How old is James Cracknell, is he rowing in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, and how many Olympic gold medals does he have?
ACTION man James Cracknell is a former geography teacher and all-round adventurer with far more than just Olympic rowing to his bow.
Here’s all you need to know about a man whose life has been the epitome of blood, sweat and tears.
How many Olympic gold medals did Cracknell win?
Cracknell won gold at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
The 2000 games in Sydney saw Cracknell, Steve Redgrave, Tim Foster and Matthew Pinsent cross the line ahead of the Italians.
They held on to their title in the Athens 2004 Olympics with Cracknell and Pinsent being joined by Ed Goode and Steve Williams.
They beat World Champions Canada by just 0.8 seconds.
What is James Cracknell doing now and is he taking part part in the Boat Race?
Cracknell is taking a masters degree in philosophy at Cambridge University.
And that, of course, makes him eligible for the University Boat Race.
In yet another feat of endurance, Cracknell has been named in the Cambridge team to take on Oxford on the Thames this year.
How many other medals does the rower have?
Cracknell has six World Rowing Championship gold medals.
He nabbed three in the coxless four crew in 1997, 1998 and 1994.
He also won gold in the coxless pair in 2001 and 2002.
Plus he rowed to gold in the coxed pair in 2001.
What else is he famous for?
In 2006, together with Ben Fogle, Cracknell rowed the Atlantic in 49 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes.
The pair wrote a book, ‘The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World’s Toughest Rowing Race,’ and featured in the BBC Two film “Through Hell and High Water”.
The same year, Cracknell ran the London Marathon in a time of three hours, finishing over an hour ahead of his rowing team mate Matthew Pinsent.
BBC viewers can enjoy his commentary and analysis during rowing events such as the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow.
It sounds as if Cracknell is an extraordinary Iron Man…
Well, in 2008 he set off with Fogle and Dr Ed Coats in the inaugural Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race.
The team crossed the 473.6 miles suffering frostbite, infected blisters, dramatic weight-loss, pneumonia and exhaustion and came second to a pair of Norwegians.
Later that year Cracknell competed in the European Triathlon Championships for GBR for his age group.
In 2009 he took part in the New York Marathon and completed the 125 mile non-stop Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon in a two-man racing K2 kayak with Bernie Shosbree.
Is that it?
No way. In 2009 Cracknell attempted to break the non-stop Land’s End to John O’Groats mixed tandem world record.
He cycled with Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Romero.
They got just past Johnstone Bridge in Scotland and were on course to break the record by over three hours before being forced to stop due to problems with Romero’s knees.
The following year Cracknell became the highest placed Briton ever in the 25-year history of the Marathon des Sables, finishing 12th.
Tell me about Cracknell’s brain injury?
In July 2010 Cracknell was hit from behind in Arizona by a petrol tanker whilst cycling during an attempt to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York within 18 days.
His cycle helmet was “shorn in two” and he suffered a contrecoup injury to the frontal lobes of his brain. His recovery may never be complete.
In 2012 Cracknell and his wife, TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner, wrote “Touching Distance” about his life before and after his brain injury, which has left him with epilepsy and a changed personality – including a short temper.
Cracknell has been married to Beverley since 2002 and the couple have theee children, Croyde, Kiki and Trixie.