STEVE Redgrave has made a lot of right decisions during 16 gold medal-laden years of Olympic rowing.

And he has finished with the best of the lot with his announcement that he is giving up the sport.

His victory in Sydney took his tally to five golds in five successive Games - a perfect record which probably will never be beaten (although it must be remembered that Matthew Pinsent is already three fifths of the way there and will be three years younger than Redgrave if and when he goes for a fifth).

The latter is a British sporting legend who has never delivered anything but perfection.

We expected him to announce his retirement after Sydney. That he didn't caused concern that maybe, amid all the hero worship, he might want to give it one last go.

It was obvious that a man of 38 who had already suffered dreadfully with illnesses would not be able to get through four more years of the kind of stamina-sapping, seven days a week training that top rowers must endure.

It is doubtful his body could take the strain for another four years and even if it did it is unlikely he would have proved himself good enough to keep his place in the team. And even if he didn't fall at those two hurdles can you really imagine him being able to win a sixth gold?

Thankfully, we will never know and we can all sit back and say he could have done it if he'd wanted to, safe in the knowledge that it will never be put to the test.

His decision ensures that he will go down in history as the man who couldn't be beaten.