From John Goodbody in Sydney
It is easy to forget in all the hype and hullabaloo over the possibility of Steve Redgrave getting his fifth Olympic gold medal what a supreme competitor Greg Searle is.
Just before the coxless four set off in their historic quest, Searle will be attempting to win his third Olympic medal in successive Games when he teams up with Ed Coode in the coxless pairs as the second fastest qualifiers from today’s semi-finals.
His pedigree in elite events is impressive. It includes the gold he secured with his brother Jonny in Barcelona that had Britons, watching on television, choking in excitement on their breakfast cereals as they saw first the Romanians overhauled and then, in the last few strokes, the celebrated Abbagnale brothers from Italy.
In Atlanta four years later, Greg was a member of the coxless four that finished third despite yet another late charge for the line. Greg said: "I was very disappointed. It took a while to get over it. I am still disappointed now and if we don’t win here I will be really upset.
"If this year I am standing there with a silver medal, I hope I won’t be smiling. A day or so later, I suppose I would be satisfied we didn’t throw it away but if we get to gold position and then let it slip, I’ll be gutted for years."
In the reshuffling of the national squad, Redgrave and Pinsent moved into a coxless four after Atlanta. Searle, following a serious foray at single sculling, including a world championship bronze medal in 1997, eventually joined up with Coode, who had made way in the coxless four when Tim Foster returned from injury.
The pair were outstanding oarsmen looking for an event and this week they have shown at Penrith, a converted gravel pit to the west of the city, that they are acquiring an impressive cohesion. Their semi-final time of 6min 31.08sec was only 0.12sec behind the French and more than 3sec ahead of the Australians, the winners of the second heat.
Searle, 28, said: "We are pleased to have made it into the final off a bad season. The final is a much simpler race than the preliminaries, with no question of saving yourself or just doing enough to qualify."
The pair have been transformed since the Lucerne Regatta when they missed the final. Searle has moved to stroke and the coaching of John West has been invaluable. "The last two months have gone extremely smoothly." They were already physically in great shape and have recently been adding precise technique and co-ordination.
Searle said: "We feel we are peaking at the right time. I am extremely inconsistent and am only at my best when it really matters. That is the misfortune of rowing with me." Asked to explain the pair's inconsistency, he replied: "I am afraid that is a mystery to me."
In the semi-final, the British pair were ahead for almost all the race, only being caught by the French in the last few strokes. Searle said: "There was a possibility that we were bit too cool but we are fairly satisfied in second place."
Is it easier for an oarsman as talented as Searle to handle the pressure of the Olympics? "The tension of the preparation for the race is easier but the race itself is just as unpleasant as it ever was," he said.
Apart from the coxless fours, the only other British entry to take part in the semi-finals today was Alison Mowbray, who finished last in her race in 7min 52.28sec. She will now compete in the B final.
