the BBC as a sports bulletin presenter and reporter. His assignments have included interviewing Dwain Chambers for Inside Sport, where Chambers confessed to taking drugs,^[11][12] and visiting gymnastics training centre in China where he found evidence of children being beaten, leading to IOC President Jacques Rogge to order an inquiry.^[13]

Personal life[link]

Pinsent is married to Demetra; they have twin boys, Jonah and Lucas (born 2006) and a daughter, Eve (born 2008).^{[citation needed]} They live in St Peter's Square, Hammersmith, West London.

Styles and honours[link]

• Mr Matthew Pinsent (1970–1993)
• Mr Matthew Pinsent MBE (1993–2000)
• Mr Matthew Pinsent CBE (2000–2004)
• Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE (2004–)

Bibliography[link]

• Pinsent, Matthew (2 September 2004). A Lifetime in a Race. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-190149-3. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matthew Pinsent

• Official website
• Matthew Pinsent at RowingOne

Medal record
Cracknell in August 2009
Competitor for  Great Britain
Men's Rowing
Olympic Games
Gold	2000 Sydney	Coxless Four
Gold	2004 Athens	Coxless Four
Rowing World Championships
Gold	1997 Aiguebelette	Coxless Four
Gold	1998 Cologne	Coxless Four
Gold	1999 St. Catharines	Coxless Four
Gold	2001 Lucerne	Coxless Pair
Gold	2001 Lucerne	Coxed Pair
Gold	2002 Seville	Coxless Pair

James Cracknell, OBE (born 5 May 1972) is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children.^[1] In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport. He is also a trained geography teacher, as stated in an episode of BBC comedy quiz School's Out.

Biography[link]

James Cracknell began rowing whilst attending Kingston Grammar School and rowed at the Junior World Championships in 1989 and 1990, winning a gold medal in 1990. He graduated from the University of Reading with a Bachelor of Science in Human Geography in 1993.^[2] Moving into the senior squad, Cracknell made numerous appearances in the World Rowing Championships; however, he did not win any medals prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics. He qualified in the double scull for the 1996 Games, but fell ill with tonsilitis and was unable to race.^[3] In 1997, he won a seat in the men's coxless fours, with Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and Tim Foster. With this crew, he won the rowing World Championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999 (with Ed Coode replacing the injured Foster), and finally the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, he took part in a 3-part BBC documentary entitled Gold Fever. This followed the coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in their quest for gold.

With Redgrave then having retired, Cracknell swapped from rowing on strokeside to bowside in order to join Pinsent in the coxless pairs. The pair won the World Championships in 2001, when they also won the coxed pairs, and 2002. However, in 2003 a disappointing season was capped by a failure to win the World Championships, and Pinsent and Cracknell were shifted into the coxless four, with Steve Williams and Alex Partridge. Ed Coode replaced the injured Partridge in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics and this crew won the gold medal in Athens, beating world champions Canada by 0.08s.

He came second the pairs division of the 2005–2006 Atlantic Rowing Race in "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by Ben Fogle. Although they took first place in the line honours of the pairs event (overall, they were third to finish the race behind the two men's fours), the use of ballast water during the race resulted in the pair being moved to second position of the pairs event in accordance with the race rules. The event helped raise money for Children In Need.^[1]

They made landfall in Antigua at 07:13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes. In February 2006, he announced his decision to retire from competitive rowing. Shortly after, Through Hell and High Water, a BBC/Twofour television programme of Cracknell and Fogle's experience of the Atlantic race, was aired. The pair wrote a book called The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Rowing Race, about their trip.^[1]

On 4 March 2006, Cracknell's home was burgled: his Olympic gold medals were stolen, together with his wedding ring and a computer containing 20,000 words of a new book and family photographs.^[4] The gold medals were subsequently recovered by a neighbour's dog where the thief had discarded them. The thief, Mark Murphy, 30, was caught and jailed.^[5]

He ran the London Marathon on 23 April 2006, in a time of 3 hours, finishing over an hour ahead of his rowing team mate Matthew Pinsent.

In January 2008 Cracknell set up Threshold Sports with Julian Mack and Charlie Beauchamp.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2008 he set off yet again with former team-mate from the Atlantic Row Ben Fogle, and Dr. Ed Coats (the winner of a nationwide search),^[6] this time to take part in the inaugural Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race. The team traversed the 473.6 miles suffering frost-bite, infected blisters, dramatic weight-loss, pneumonia and exhaustion and came second only to a pair of Norwegians (over 20 hours ^[7]). The BBC aired a 5 x 1 hour, prime-time Sunday night series of the adventure, ‘On Thin Ice’(TwoFour), in June/July 2009. The series was accompanied by a self-penned book of the race, Race to the Pole (MacMillan).^[1]

In July 2008 Cracknell competed in the European Triathlon Championships for GBR for his age group and in November 2009 he took part in the New York Marathon. In April 2009, James completed the 125 mile non-stop Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon in a two-man racing K2 kayak with canoe partner Bernie Shosbree.^[8]

James Cracknell at the London Triathlon 2007

In August 2009 Cracknell attempted to break the non-stop Land's End to John O'Groats mixed tandem world record along with Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Romero. The pair got just past Johnstone Bridge in Scotland before being forced to stop due to problems with Romero's knees. They were on course to break the record by over three hours.^[9] The attempt was to launch the 2010 Ride Across Britain that Cracknell's company organised

In April 2010 Cracknell became the highest placed Briton ever in the 25 year history of the Marathon Des Sables - finishing 12th. His exploits were filmed for a Discovery Channel documentary "The Toughest Race on Earth" to be aired in October 2010.

Six months after his cycling accident which damaged his frontal lobe, Cracknell competed in the Yukon Arctic Ultra. He finished second in the 430 mile race across the frozen Alaskan countryside, beaten only by British cyclist Alan Sheldon who beat Cracknell's 163:20 with his own 99:30.^[10] Cracknell's participation in the race was filmed for the documentary The Coldest Race on Earth aired on the Discovery Channel.^[11] He ran the 2012 London Marathon in just under three hours, one of the fastest celebrities, but behind Nell McAndrew.

Presenting and journalism[link]

He now presents sport on ITV and Channel 4. He covered The Boat Race 2007 with Mark Durden Smith for ITV and is the presenter of ITV's coverage of the British Superbike Championship. He is also the main presenter of Channel 4's Red Bull Air Race World Series coverage. He is a contracted columnist with the Daily Telegraph writing about various topics. The topics include: sport, motoring, gardening, cookery and others. His Daily Telegraph column can be found online at telegraph.co.uk.

Charitable activities[link]

From 27 February 2008 James Cracknell covered over 1,400 miles from Britain to Africa in 10 days, rowing, cycling and swimming. He rowed from Dover, England to Cap Gris Nez, France, then cycled to Tarifa, Spain, and finally swam across the Straits of Gibraltar from Tarifa to Punta de Cires, Morocco. He asked the comedian David Walliams to join him for the final part of his journey because of his previous experience in swimming the English Channel.^[12] The money raised by the challenge goes towards the BBC's Sport Relief charity, with highlights of the action broadcast on 14 March. He is to be the special guest at The WiG GiG which aims to raise £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2009, James took part in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race with his TV Presenter friend Ben Fogle and Dr Ed Coats as members of Team QinetiQ,^[13] finishing in second, 20 hours behind the winning Norwegian team.^[14] The race and the reasons behind was broadcast on BBC Television during summer 2009 in the series On Thin Ice. The trio raised funds for the Children's medical research charity Sparks, chosen as the charity partner in memory of Cracknell's niece, Eva, who died at six days old after suffering oxygen deprivation at birth.^[15]

On Saturday 3 October 2009, Cracknell and Ben Fogle started a 60 hour (estimated) journey from Edinburgh to London riding a rickshaw in support of SSAFA. They aimed to arrive in time for the Pride of Britain Awards ceremony on Monday 5 October 2009.^[16] They had to endure storm force gales in Scotland and Northumberland on their first day of the 450 mile ride.^[17] Early on the last day they made a stop at Etonbury Middle School in Arlesey, off the A1 road to London, where about 100 children welcomed them and to wave them on their way.^[18]

Cycling accident, helmet advocacy[link]

On 20 July 2010, Cracknell was hit from behind by a petrol tanker whilst cycling during an attempt to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York within 16 days.^[19] The accident happened at around 5.30am on a quiet stretch of road outside Winslow, Arizona. He has attributed his survival to the fact he was wearing a cycle helmet at the time,^[19] which was "shorn in two".^[20] In the crash he suffered a contre-coup injury to the frontal lobes of his brain. He was "fully kitted out" by sponsors including the manufacturer of his helmet.^[21][22] He is now back at home with his family, although his recovery may never be complete.^[23][24]

Since the accident he has been conspicuous in advocating the use of bicycle helmets,^[25] and has mentioned the sponsoring brand in particular.^[24] He has denied having a commercial relationship with the manufacturer.^[24] He has since appeared on a bicycle without a helmet; about this his wife said "Unfortunately, one of the effects of James’s condition is memory loss..." ^[20]

Achievements[link]

• Olympic Medals: 2 Gold
• World Championship Medals: 6 Gold
• Junior World Championship Medals: 1 Gold

Olympic Games[link]

• 2004 – Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Steve Williams, Ed Coode)
• 2000 – Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)

World Championships[link]

• 2003 — 4th, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 2002 — Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 2001 — Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent)
• 2001 — Gold, Coxed Pair (with Matthew Pinsent, Neil Chugani)
• 1999 — Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Ed Coode, Steve Redgrave)
• 1998 — Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)
• 1997 — Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave)
• 1995 — 10th, Double Sculls
• 1994 — 8th, Eight
• 1993 — 6th, Eight
• 1991 — 7th, Coxless Four (with John Garrett, Gavin Stewart, James Walker)

Junior World Championships[link]

• 1990 — Gold, Coxless Four
• 1989 — 10th, Coxed Pair

Styles and Honours[link]

• Mr James Cracknell (1972–2001)
• Mr James Cracknell MBE (2001–2004)
• Mr James Cracknell OBE (2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• James Cracknell's personal website
• Atlantic Rowing Race
• Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race
• James Cracknell's column archiveTelegraph.co.uk
• Gold Fever at bbc.co.uk
• BBC Woman's Hour interview with James' wife, Beverley Turnerbbc.co.uk

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Cracknell