With his astounding victory at the Sydney Olympics, Steve Redgrave has won a record-breaking five Olympic medals and nine world championships for his spectacular rowing achievements, and is consequently regarded with awe, by rivals, crew-mates, and top sportsmen alike.

At 38, Steve is now ending an unprecedented career spanning 23 years of competition, jubilation, and immense hard work.

The autobiography that marks the end of this career discusses Redgrave's partnerships with Matthew Pinsent and first partner Andy Holmes, with whom he had a tense relationship. He will talk about the difficulty of maintaining a balanced family life when work is always a priority, and his attitude to his honeymoon was concern at its disruption to his training schedule. Redgrave also describes about the strain of battling against the odds with the debilitating diseases of both colitis and diabetes.

This honest autobiography promises to be a fascinating insight into the lifestyle and history of one of Britain's most motivated and successful sportsmen, culminating in the recent recognition he has received in the form of the Sports Personality of the Year award, and his knighting in the New Year's honours.

With his astounding victory at the Sydney Olympics, Steve Redgrave has won a record-breaking five Olympic medals