Steve Redgrave yesterday bowed to the inevitable and turned his back on the sport which made him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

The 38-year-old is taking a ''clean break'' after landing his fifth consecutive rowing gold at the Sydney Games.

His announcement comes four years after his famous interview in Atlanta when, having scooped his fourth gold, he invited anybody to ''shoot me'' if he ever got back in a boat again.

But having fought an increasingly uphill battle against the combined effects of age and diabetes, Redgrave says this time there will be no second thoughts.

''I want a break from the sport, clean-cut, and I won't be going coaching yet,'' said Redgrave.

''I don't want to be going out on the river for seven days a week, 49 weeks a year any more.

''I may go into coaching on a long-term basis but at the moment I think it is time to try out other things.''

For Redgrave, who has been warned that after 25 years of punishing training regimes his heart could not cope with inactivity, one of those new goals will be the London Marathon, at which he will aim as part of his 'training down'.

''I will carry on training, exercise helps control the diabetes,'' Redgrave added.

''When you've trained as much as me and you have such a strong heart, there is a danger the heart muscle can turn to fat and become weak.''

It is the first time Redgrave's heart has ever been questioned.

The Marlow hero won his first gold in Los Angeles in 1984 and retires having achieved an Olympic feat unrivalled in endurance sport.

Only Aladar Gerevich, with six successive golds in the Hungarian sabre team at the beginning of the last century, has achieved more.

And Redgrave has also tasted success in another sport - he was British bobsleigh champion 11 years ago.

Yesterday the tributes poured in, none more heartfelt as that from the man who has rowed with Redgrave to three Olympic titles and will continue in a quest to emulate his long-time partner.

Matthew Pinsent said: ''It was interesting hearing Steve finally say it in a heartfelt way.

''I've always felt since the Games that he would retire, but I thought that four years ago when he said 'if anyone sees me anywhere near a boat again they can shoot me'.''

Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, added: ''This is a decision taken by a great Olympian whose achievements have been unparalleled in the history of British, or indeed world, sport.''

After his break Redgrave will return to the rowing fold and nurture the Super Sprint, a project which has been his brain child.

Redgrave is anxious to develop the successful formula tested at Eton last month, when he and Pinsent stormed to victory in the coxless pairs.

But Redgrave is adamant he will not be seen anywhere near a boat and said: ''Once I've made my mind up to do something or not do something I stick to it.

''Every time you're successful and you get a great response you start thinking 'maybe' and then you think of the long winter training and the amount of work that's got to be done and you think 'no, I don't really want to go through that any more. I want to have my life back to myself'.'