Right I'm back and the burning issue is should he go or carry on, Matthew Pinsent after his fourth Olympic gold medal that is.Everyone saw how much this meant to him but may not know why. When I spoke to him after the medal ceremony, it was obvious that this was sheer relief. This year Matthew has been dogged with illness and injuries and at one point doubted whether he would even row at the Olympics, let alone win. When he first started rowing in the pair with Steve Redgrave, Steve was a colossus but the terrible burden of continually pushing his body to the limits of human endurance began to take its toll. Towards the end it was almost a question of nursing him, holding him together for one final effort.Now it's Matthew who is the iron man of British rowing, having taken on the mantle from Steve four years ago. But Matthew has been going at the top level since 1989 and he is not made of iron but flesh and blood like the rest of us. He witnessed what happened to Steve and can see himself coming apart under the burden of training required of a top athlete.Quite rightly he is considering his future, but for those of us who have enjoyed watching his career, have felt the pride when the Union Jack has been hoisted in triumph, we will miss him greatly if he decides to go. When you first meet Matthew you are impressed by his enormity, he is as deep as he is wide, like an oak tree, and it is hard to imagine him feeling vulnerable. To me he has never been a classic oarsman but a sheer powerhouse who just blasts opposition away.But all good things come to an end and, if he does decide to go, my lasting memory of Matthew is from the winter of '88-'89. I was the coach of the eight and Matthew and Tim Foster came into my group having won the junior gold medal in the pair. Tim was a superb oarsman but Matthew could not row in time. We were about to go onto the water when I made a change to the order and put Matthew at stroke. His chest went out as he saw this as a promotion up the order. I said to him, Listen, I've put you there because you cannot keep in time with the others but they may be able to keep in time with you. If you don't buck your ideas up you'll never win anything so look at this as your last chance.