Every sport has its tales of legendary comebacks; a return to action made by individuals not content with former glories, special men and women driven by a passion for success and a desire to satiate their interminable appetite for victory. Think Niki Lauda storming to Formula One glory in 1984 five years after horrific burns forced him to retire, Lance Armstrong beating cancer to dominate the Tour de France for seven consecutive years and Michael Jordan returning to the basketball court to lead the Chicago Bulls to three NBA titles. Each triumph an epic unscripted achievement; sporting drama at its best.
It’s the element of risk and unbelievable effort put in by these individuals which makes their stories so intriguing; on the one hand the opportunity to achieve career closure by living out the fairytale ending, on the other, the risk of forever tarnishing a stellar reputation.
At London’s Olympic Games in 2012, Team GB rower Greg Searle will look to live out his own personal dream. At the age of 40, eleven years after retiring from competitive action, and twenty years since famously winning gold alongside older brother Jonny and cox Garry Herbert in Barcelona, the Hampton old-boy will look to strike gold again, but this time on home soil.
It’s a story which is sure to hit the headlines as the countdown to the Games gathers pace, but one which at the moment is still in its infancy. Having beaten off 85 challengers to seal a place in Team GB’s Senior Squad last year, Searle has since secured a place in the Men’s Eight and subsequently taken medals in three World Cup Series regattas as he and his teammates step up their conditioning for the World Championships at the end of this year and in 2011.
With preparations for an Olympic comeback on track, Sport.co.uk was privileged to catch up with Searle to discuss his decision to return to the water, his excitement at competing in front of a fervent home crowd, the shift in rowing’s image since his career began and the daily routine which allows him to keep competing despite his maturing years.
You’ll be 40-years-old when the Olympics comes to London but you’re still hoping to be a Team GB member - is it the fact the Olympics is on home soil which has driven you out of retirement?
The Olympics happening in London is a once in a lifetime opportunity and of all the things to be doing in 2012 I think the most challenging, the most rewarding and the most enjoyable will be to compete as an athlete and to pick up a gold medal. It just feels like the biggest challenge that I could set myself. The idea continued to play on my mind after it initially came on the horizon and then last year I thought that it was time to do something about it. I’ve now trained for a year and I’m in the team.
Did you immediately know you wanted to be a part of the Games when they were awarded to London in 2005?
Oh absolutely. As soon as the dates were announced, I thought that yes I’d be forty, but potentially, having won my gold in 1992 on the second of August, there would be a chance that I could win a second gold 20 years to the day.
Each year I’ve celebrated the second of August as a little Olympic birthday, exchanging texts with my brother [Jonny] and Gary Herbert who coxed our boat. It was the 18th anniversary last week and the prospect of celebrating [another win] in two years time as a 40-year-old was too good to let pass.
When we started bidding for the Games the idea sat with me and I kept thinking how amazing it would be; then when we got it I realised I could and should do this.
Obviously I’ve had other things in my life [since retirement]. I’ve wanted to have a rounded life, I’ve got a family and it has been important to be around with my children as they’ve grown up.
Greg (right) celebrating with brother Jonny and cox Garry Herbet in Barcelona, 1992
What do your family make of your decision to compete in 2012 and of the success you’ve already had in your career?
I hope they are proud of what I’m doing and proud of the performances I’ve put in already. It’s a natural thing as a father to want to keep making them proud of what I’m doing. My dad has been a good role-model for me and always showed that it’s important to stay fit, active and doing healthy things. I also think it’s quite cool that when my kids are asked what their dad does, they can say ‘He’s an Olympic athlete!’
Winning Olympic gold as a 20-year-old was obviously a terrific achievement, but did it affect the manner in which you were motivated during the rest of your career?
I think to be fair the motivation wasn’t there for 2004 [Athens] and 2008 [Beijing] because I’d already won a gold medal. Winning at the age of 20 meant that going for it again and just doing the same thing again wasn’t as motivating.
This time, without wanting to sound too John F. Kennedy, it’s a case of “we do this not because it is easy but because it is hard.” The challenge makes it worth getting out of bed. Doing it as a 32-year-old would have been hard and there were no guarantees I would have won a gold medal, but chasing it as a 40-year-old is even more difficult and makes it more worthwhile I think.
You took part in Atlanta 1996 and won a bronze but the Games are remembered for the fact Britain only won 15 medals. In 2008 at Beijing the team won a haul of 47 medals – what do you think brought about the change in success?
It’s really interesting. I think the difference lies in collaboration within the team; there’s certainly more talent identification which has helped move things on. There’s also been an improvement in the level of leadership and coaching I think. Funding improvements have also allowed us to be even more dedicated to achieving highly.
The funding aids with physical recovery as well. Back in 1996 I was working in the West End in London trying to be a chartered surveyor, I’d been at university and I was trying to hold down a full time job and trying to train at nearly the same level as I am now. I was in a situation where I was training really hard and then not giving myself time to recover properly because of other commitments. We didn’t have the money to allow us to be more full time like we are now and we didn’t have the expertise in areas such as nutrition, hydration and recovery.
Have you noticed a significant difference in the way you treat your body, diet and routine as you’ve got older?
Absolutely; as a guy now in my late thirties I need to be aware now of every area I can gain an edge. In the past I might have gone out on a Friday night, gone training on a Saturday and then gone for a fried breakfast. Now I’ll make sure that ample time is given over towards recovery time after training, sleeping well and having a good diet. That does involve eating wholegrain cereals like Shreddies or Cheerios at breakfast, drinking enough water during the day. It sounds simple but they are important things. Wholegrains are a vital part of a balanced diet and you’re supposed to get three servings a day. (For more information visit www.wholegrain.co.uk)
I also use a Suunto monitor which measures and keeps track of my heart rate and we’re also really lucky to have a team of physiologists who measure my lactate, my urea and keep track of whether I’m hydrated. That level of care dictates my training right down to how hard I should be pulling on the rowing machine on any given day.
How do you feel the image of rowing has changed during your career?
I think and hope that people will see rowing as more accessible than they used to. It’s worth noting that today over half of the Great Britain team are from state schools rather than private schools. If you live by a river you should be able to have a go at rowing for free, there are far more rowing machines out there these days and people appear much more likely to get on them and give it a go.
Since 1996 talent identification has helped find a much more diverse group of people to try out rowing. You need to be 6ft 3 inches tall at least and very strong to be good at rowing; you don’t have to have gone to university or a private school to be good in a boat. It isn’t that complicated!
Greg back in action
Are there individuals that we should be looking out for as the World Championships approach or is there an overriding level of confidence in the whole squad?
I’d say there is definitely a level of confidence right across the team and I’d add that it is something different for me personally in comparison to when I rowed at the start of my career. We very much row as a Great Britain squad. We spend very little time in our clubs; we’re together virtually all the time. It’s a bit like the club versus country debate that always raises its head with football; in rowing it’s all about country, it’s all about being together as a national team.
We row as a team in Caversham in Berkshire and that facility allows us to work and train day-in-day-out in each other’s company. It avoids having unfamiliarity and situations where you’re stuck throwing a team together if someone is injured. We’re not a team of individuals; we’re a team who work daily for each other. Our strong team spirit and approach goes across not just the heavy-weight division but also for the light-weights and the women as well.
I guess a nice example of that, or rather a nice reward, came in Lucerne where we won six medals in all six of the men’s heavy-weight events. We won medals in every category, the singles, the doubles, the quad, the pair, the four and the eight – I think that is the first time it has ever happened at that regatta. If we’re able to continue that at the World Championships next year and then take the form into the Olympics we’ll be looking at some phenomenal success in London.
Does winning gold at regattas in the build-up to London ease or increase the pressure to achieve in 2012?
You always want to be winning. The best thing is to be winning all the time and to be taking the confidence from those victories. In my mind when I go out for a race and start feeling a little bit nervous but still come away with a medal it gives me confidence to face up to what London will be like. I can record that experience and say to myself, ‘you did it, you handled the pressure, you performed.’ That is much better than suddenly being taken by the surprise of a pressure environment.
Greg Searle was talking to Sport.co.uk in his capacity as brand ambassador for Nestlé Team Whole Grain. To watch he and chef Lesley Waters preparing a delicious Nestlé Cheerios inspired cheesecake, click below.
Not all cereals contain whole grain but all Nestlé cereals do. The Nestlé Cereals range includes Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, Shreddies and many more, and are available from all major supermarkets. For more information on whole grain and handy hints to help you eat more whole grain you can visit www.wholegrain.co.uk.