Former rower Greg Searle on winning gold at the 1992 Olympics - Telegraph Former rower Greg Searle on winning gold at the 1992 Olympics Greg Searle talks to Siân Ranscombe about winning a gold at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992 Greg Searle and his brother Jonny and their parents after winning gold at the 1992 Olympics Photo: Courtesy of Greg Searle By Siân Ranscombe Follow This is a brilliant memory – winning the coxed pairs event with my brother, Jonny, and our cox, Garry Herbert. The feeling as we crossed the finish line was familiar – I had felt the same when I’d won races before. The elation was the same as when I was 16 and won at Henley Royal Regatta with my school team. What was unexpected was how great it felt when we stood with our gold medals around our necks with the national anthem playing. Being with Jonny [wearing the flag] and our parents, it all felt complete.

It was a feeling of, ‘I’m the best in the world at this and I’m never going to have to compete again.’ I was only 20 and Jonny was 23, but it felt like nothing else would matter and I was going to be happy for the rest of my life. The other unexpected thing was that people cared. For our first public appearance following the win, there were 200 people there when we arrived. They fell silent, started clapping and formed a queue to get a photo and autograph from us. Then someone asked to try on my medal – it was the first time anyone else had worn my medal – and then everyone started queuing up because they all wanted a go. It sounds clichéd, but after the Games I wanted other things in my life. I’d won a rowing race and that was great, but I wanted a good job and good friends and relationships. The family side of things is important to me, and this picture with our parents sums that up. Being in a team with Jonny was perfect. I have two children now, and I want them both to be successful but I don’t want one to be way better than the other. We solved that by competing together.

Jonny and I had ultimate trust and belief in each other. Sometimes that made it difficult because we could challenge each other in a way others wouldn’t, but it also pushed us to get the best from each other. We first rowed in a pair together in 1990 and we dreamt we’d row in the Olympics. We did so here in 1992, and were in a four together at Atlanta 1996 (where we won bronze), and then things moved on. Related Articles Searle's date with destiny 16 Dec 2009 I came out of retirement aged 40 at London 2012. The training was very different – a lot less was left to chance. We wanted to inspire a generation and I wanted my kids to be part of it, too. At the final, where we won another bronze, the cox of my boat called out the names of my children to our crew: ‘This is for Josie and Adam.’ I hope I’ve inspired them; I want them to be the best they can be at whatever they want to do.

Greg Searle is coaching at SportFest , a family sports festival in collaboration with SuperSkills Experiences ,August 2-3, Wormsley Estate, Buckinghamshire For more stories from the Saturday Telegraph magazine visit telegraph.co.uk/magazine Greg Searle Greg Searle Biography Bronze medal winner in the Mens Eight rowing at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Greg is one of Britain’s greatest rowers of all time having won a gold in the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. During the 2012 World Cup Series, Greg raced in the men's eight. In Belgrade, the crew won a silver medal finishing 3 seconds behind the German eight. The crew won silver once again in Lucerne but closed the gap to just over 1 second. The crew won a bronze medal in Munich. In both 2010 and 2011 having worked hard to earn his place back in the GB Rowing squad after a 9 year retirement he has added two world silver medals as a member of the men’s eight.

During his 9 year break from the sport Searle worked as a consultant at Lane 4 Management working with senior management at blue chip companies on goal setting, corporate workshops, facilitating meetings and as an accredited executive coach. But whilst working for FISA at the 2009 Rowing World Championships in Poznan, Poland, he began to feel the urge to be back in a boat and be part of London 2012 – a home Games, the dream of every athlete. At the 2010 World Rowing Championships on New Zealand's Lake Karapiro, Greg won his first Worlds medal since 1997 - a fine silver medal in the eight. This was an excellent step on for the crew, who were only six-tenths of a second behind the reigning world champions, Germany, as they crossed the line. Greg started rowing in 1985 after watching his brother Jonny win the Pricess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta and Martin Cross win Gold at the LA Olympics in 1984. He rowed for Hampton School until 1990. He remembers these as some of the best years' rowing and training he ever did.

In 1988 he was selected in the coxed pair for the Junior World Championships where he finished fourth. For the following two years he was in the junior coxless four and he became only the second British junior (after Tim Foster) to win two World Championships gold medals. Olympics rowing: GB bronze in men's eight won by Germany - BBC Sport BBC Sport Olympics rowing: GB bronze in men's eight won by Germany By Lawrence Barretto BBC Sport at Eton Dorney 1 Aug 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device GB get bronze as Germany win men's eight Great Britain men's eight claimed a bronze medal as world champions Germany took gold in a thrilling final. Constantine Louloudis, Alex Partridge, James Foad, Tom Ransley, Ric Egington, Mo Sbihi, Greg Searle, Matt Langridge and cox Phelan Hill clocked a time of five minutes and 51.18 seconds. They pulled ahead of Germany at halfway, but ran out steam with Canada pipping them on the line for silver. It was Britain's second rowing medal after gold in the women's pair.

Analysis "GB did everything that we wanted them to do. They took the lead after 1,000m but the Germans were brilliant. Yes, it's a bronze and they and we are disappointed with that, but they put everything on the line for the gold." And it was a third Olympic medal for 40-year-old Searle who won gold with brother Jonny and cox Garry Herbert in Barcelona in 1992 and bronze in Atlanta (1996, coxless four) before coming out of retirement. He said after Wednesday's bronze: "I don't think we could have given more. We said we wanted to look in the mirror and say we've given it all and we did that. "It has been fantastic for these three years. There are some good people here." On taking the lead at 1,000m, Searle said: "I had an amazing rush of adrenalin and I thought this really could come true.

The crowd was so amazing, so loud, but we didn't have anything left and the Germans came back at the end." The GB men's eight had had a disappointing final race ahead of the Games, finishing third in a regatta which did not feature favourites Germany and USA. However, the return of Louloudis at stroke made a big difference with the crew running the Germans close in the heats and then qualifying for the final by winning the repechage. Britain were running neck and neck with the Germans, unbeaten since 2009, after the first 1,000m before moving ahead to take a shock lead. But the Germans responded and the Brits, roared on by the home crowd, had nothing left to give, dropping back inside the final 250m. Defending Olympic champions Canada finished strongly to go past the British boat and take silver on the line. Final Results Greg Searle on comeback trail to date with destiny at London 2012 Olympics - Telegraph Rowing Greg Searle on comeback trail to date with destiny at London 2012 Olympics It all began with the date.

Greg Searle was in the audience at the Royal Opera House in 2004 for the launch of London’s Olympic bid and as the former rower leafed casually through the accompanying brochure, his heart skipped a beat. Reign in Spain: Greg Searle (right) celebrates gold in Barcelona 92 with brother Jonny (left) and cox Garry Herbert Photo: PA By Simon Hart 7:30AM GMT 16 Dec 2009 Staring at the proposed dates of the London Games — July 27 to Aug 12, 2012 — his mind was suddenly back with his brother Jonny and cox Garry Herbert, standing to attention at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with gold medals hanging round their necks and tears streaming down Herbert’s face. “I don’t really believe in fate but I won the gold medal on the second of August 1992 and the second of August 2012 is certainly during the regatta in London if not the actual finals day for the small boats on the middle Saturday,” said Searle, who went on to win a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

After a fourth-place finish in Sydney in 2000 he retired from top-level rowing. “The second of August is a day I’ve celebrated every year like a birthday with Jonny and Garry. We always send each other texts or messages. “I suddenly thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was able to row on that day in London, exactly 20 years later? I was only 20 in Barcelona and I’d be 40 in London’. I didn’t think too much more about it but when London won the Games I thought about it again but wondered how I would do it. “I’d always kept in shape but decided to wait until about three years out and see what kind of shape I was in then. I didn’t want to row in Beijing but the pull of London was just so strong.” Related Articles Victoria Pendleton: delighted to compete for three golds in 2012 11 Dec 2009 On Saturday, Searle will be hoping the pull of London speeds his passage through the water as he climbs into a single scull to take on the cream of Britain’s rowers at the GB winter assessment trial in Boston, Lincolnshire.

What started out as a half-baked idea based on a coincidence of dates has now turned into all-consuming comeback mission for the 37 year-old. “It’s all about being in the Olympic team and marching in the opening ceremony and being a role model,” he said. “To be able to do something like this feels like a really exciting adventure.” But if he is to return to elite rowing, he knows he will have to do it the hard way. During a recent heart-to-heart with head coach Jurgen Grobler, it was made plain that he would receive no preferential treatment as a former gold medallist and that selection would be based on his performances at the trials. After Saturday, further trials will be held in February and April before the squad is decided. Until then, Searle must train outside the GB system, rowing on his own on a stretch of water near Marlow with only the most basic land facilities compared to the state-of-the-art amenities enjoyed by rowers already within the GB fold. It helps that Searle has kept himself fit since hanging up his oar.

He spent a year in a different kind of boat working as a grinder for the British team in the 2002 America’s Cup Challenger Series and has taken part in a couple of London Marathons and a London Triathlon. But it was a conversation with GB rower Sophie Hosking at this summer’s World Championships in Poland, where Searle was doing some commentating, that persuaded him to take his training to another level and turn his tentative comeback thoughts into reality. Hosking told Searle how she was going all out to win gold in 2012 and that, if he were in her shoes, he would be doing the same. “You have something,” she said. “You’re a legend.” Her words burned into him. “I thought to myself, ‘Yes, I have something, but I’m not using it. I’m sitting here hoping that I’ll be commentating, hoping I’ll be getting work with sponsors or what have you. But that’s not really me. It’s not the best I can do’. It made me think that maybe I could be doing better with what I’ve got.

Maybe I could do something extraordinary rather than just let everything wither on the vine.” As a partner in Lane4, the business performance consultancy founded by Olympic swimming gold medallist Adrian Moorhouse, Searle has spent the last few years helping companies draw up three-year strategies. On the plane home from Poland he drew up his own. At the top of the page one he wrote down his ultimate goal – “Be a legend” – and then worked backwards. To achieve that he would have to win gold in London. For that to happen he would probably need to win a medal at the 2011 World Championships, and for that he needed to make the Great Britain team by 2010. He began training the next day. Six weeks later, at the first assessment trial of the winter for rowers outside the senior GB squad, Searle put himself to the test. He finished first out of 86 entrants. From Jan 1 he plans to scale back his work commitments to about a third to dedicate himself to training. It will mean a sizeable drop in income, despite a couple of sponsorship deals with Nestle Wholegrain Cereals and Amer Sports. Fortunately his wife, Jenny, is fully supportive.

It would seem the fates are also on his side. Searle’s maths was slightly awry when he calculated that the anniversary of his Barcelona victory would fall on the middle Saturday of the London Olympics, the traditional day for the small-boat finals. But last week the world governing body of rowing announced plans to overhaul the Olympic racing programme in 2012, with finals to start on the Thursday of the opening week of the Games. That’s Thursday, Aug 2, 2012. Greg Searle had better pencil it in. Greg Searle, Olympic rower, on fulfilling a promise to his children - BBC Sport BBC Sport Greg Searle, Olympic rower, on fulfilling a promise to his children By Lawrence Barretto Read more about sharing. Greg Searle has a promise to deliver on. When the 40-year-old heavyweight rower, who won Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992, made the bold decision to come out of retirement three years before London for one last hurrah, the father-of-two knew there would be sacrifices. When he woke up on his 40th birthday, he did not see his kids or open any of his presents.

Instead, he headed straight out on to the water to put himself through his paces in training. He also missed his daughter Josie's last day of primary school, could not play football in the garden with his son Adam for fear of hurting his back and would fall asleep on the sofa in the evenings from exhaustion while trying to catch up on time with his family. Searle's 'After the Olympics to do list' Get a dog Go on a balloon trip with his wife Have a touring holiday in America Play more cricket with Adam Take Josie swimming more So before he put pen to paper to pick up his oars once more, Searle's two children, Josie, 11, and Adam, 9, came up with an "After the Olympics to-do list", which can be found in Searle's book If Not Now, When? and featured tasks their father needed to fulfil post-London - having retired for the final time - to make up for putting his life on hold. "We've got quite a bit done already," Searle, who won bronze in London, 20 years after winning gold with brother Jonny in Barcelona, told BBC Sport. "One of the first things we did was buy a dog.

We said if I won gold, we would get a golden retriever, if we got silver, we would get a Weimaraner, and as it was we got bronze so we've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback which is a large brown dog with short hair. "She's fantastic and the best thing about winning a bronze medal. She's called Cobi - named after the Olympic mascot, which was a little dog, from Barcelona 1992." A holiday, their first in nearly three years, to Dubai followed just before Christmas while he is a lot more involved in family life, including doing the school run and helping his children with their homework which "they probably find annoying".

Greg Searle Olympic record: Gold (1992), Bronze (1996, 2012) World Championship record: Gold (1993), Silver (1995, 2010, 2011) Bronze (1991, 1994, 1997) Searle, a Plymouth Argyle supporter, has also started playing a bigger part in his children's sporting lives, whether it's umpiring one of his son's indoor cricket matches or coaching his daughter at swimming. "I think I have to coach someone," he said. "And Josie has volunteered to be my student. That prospect is certainly more attractive than needing to go off on a load of training camps. "It's nice to be around my kids when they're at the age when they want to talk to me. I recognise that I've probably got a four-year window, hopefully a bit longer, when that's the case.

When my daughter is 16, I imagine I'm not going to be so involved in her life." There is still plenty to get through, though, including a balloon trip with his wife, a touring holiday in America, more indoor cricket with his son and plenty of cheerleading at his daughter's swimming galas. As well as all that catching up, Searle realises he needs to plan for the future. "I've got to think about what I'm going to do with my life after rowing," he added. "I feel very complete in my rowing career. Now I'm trying to make decisions that are right for me and my family." Britain's rowers lead a very regimented life. Each day is meticulously laid out for them so that the only thing they need to concern themselves with is their performance on the water. Leave that programme and you're on your own. "It's early days yet," he said. "I'm still figuring out how I'm going to be spending my time. I haven't got a steady pattern of what I do week after week. But I'm not afraid of that. I understand that is what it's like when you start something new.

I've got to hold my nerve, work hard and let things fall in to place." Media playback is not supported on this device Tears as Searle brothers win gold But Searle, who is a partner in a performance development consultancy that advises companies on forward planning, is not done with rowing. "I'm doing a rowing coaching course," he said. "I'd love to be in a coaching or leadership role [in the national team]. I think I've got more skills to be [performance director] David Tanner rather than [men's head coach] Jurgen Grobler because I think that's a leadership role, which is something I do hands on day-to-day." And could we see him involved for Rio 2016? "It's conceivable but I don't feel that's the best place for me. Being a coach at national team level requires the same time commitment as an athlete and that's not what I want to be doing. If it was, I'd be an athlete. Now the focus is on the family.

Coaching is a long-term aspiration." But Searle steered clear of making any rash comments similar to that of Sir Steve Redgrave, who famously said: "If you ever see me in a boat, you have permission to shoot me" after winning gold at Atlanta in 1996 before returning to win his fifth successive Olympic title at Sydney 2000. "I don't have any plans to stop rowing," he said. "I've not been looking after myself that much and not done much exercise since London because life has been busy. So I've set myself a New Year's resolutions to get fit because I don't want to become a lump of lard. "I've rejoined the gym, started playing more golf and I'm rowing with my brother Jonny." For now at least, Searle has his hands full coaching his daughter, supporting his son's cricket career and generally being a normal dad. Share this page Rio 2016: Countdown to the Olympics - BBC Sport BBC Sport Rio 2016: Countdown to the Olympics 1 Aug BBC Sport counts down to the Rio Olympics by looking at some great moments from the Games.

Watch live coverage of the 2016 Olympics across the BBC this summer. Farah makes it double gold in London Mo Farah Watch the video here. Diver Feck's backflop 'calamity' German diver Stephan Feck lands in the water back-first during a failed 3m springboard attempt at London 2012. Watch the video here. Tears of joy as Hoy wins sixth gold Sir Chris Hoy overtakes Sir Steve Redgrave as Britain's most successful Olympian, by winning gold in the keirin cycling at London 2012. Watch the video here. Redgrave wins fifth Olympic gold Great Britain's Steve Redgrave makes history at Sydney 2000, winning the men's coxless four with Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Tim Foster to claim a fifth consecutive gold medal. Thompson retains Olympic title in 1984 Daley Thompson retains his decathlon title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Watch the video here.

Comaneci scores the perfect 10 Nadia Comaneci's routine on the uneven bars at the 1976 Montreal Games earns the 14-year-old Romanian the first ever perfect ten in Olympic gymnastics history. Watch the video here. 'Home in shame' - Johnson stripped of Olympic title Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson stuns the world by winning the 100m final in 1988, but is stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for steroids. Watch the video here. Holmes' double gold glory in Athens Great Britain's Dame Kelly Holmes wins gold in the 800m and 1500m at the Athens Games in 2004. Bond escorts the Queen to London 2012 Daniel Craig's James Bond and Her Majesty the Queen drop in to the London 2012 opening ceremony. Watch the video here. Smith and Carlos give Black Power salute Tommie Smith and John Carlos mount the podium at Mexico City in 1968, each wearing one black glove, in protest at their treatment back home in the United States. Watch the video here.

Lewis wins four golds in Los Angeles Carl Lewis wins the men's 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump in front of a home crowd at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Owens makes history in front of Hitler American Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in Nazi Germany at the Berlin Games in 1936. Watch the video here Muhammad Ali wins Olympic gold in Rome 18-year-old Muhammad Ali - then known as Cassius Clay - wins the light heavyweight title at the 1960 Rome Games. Adams wins first women's Olympic boxing gold Nicola Adams wins the first ever women's Olympic boxing gold medal at London 2012. Super Spitz's seven golds in Munich Mark Spitz Watch the video here. 'You have my permission to shoot me' - Redgrave wins fourth gold Relive the moment Great Britain's Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent win gold in the men's coxless pair at Atlanta 1996. Watch the video here.

'Kicking superstar' Jones wins gold in London Great Britain's Jade Jones wins taekwondo gold at the age of 19 in the 57kg weight category at London 2012. Watch the video here. The medals that inspired Chariots of Fire Great Britain's Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams win gold medals at the 1924 Games in Paris, achievements which inspired the film Chariots of Fire. Watch the video here. No commentary. 'Golden triumph' for Murray in London Great Britain's Andy Murray beats Roger Federer of Switzerland to claim the men's singles tennis title at London 2012. Christie storms to 100m gold in Barcelona Relive the moment Great Britain's Linford Christie wins the men's 100m at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Pendleton's swan song at London 2012 Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton wins the women's keirin in her final Olympic Games at London 2012. Watch the video here.

'This man is not human' - Johnson's Atlanta double Michael Johnson wins both the 400m and 200m Olympic titles in front of a home crowd at Atlanta in 1996. Trott's glorious omnium gold in London Laura Trott Watch the video here. 'I love you mum' - Gibbons' emotional Olympics medal Gemma Gibbons dedicates her 2012 judo semi-final victory against world champion Audrey Tcheumeo - which guaranteed the Briton a medal - to her late mother. Crash, bang, ouch! Olympic BMX pile-up BMX pile-up A massive pile-up in the men's BMX quarter-finals at London 2012 results in an easy victory for New Zealand's Marc Willers. Watch the video here. 'What a woman!' Retired Fischer returns to win gold German kayaker Birgit Fischer comes out of retirement at the age of 42 to win her eighth gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 24 years after claiming her first.

Glover and Stanning's golden London start Helen Glover and Heather Stanning Helen Glover and Heather Stanning secure Team GB's first gold of the London 2012 Games in the women's rowing pair final. Watch the video here. 'Did you see that?' - Johnson reacts to Bolt's 100m gold Michael Johnson, winner of four Olympic gold medals, watches in disbelief as Usain Bolt smashes the men's 100m world record at the Beijing Games in 2008. Le Clos' father overcome by 'unbelievable' gold Bert le Clos Chad le Clos' father Bert is overcome with pride after watching his son beat Michael Phelps to gold in the 200m butterfly at London 2012. Smith wins historic gymnastics bronze Louis Smith Louis Smith wins pommel horse bronze at Beijing 2008 to become Great Britain's first gymnastics apparatus medallist. Watch the video here.

Rudolph roars to three golds in 1960 American sprinter Wilma Rudolph's victories in the women's 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 1960 Games in Rome. Watch the video here. Angle wins wrestling gold in Atlanta BBC Sport continues the countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympics with the moment American wrestler Kurt Angle wins the 100kg classification at the Atlanta Games in 1996. Watch the video here. Blankers-Koen's four golds in London Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands wins four gold medals at the 1948 Games in London in the 80m hurdles, 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Watch the video here. Bathroom training leads to walking gold Great Britain's Don Thompson wins walking gold at the 1960 Games in Rome. Thompson followed a training regime that consisted of a boiling kettle and a burning stove in his bathroom... Watch the video here.

Dad helps injured Redmond finish in 1992 Derek Redmond is helped across the line by his father after suffering an injury in his 400m semi-final at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Watch the video here. Rand leaps to historic gold Mary Rand wins the long jump at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, becoming Great Britain's first female track and field gold medallist. Watch the video here. Olympic heartbreak for Radcliffe in Athens Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe drops out of the women's marathon because of extreme temperatures and cramp at Athens 2004. Watch the video here. 'Unbelievable' Rudisha smashes 800m world record Kenya's David Rudisha smashes the 800m world record with a time of 1:40.91 to win gold at London 2012. Coe wins 1500m in Los Angeles Great Britain's Seb Coe retains his 1500m title at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Watch the video here.

'We're going on a stamp' - Hosking & Copeland's rowing gold British rowers Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland win gold in the lightweight women's double sculls at London 2012. Watch the video here. Emotional Pinsent wins fourth gold Great Britain's Matthew Pinsent rows to his fourth Olympic gold with the men's coxless four at the Athens Games in 2004. The 'Fosbury Flop' takes gold in 1968 American Dick Fosbury revolutionises the high jump with his new technique to take in Mexico in 1968. Barefooted Bikila wins marathon in Rome Ethiopian long-distance runner Abebe Bikila's secures a memorable barefoot victory in the marathon at the 1960 Games. Flying Dutchman's stunning high bar gold Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands wins high bar gold at London 2012 with a spectacular routine. Watch the video here. Pendleton beats Meares for gold in 2008 Victoria Pendletons wins her gold medal race against Anna Meares in the women's sprint at the 2008 Beijing Games. Watch the video here.

Juantorena wins historic double gold Cuba's Alberto Juantorena becomes the only athlete to win both the 400m and 800m titles - at Montreal in 1976. Moorhouse wins 100m breaststroke in Seoul Great Britain's Adrian Moorhouse wins the men's 100m breaststroke at the Seoul Games in 1988. Watch the video here. Pundits go wild for Farah victory BBC athletics pundits Colin Jackson, Denise Lewis and Michael Johnson go wild during Mo Farah's 10,000m victory at London 2012. Cooke's road race gold Nicole Cooke becomes the first Briton to win the Olympic women's road race title at Beijing 2008. Watch the video here. 'Who cares who's third? It doesn't matter!' Hemery's gold in 1968 Great Britain's David Hemery wins the men's 400m hurdles in a then world record of 48.12 seconds at the Mexico City Games in 1968.

'Dad!' - Wilson celebrates gold with father Relive the moment an emotional Great Britain's Peter Wilson celebrates with his father after winning double trap shooting gold at London 2012. Watch the video here. 'Total farce!' Jones Jr misses out on gold in Seoul Relive the moment American boxer Roy Jones Jnr is judged to have lost to Park Si-hun for the Olympic light-middleweight title despite out-punching the South Korean. Watch the video here. Mary Peters wins pentathlon gold at Munich in 1972 BBC Sport continues the countdown to the Olympics with the moment Great Britain's Mary Peters beats home favourite Heide Rosendahl to pentathlon gold at the 1972 Munich Games with a then world record points haul. Watch the video here. GB crowd go 'potty' for canoe slalom gold BBC Sport continues the countdown to the Olympics with the moment Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott beat the favourites in 2012 to secure GB's first canoe slalom gold. Watch the video here.

Thompson wins decathlon gold at Moscow 1980 BBC Sport continues the countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympics with the moment Daley Thompson wins gold in the decathlon at the Moscow Games. Watch the video here. Badminton 'disgrace' at London 2012 Badminton players from China and South Korea are booed by spectators at London 2012 for appearing not to try in their group match. 'What a god he is' - Thorpe's triple gold Australian teenager Ian Thorpe wins three swimming gold medals at Sydney 2000. Gunnell hurdles to Barcelona gold in 1992 Great Britain's Sally Gunnell races to gold in the 400m hurdles at the Barcelona Games in 1992. Goodhew swims to glory at Moscow 1980 Great Britain's Duncan Goodhew swims to victory in the 100m breaststroke at the 1980 Moscow Games. Watch the video here. Injured Strug wins historic gold Kerri Strug injures herself as she secures USA's first ever women's team Olympic gymnastics title in her final vault routine at Atlanta 1996.

Beauty of Beijing in 2008 The best moments from the opening ceremony at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Watch the video here Zatopek's incredible triple gold in Helsinki Emil Zatopek wins three gold medals in eight days in the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon at Helsinki 1952. Watch the video here. GB win historic dressage gold in London Great Britain win their first ever gold in the team dressage competition as Charlotte Dujardin, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Carl Hester clinch the title in front of a home crowd at London 2012. Watch the video here. Hoy completes golden hat-trick in Beijing Chris Hoy beats team-mate Jason Kenny in the sprint at Beijing 2008 to become the first Briton to win three gold medals at one Games. Watch the video here. Moses wins 400m hurdles in 1984 American Ed Moses wins the 400m hurdles in front of his home crowd at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Watch the video here.

Packer wins 1964 gold Great Britain's Ann Packer wins 800m gold at Tokyo 1964, having never previously run an international race at that distance. Watch the video here. Ainslie becomes greatest Olympic sailor Great Britain's Ben Ainslie wins his record fourth gold at London 2012, making him the most successful Olympic sailor of all-time. Watch the video here. Steiner wins weightlifting gold for late wife Matthias Steiner wins gold in the men's +105kg weightlifting category at Beijing 2008, dedicating the victory to this late wife. Daley's bronze dive drives London wild Great Britain's Tom Daley wins diving bronze in London to the delight of a star-studded crowd. Edwards' triple jump glory in Sydney Great Britain's Jonathan Edwards winning triple jump gold at Sydney 2000. Watch the video here. Phelps' eight golds in eight days Uniteds States swimmer Michael Phelps wins a record-breaking eight golds in eight days at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Watch the video here.

Budd and Decker clash in 1984 Great Britain's Zola Budd and American Mary Decker are involved in a controversial moment during the women's 3,000m final at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Wilkie wins 200m gold in Montreal Great Britain's David Wilkie wins the men's 200m breaststroke at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Watch the video here. Fencer Shin A Lam stages sit in at London 2012 Fencer Shin A Lam delays the epee competition at the London 2012 Olympics after refusing to leave the arena following defeat in the semi-final. Freeman wins 400m for Australia in Sydney Australia's Cathy Freeman wins 400m gold in front of a home crowd at the 2000 Sydney Games. Watch the video here. Britain win hockey gold Watch Great Britain's gold medal-winning 3-1 victory over West Germany in the final of the men's hockey at Seoul 1988.

Ohuruogu wins 400m gold in 2008 Christine Ohuruogu becomes the first British woman to win Olympic 400m gold, at Beijing in 2008. Watch the video here. Searles win emotional rowing gold British rowing brothers Jonny and Greg Searle win the coxed pairs at the 1992 Barcelona Games with coxswain Garry Herbert, whose tears on the podium became a defining image of the Games. Ouch! Louganis hits head on diving board Greg Louganis misjudges his dive with painful consequences at the Seoul Games in 1988. Watch the video here. Great Britain storm to relay gold Great Britain's men's 4x100m relay team hold off the challenge of the United States to win gold at the 2004 Games in Athens. Watch the video here. Tweddle wins bronze on Olympic swansong Great Britain's Beth Tweddle wins a bronze medal in the final Olympic appearance of her gymnastics career at London 2012. Watch the video here.

Queally wins time trial gold in Sydney Jason Queally wins the 1km time trial with a then Olympic record of 1:01.609 at the 2000 Sydney Games. Borges' pole snaps in London Cuba's Lazaro Borges' pole vault snaps at the London Games in 2012. Watch the video here. USSR's last-gasp gold The Soviet Union beat the United States with the last shot of the game to win basketball gold at the 1972 Games in Munich. Lewis wins heptathlon gold in Sydney Great Britain's Denise Lewis wins heptathlon gold at the Sydney Games in 2000. Watch the video here. Wiggins makes history Bradley Wiggins' winning the time trial at London 2012 to become Britain's most successful Olympian with seven medals. Matos kicks referee Cuba's Angel Valodia Matos attacks a referee after being disqualified in his contest with Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. Watch the video here. Ali lights Olympic flame at Atlanta 1996 A look back at he moment Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

'Pocket Hercules' wins weightlifting gold in Seoul Naim Suleymanoglu lifts three times his body weight to win weightlifting gold in Seoul, 1988. Watch the video here. Grainger wins Olympic gold at fourth attempt Great Britain's Katherine Grainger, a silver medallist at three previous Games, wins gold at London 2012 alongside Anna Watkins. Watch video here. Harrison wins boxing gold in Sydney Audley Harrison wins Great Britain's first Olympic boxing gold since 1968, beating Kazakhstan's Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov in the super heavyweight final at Sydney 2000. Watch the video here. Beamon's 'enormous' long jump in 1968 Bob Beamon's "enormous" gold medal-winning leap of 8.90m at the 1968 Games in Mexico City set a new world record that stood for almost 23 years. Watch the video here Boardman's 'demolition job' wins gold Chris Boardman wins Britain's first cycling gold for 72 years with victory in the individual pursuit at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Watch the video here Adlington's 'stunning' swimming double gold A look back at Rebecca Adlington's victories in the swimming pool in the 400m and 800m freestyle at Beijing 2008. Watch the video here Sanderson wins javelin gold in 1984 Great Britain's Tessa Sanderson wins javelin gold at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, beating rival Fatima Whitbread into bronze. Watch the video here 'Eric the Eel' wins 100m heat in Sydney Swimming wildcard Eric Moussambani - nicknamed "Eric the Eel" - wins his 100m heat in one minute 52.72 seconds in Sydney 2000. Watch the video here Coe and Ovett's epic Moscow showdown A look back at the rivalry between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett during the Moscow Games in 1980. Watch the video here. Team GB's Super Saturday A look back at Super Saturday, when Team GB won three athletics golds on one memorable evening at London 2012.

Watch the video here Bolt stuns the world in Beijing The moment Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins 100m at Beijing 2008, in a then world record time of 9.69 seconds. Rowing - "Today's men's eight final could be the most exciting rowing of the whole Games" | Radio Times Twitter Rowing - "Today's men's eight final could be the most exciting rowing of the whole Games" Garry Herbert, the gold medal-winning cox from Barcelona 1992, assesses his 40-year-old former crew mate Greg Searle's chances in this morning's race Comments Garry Herbert 5:00 AM, 01 August 2012 Today’s men’s eight final could be the most exciting race of the whole Games. If it had been a day later it would have been 20 years exactly since the Searle brothers, with me on board as cox, won gold in the coxed pairs at Barcelona. Greg Searle came out of retirement two years ago and goes today in the men’s eight. He is 40, bless him, but as fit and good now as he was 20 years ago.

He’s not bad-looking, either — look at a photo of him then (main picture) compared with now (top left) and there’s little difference 20 years on, and his rowing’s probably better. I hate him! The Germans are favourites - they've won everything this year. But the nature of the men’s eight is that boats win by a couple of feet. If it’s that close with 200m to go, you’d wager that the British could row them down. But they did lose to the Poles and the Australians at the Munich World Cup meet, when the Germans weren’t even there! It was a complete shock. The first half of the race is so important. Once you’re down, you can fold up. GB's talisman, Constantine Louloudis, has had a bad back but is fit — that’s a huge psychological boost. He’s the new Matthew Pinsent. Men’s Eight Final 12:30am BBC1, BBC Olympics 2 Top ten sporting cry-babies: Sport's big tear-jerking moments - Mirror Online Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Following Bubba Watson's tearful celebrations on the final green at Augusta last night, we've gone back through the years to compile the top ten tearful moments in sport. 1. Mary Decker-Slaney - 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles Tripped: Mary Decker-Slaney crashed out of the LA Olympics (Photo: Getty) Olympic tears don't get more famous than those shed by American long-distance runner Mary Decker-Slaney, who fell during the 3,000m final in the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984. The infamous incident, involving Decker-Slaney and South African-born British athlete Zola Budd, saw the two tangle legs during the race, sending the American crashing to the floor. Decker-Slaney injured her hip and was unable to continue, sitting on the infield in floods of tears. Decker-Slaney initially blamed Budd for the incident, saying it robbed her of an Olympic gold medal, but her stance softened years later when she told the New York Times, "The reason I fell, some people think she tripped me deliberately. I happen to know that wasn’t the case at all.

"The reason I fell is because I am and was very inexperienced in running in a pack." 2. Paul Gascoigne - World Cup Semi-Final, 1990 Tears of a clown: Paul Gascoigne's tears captivated a nation during Italia 90 (Photo: Getty) Italia 90 saw the most iconic tears in football history - certainly so if you're an Englishman. Paul Gascoigne was already on a booking going into the World Cup semi-final clash with West Germany, meaning a yellow card against the Germans would rule him out of the final. Sure enough, a late lunge on Thomas Berthold saw him collect a booking and the tears started to flow shortly after, prompting Gary Lineker's famous "have a word with him" comment. 3. Diego Maradona - World Cup Final, 1990 Crying game: Diego Maradona weeps after losing the World Cup Final in 1990 (Photo: AFP) They say cheats never prosper, but that wasn't the case in 1986 when Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" helped eliminate England as Argentina went all the way in Mexico.

It looked like Maradona was going to repeat the feat four years later in Italy, but a 1-0 defeat to West Germany in the final put paid to that - and left Maradona standing in the middle of the pitch, with his loser's medal, in floods of tears. The world watched - and one suspects Peter Shilton, Peter Reid and Terry Butcher may have allowed a wry smile to break across their faces as a result. 4. Derek Redmond - 1992 Olympics, Barcelona Father and son: Derek Redmond is helped over the finishing line by his father at the 1992 Olympics (Photo: AFP) It was one of those rare moments when sport pulls on the heart strings and has a nation in tears. British 400m runner Derek Redmond was one race away from his dream of reaching the Olympic final, but badly tore his hamstring with around 200m to go of his semi-final race in Barcelona. Redmond crashed to the floor and the remaining athletes finished the race, but Redmond wasn't done - he wanted to finish the race.

In absolute agony, physically and mentally, he eventually got to his feet, helped by his father, who leapt from the stands to help his stricken son, and the pair finished the race together to a huge ovation as a nation wept. 5. Garry Herbert - 1992 Olympics, Barcelona Cry me a river: Cox Garry Herbert sobs his way through the National Anthem in Barcelona (Photo: Getty) Another enduring moment from the '92 Olympics featured rowing cox Garry Herbert, who helped lead the coxed pair of Greg and Johnny Searle to gold in Barcelona. Herbert's emotions finally got the better of him on the podium as he blubbed his way through the national anthem. 6. Nick Faldo - 1992 Open, Muirfield Emotional victory: Nick Faldo triumphed at the 1992 Open Championship (Photo: Getty) During his playing days Nick Faldo was renowned for his steely-eyed determination rather than his warm personality.

But that stony facade cracked at the 1992 Open Championship at Muirfield when he produced a stunning final four holes to overhaul a two-shot deficit, claim a remarkable victory and complete a hat-trick of Open titles. 7. Oliver McCall - Las Vegas, 1997 The Atomic Bawl: Oliver McCall is led away in tears by referee Mills Lane (Photo: Getty) Oliver McCall had stunned Lennox Lewis with a huge TKO victory to become the WBC heavyweight champion of the world in 1994, but lost his title against Frank Bruno a year later. But in 1997 he had the opportunity to face Lewis for the title again and "The Atomic Bull" was wound up for the contest. Too wound up. His entrance saw him crying on his way to the ring - a regular feature in his bouts - but usually the tears stopped once the bell rung. Not this time. As Lewis proceeded to dismantle McCall physically, the American seemed to be falling apart mentally as the tears started again during the fight. Referee Mills Lane eventually called a halt to the contest after five rounds and McCall never fought for a world title again. 8.

Mika Hakkinen - 1999 Italian Grand Prix, Monza One of the most iconic images in recent Formula 1 history is that of McLaren's Finnish driver Mika Hakkinen crouching behind a hedge at Monza, crying his eyes out. He'd just crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix and it looked like his chances of winning the F1 Drivers Championship were over. He needed a private moment, so found a hedge to cry behind, but helicopter cameras captured his despair and beamed it to the millions watching around the world. The story ended happily for Mika, though, as he went on to win the title anyway. 9. Carsten Jancker and Sami Kuffour - UEFA Champions League Final 1999 Big boys do cry: Carsten Jancker's emotions spill over after Bayern Munich's Champions League Final defeat to Manchester United in 1999 (Photo: Getty) Bayern Munich had it in the bag. The European Cup was all but theirs - 1-0 up against Manchester United going into stoppage time, the powerhouse of German football was all set to be crowned kings of Europe. But then it all went wrong.

Teddy Sheringham swept home an equaliser in the last minute and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stabbed a flicked-on corner into the top corner just moments later to sink the Bundesliga stars. The turnaround was as stunning as it was quick - and striker Carsten Jancker and defender Sami Kuffour took it particularly badly. 10. John Terry - UEFA Champions League Final 2008, Moscow Penalty woe: John Terry was in tears after his penalty miss cost Chelsea the European Cup (Photo: Getty) The all-English Champions League Final between Chelsea and Manchester United in Moscow was a predictably tense, tight affair. Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead, only for Chelsea to pull level on the stroke of halftime through Frank Lampard, but the real drama came in the penalty shoot-out that followed, as Terry stepped up to take the penalty that would have won Chelsea the European Cup. Unfortunately for the Blues, he lost his footing and slipped as he took the kick, which hit the outside of the post and went wide. United went on to win and Terry left the field in tears. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent

Question: In which sport did Greg and Johnny Searle win a gold medal at Barcelona in 1992?
Answer: ROWING