Rowing: Champ Foster call it quits

Olympic champion Tim Foster has retired from international competition to concentrate on coaching.

Foster has received a coaching scholarship from the Britian's Amateur Rowing Association.

It is the first such award in a new initiative to help retiring top rowers make the step into coaching.

The 31-year-old, who was a member of the coxless four who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics last year, has been troubled by injury throughout his career.

He had surgery on his troublesome right knee in September and, although he was given the green light to resume training, he has decided to bring the curtain down on a glittering career.

"It's been on the cards," he said. "I think my body is trying to tell me something.

"It was a very difficult decision. Rowing has been my life for the last 12 years at least, and it's what I loved doing. I looked forward to getting out on the river.

"But now I feel I'm better off looking forward and going into coaching rather than putting my body through the strain of the next three years."

Foster has overcome a succession of major injuries during his long and successful career.

The University of London squad coach was the first British junior to win two successive World Junior Championship gold medals - first in a coxless four in 1987 and the following year in a coxless pair with Matthew Pinsent.

He made his senior debut in 1989, winning a bronze medal in the eight at the World Championships.

He had major back surgery for the first time in 1993 and then came back to win the bronze medal in the coxless four - with the Searle brothers and Rupert Obholzer - in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

In 1997, Foster won a place in the new coxless four with Sir Steven Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell and won his first senior World Championships gold medal.

The following year he recovered from a serious hand injury to regain his place in the crew and win his second world gold.

But that autumn his back required further major surgery and his place in the four in 1999 was taken by Ed Coode.

Foster recovered in time to secure a place in the GB eight and win a silver medal at the World Championships.

Coode and Foster duelled for the place in the four for the Olympic season, and Foster regained his place in the boat before going to strike gold again in Sydney.