It may seem churlish to say it of someone who had already won three gold medals at successive Olympics, but it was not until 2004 that Matthew Pinsent finally emerged from the shadow of his long-time rowing partner Sir Steve
Redgrave.
Pinsent's fourth gold in the coxless fours was not just his most exciting and closest race, it also emphasised his position as a pre-eminent Olympian in his own right.
The sight of Pinsent in floods of tears at the finish and then on the podium will be remembered as one of the defining moments in rowing, and of British sport in 2004.
The race at the Schinias Rowing Centre just outside Athens was one of incredible tension, with Canada viewed as the favourites.
The British four forged ahead at the start but by the half-way stage the Canadians had clawed their way back into contention and then moved into the lead.
With the finish only a few hundred metres away, Pinsent and his fellow oarsmen James Cracknell, Steve Williams and Ed Coode strained every sinew to cross the line neck-and-neck.
There were some agonising moments of uncertainty before the photo showed that the British had won by just eight hundredths of a second - a mere blink of an eye.
There were other tremendous individual performances by British sportsmen at Athens - Bradley Wiggins' gold, silver and bronze in cycling events especially.
In football, Thierry Henry confirmed his position as the most exciting striker in the game while Wayne Rooney displayed why he is the most exciting English footballer for a generation.
English cricket too had its heroes with Steve Harmison taking over as the world's leading fast bowler and Andrew Flintoff establishing himself as the best all-rounder.
But no other sportsman had an achievement to compare with Pinsent's fourth gold medal, at 33 having already been an Olympic champion in Sydney 2000, Atlanta 1996 and Barcelona 1992.
Redgrave's five golds will probably never be beaten and he will always be remembered as a legend of the Games.
But Pinsent showed this year why he too must be regarded as one of the true greats of British sport.
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