This is the year that Andy Hodge will never forget. Amid many other gold-winning rowing exploits since 2003, this was the year that he won Olympic gold, aged 29, and was today awarded an MBE in the New Year honours.

Born in Buckinghamshire, his family moved to Hebden, near Grassington, when he was one. He went to school in Wharfedale and studied environmental science at Staffordshire University, where he took up rowing.

At Oxford, where he studied for a Master of Science degree in water science, policy and management, he helped the university win the Boat Race in 2005. He was already a member of the Great Britain rowing squad.

On August 16, at the Beijing Olympic Games, he led Britain’s coxless four to a last-gasp victory. The race lasted six minutes and seven seconds, but the outcome was determined in the last 500 metres of the 2,000-metre race.

The Australian crew had pulled a boat’s length ahead and looked favourites to scull across the line ahead of the Great Britain team of Andy Hodge, Pete Reed, Steve Williams and Tom James. Williams said something almost primeval happened as the crew reached into themselves.

Four days later he told the T&A: “There was a point in the last 500 metres when I remember thinking, ‘we might not get this’. It sounds really cheesy and I don’t know if it made a difference or not, but I thought, ‘I want this medal and I have nothing to hold me back, no extra race’.

“You often say to yourself ‘if I don’t win, it’s not worth it’. In six minutes we decided that it was worth it. That was a big moment. It has all been worthwhile.”

1. Describe your best moment of the year.

“Singing the national anthem at the Olympic Games in front of my parents is something I don’t want to forget. It was the end of a four-year project and marked with crystal clarity what I had been trying to achieve. It is the proudest moment of my life.”

2. And your worst.

“I was out of the boat for the month of June with a bad back. This was a very hard time and, as the injury persisted, I thought about not going to the Olympics but watching it from home. This was a low moment. But staying positive is something I used to the final.”

3. Who helped you most in 2008 and how?

“My crew and coach were everything to me. Without them I am nothing. For this reason I kept all my focus with the team and used them as much as possible. I had all the support of my family and friends, which was most important, but only my crew and Jurgen (Grodler) could be close on the start line.”

4. Did the year have any surprises for you?

“Not really.”

5. What was your funniest memory of the year?

“Making the video at training camp was one of the better memories. One of the rowers tried his hand at producing a new version of Go East, adapted from Go West by the Pet Shop Boys. It was a big project involving the whole team. You can look it up on YouTube.”

6. Any regrets about the year?

“Regrets, no, but there is a lot I wish I didn’t have to do, which mainly means missing my friends and being part of something back home that wasn’t rowing. My life is taken over by the challenge and as much as I know I had to do it, it still makes me question if I can go on for the next four years.”

7. Did you learn anything from 2008?

“We nearly lost it as a team during the final race in Beijing. Always stick by your team, commit to the plan and be honest to yourself.”

8. What would you like to happen on a personal, professional or wider level in 2009?

“World peace. But unfortunately I don’t think this is going to happen, neither are easy training sessions, so I guess it’s just work as normal!”

9. Any New Year resolutions?

“Only to remember how hard training was, and that the four years coming will only be harder than the last four. But London is worth all the sacrifice, the demands and the pain, so just get on with it!”

10. Who is your person of 2008 and why?

“Jo Dyer. She was killed in Afghanistan nearly two years ago but remains an inspiration because she was one of the best role models we have in the human race, only to be the victim of a roadside bomb. Her life was superb, she was a true inspiration, and her death was unnecessary.”