Sir Steve Redgrave: Five-time Olympic champion gets Chinese Rowing role

Redgrave (left) retired after winning coxless four gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics

Five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave has been appointed the first high performance director of China's national rowing team.

Redgrave, 56, retired following the Sydney 2000 Olympics having won gold at every Games since Los Angeles 1984.

China has won just one Olympic gold medal, coming in the quadruple sculls at the Beijing 2008 Games.

"This opportunity was totally unexpected," said Redgrave, who has worked closely with the British squad.

"I have visited China to watch the team train and compete and am very excited about becoming involved with such an enthusiastic and committed group of athletes."

Redgrave's role will see him tasked with managing and developing a new coaching structure in order to help China achieve success at World Championship and Olympic level.

In December 2017, the head of the Chinese Rowing Association, Liu Aijie, publicly targeted a minimum of two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The nation has won nine Olympic rowing medals to date.