SOON after the Olympic Games, Jürgen Grobler, the Great Britain head coach, set his established athletes a deadline of the end of November to decide on their future. This was brought into focus yesterday when James Cracknell announced that he will take a year off — and it is widely expected that Matthew Pinsent will announce his retirement today.

With the sport’s two established stars missing, where does this leave British rowing? When Pinsent decided after Sydney to carry on with Cracknell in a pair, the sport had a high profile after three Olympic medals, two of them gold. Pinsent had a personal aim of winning in Athens, but he had a broader spectrum, too. He said after the 2001 season that “we must maintain the level of the sport in the public’s perception. That ’s not just down to me but a team effort. As soon as we stop winning we will disappear off the sports pages like ice skating and middledistance running.”

With four Olympic medals won in Athens, including one gold, rowing has remained in the spotlight but now faces an uncertain future. “There are some naturally talented athletes maturing well at the moment,” Cracknell said. “Jürgen can make a fresh start.” Grobler’s view was: “We have a busy two years ahead to get things back in place and find the new heroes.”

Grobler is already setting up different training requirements, which include having the sculling squad based at Henley under his control. On the rowing front, which Grobler will also oversee, the Olympic eight has lost just three members, two of them for a year only. Toby Garbett and Rick Dunn, seventh in the Olympics in a pair after losing their places in the coxless four when Pinsent and Cracknell were brought in, have yet to commit fully. Garbett wants to take a year off, but Grobler hopes that Dunn will continue.

Back in training with a vengeance is Alex Partridge, who lost out on a place in the coxless four when he suffered a collapsed lung. Grobler hopes that Steve Williams, Partidge’s early-season coxless four crew-mate, will continue after winning his first gold. Grobler’s priority boats will be a pair and a four, with a new eight in which he will try out “the new blood we need”.

Paul Thompson remains in charge of the Britain women, who won three medals in Athens. All bar Cath Bishop, from the coxless pair, and Alison Mowbray, from the quad, will continue, although Frances Houghton, also from the quad, will take a year off.