Sir Steven Redgrave Photo: VCG

The Chinese rowing team shone at the Tokyo Olympic Games after winning a bronze and gold respectively in the men's double sculls and women's quadruple sculls in a "spectacular fashion," as described in Tokyo 2020's official website. 

Behind the achievements made possible through the athletes' efforts stands Sir Steven Redgrave, the emblematic British rower who has coached the Chinese national rowing team since 2018. 

Ever since Redgrave was appointed by The Chinese Rowing Association to be the "high performance director" for Chinese rowing, he started to set Olympic gold medal goals for the team, targeting both the Tokyo Games and the Paris Games in 2024. 

"The Olympic Games in Tokyo are, of course, an important step in our strategy and China wants to win a gold Olympic medal there," Redgrave said in 2019 according to Reuters. 

At the 2019 World Rowing Championships, Redgrave expressed he saw the potential of the Chinese team to compete for the Olympic gold. At the championships, Chinese teams won three golds and one bronze, which at the time Redgrave considered it was a sign that the team had paved the road to success at the Tokyo Games. 

As the "high performance director," he is not only responsible for the training and strategic development of Chinese national rowing team, but also assists the Chinese Rowing Association in developing a system that includes research and youth training. 

"I had been offered a job by the British rowing team before the Chinese Rowing Association came to me, but I got along with the visionary Chinese Rowing Association. Since Olympic love is forever, why not continue my rowing career in a new place?" said Redgrave in a media interview. 

A five Olympic gold medal winner and one of the world's most respected and 'emblematic' British rowing athletes,  Redgrave was more than ready to help China become one of the elite rowing nations in the world by recognizing opportunities and challenges such as Chinese athlete's power and tenacity,  and also the room for them to develop more self-reliant mentally through competitive experiences. 

"We can't mind other athletes, we can only control ourselves. I believe the Chinese team can go faster in the competition," Redgrave told media.