By Mike Rowbottom

 

November 2 - Sir Steve Redgrave, arguably Britain’s most celebrated Olympian, has advised his former Great Britain colleague Katherine Grainger to end her experiment in the single sculls if she wants to further her Olympic ambitions for London 2012 – even though she won a world silver medal at the event in this year's World Championships.

 

The five-times Olympic champion, voted Sportsperson of the last 50 years at the 2003 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, was present in Poznan, in Poland, in August to witness Grainger – who won her third Olympic silver at the Beijing Games – finish runner-up in the event she had taken up at the start of the season.

 

Grainger, 33, hinted after her surprise success that she might continue her single sculls career for at least another season.

 

But Sir Steve, who has just published a book entitled "Inspirations" (Headline, £18.99) which investigates key factors in sporting success stories, thinks that would be a misjudgement.

 

"I think we will see Kath back in a team boat now," Redgrave told insidethegames.

 

"I don’t think she will carry on in the single sculls, even though she got the silver medal at the World Championships.

 

"Kath is a great athlete, and I love her dearly, but I have a chapter in my book about luck, and I think her World Championship performance fell a little bit into that category.

 

"She was a little bit off the pace in the heats and semi-final.

 

"She wasn’t really moving the boat as sweetly as some of her opponents.

 

"But because there was a very strong tailwind in the final it was a much quicker race.

 

"When you have had experience in the quadruple sculls as Kath has, you are used to a fast-moving boat.

 

"And Kath was physically stronger than most of her opposition.

 

"As I know all too well, because I could never manage it very successfully, in the single it is all about transferring your power into movement. I do think the conditions helped her in that race.

 

"I am not trying to put her down.

 

"That is the last thing I would want to do to Kath.

 

"But I still think her forte is in a crew boat.

 

"I could see her in a double at the 2012 Olympics – but will that shift be this season, or next season?

 

"I don’t know."

 

Grainger, meanwhile, has other considerations in mind.

 

The Glasgow-born Olympian and world champion is back at work doing a PhD in homicide at University College, London.
 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]

 

 

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