By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer, Sydney

Steve Redgrave will bid to make Olympic history in the early hours of Saturday morning in the knowledge that his coxless fours crew are the hunters rather than the hunted.

For the first time in his Olympic career - in which he has won four consecutive gold medals - Redgrave's crew are not the official favourites.

They are seeded behind Italy, Australia and New Zealand - but still no-one was betting against Redgrave making it five golds in a row and earning the deserved title of the world's greatest Olympian in endurance sport.

Hungarian Aladar Gerevich did win six consecutive golds - but those feats were as a member of the Hungarian sabre team the best part of a century ago.

One man who admits he owes much as an Olympian to Redgrave is team-mate James Cracknell.

"It has been pretty impressive spending the last four years around Steven and Matthew Pinsent," explained Cracknell.

"They have done it all, winning gold medals together and I have learned so much from them about dealing with the pressures."

Ironically, those pressures have dissipated somewhat since the crew lost to Italy in the World Cup in Lucerne two months ago - a race in which Redgrave and company came fourth and lost their tag of invincibility.

It is a position Cracknell welcomes.

"We're no longer favourites, we are fourth seeds," said Cracknell.

"For me personally that's why victory would be much sweeter. I have really enjoyed the last eight weeks tracking someone down rather than always being hunted.

"Winning before was always a relief because it was expected. Now that's not the case. If we can win at the weekend it will be so much sweeter than when everybody assumed we would win."

The crew will follow virtually the same procedure Redgrave has used at each of his Olympics, stretching back to Los Angeles in 1984 - the year Daley Thompson successfully defended his decathlon title and Seb Coe and Steve Cram romped home in the 1500m.

"We'll do the same routine as usual," said Redgrave. "We'll come down to the lake before it's light and have a light paddle.

"Tim Foster will do half an hour of stretching exercises for his back and we'll do everything we've practised many times before.

"The race is early so we won't have much time to think of other things. Once we've had our warm-up session there will be only an hour or so to the race."

There is also a chance of a double golden celebration when Greg Searle and Ed Coode go in the final of the coxless pairs.

The British pair have strong opposition from France and Australia, but could rescue a poor season with a medal.

Searle, a veteran of the Barcelona Olympics where he won gold with brother Jonny, said: "The tension and the preparation are easier these days, but the racing is just as painful and unpleasant.

"I am confident in our ability as a pair and that we can raise our game for the only one that matters. We feel we are peaking at the right time."

Coode, who missed out on a seat in the coxless fours when Foster recovered from his back injury, added: "The Australians have the home card and the French have proved they can be devastatingly fast, but anyone in the final has a chance of a medal."

Two golds for Britain would do nicely.