GOLDEN Olympians Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent, one half of England's "awesome foursome", teamed up to tell Kent bosses the secrets of their success.

As some of their gold medals from Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000) were passed around a 170-strong audience, Matthew said a "witches' brew" of variables contributed to a good team.

The triple-gold Olympian paid tribute to their foreign coach, saying that the team would not have been so successful under a British coach doing things in the "traditional British way."

"We developed a pattern of rowing where we could dominate the opposition," he said.

Steve added that the elements were right at the time but might not be right again. "At that particular time, we were the best in the world," he said.

Both men paid tribute to their team of 100 working behind the scenes. "There were so many people very close to us who wanted us to be successful and they would have done anything they possibly could for us to be successful."

He said the "right combination" of individuals, calibre and mindset all contributed to their success.

Redgrave and Pinsent were speaking at a dinner hosted by the CBI South East at the Runnymede Hotel, Egham, sponsored by Lombard - their sponsors - and attended by a number of Kent business leaders.

They included Jon Wright, senior partner with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Maidstone, and Nigel Bourne, CBI regional director based in Sevenoaks,

The golden pair recalled the nail biting Olympic final in Sydney where they edged home ahead of the Italians. More than seven million people watched the race on television in Britain in the early hours of the morning.

Sir Steve, who overcame diabetes to win Olympic gold for the fifth time, said he was surprised by the adulation given to four "ordinary guys" and still could not get over the fame and celebrity.

Going for gold had been a powerful incentive. But, as Matthew said, motivation to win gold meant: "You're not going to be able to lie in bed, you're not going to get weekends, you're not going to get time away. It's pretty hard doing the grafting day in day out."