WE DECIDED that Christmas was going to be the best time to tell the family. My sisters, parents and cousins were all going to be under one roof and it seemed a natural chance to tell everybody at once. In the end, it was my mother who was handed the envelope with the letter from Downing Street inside. She hushed the family, busily unwrapping presents, to read it and the sentence ending “Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that the honour of Knighthood be conferred upon you ” drew a cheer from everyone.

My uncle had had his hopes dashed the previous day when we had been working our way through my grandfather’s medals. Throughout the discussion of what he had won and for what, he had been probing as to what exactly I had (MBE in 1992 and then CBE in 2000). I gave him no clue as to what was coming and he became convinced that there had been no letter in the post this autumn. My grandfather carried several sets of initials after his name including a CBE (military), a DSO and an MC after a career spanning both world wars in the Black Watch.

My mother was possibly most pleased and proud of all. There has been a Sir Pinsent before, but not in our immediate family and she spent the whole evening saying “I can’t believe it”.

My niece, aged 9, thought it was very exciting, though I think it had more to do with the horse that she thinks goes with it and my nephews — aged 7 and 5 — were only fleetingly interrupted from their new computer games.

My wife is torn. Consumed with pride over my achievements as ever, she now has an official and ceremonial title. How she combines that with her job as a management consultant is her challenge for 2005. She was happy to be a Pinsent after marrying me in 2002, delighted to wear a ring and for us to be known as Mr and Mrs Pinsent, but technically she cannot be called Mrs Matthew Pinsent again. She is very happy with that.

For me? Well I’ve always felt that this year was going to boil down to six minutes of rowing. Win it and everything would be fine. Lose and the year would have been one to forget. Nothing will give me greater pride than what happened out in Athens. How we performed when it most mattered, how we rose to the occasion in the only way we knew. That it has had repercussions way beyond that little race is down to the Olympics and its special place in the calendar.

That all four of us have been honoured is great, I hope we can all go to the Palace together and I will walk out a very happy and proud man. I always said that after winning my first gold medal I changed my name from Matthew Pinsent to Matthew Pinsent Olympic Champion. After winning my fourth, I have to change my name again.