Ed McKeever, a 28-year-old trainee accountant, has been dubbed the "Usain Bolt of the water".
The gold medal winner in the kayak sprint is described by teammate Richard Jefferies as an "absolute animal" on the water.
McKeever, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, is small, powerful and explosive - he bench presses 160kg comfortably.
Canoe he do it? Yes he can
He also has lightning quick reactions which count over such a short distance when races are measured in thousandths of a second, not hundredths. The 200m sprint was designed for him.
McKeever's other great strength is that he is so focused. Other athletes in the canoe team have told afterwards how the pressure and the nerves of competing in front of so many people ruined their chances.
Rachel Cawthorn was so worried about her race in the women's 500m single kayak, she could not keep her breakfast down, while Jess Walker yesterday admitted to being scared on the start line of the 200m semi finals.
A little bit like cyclist Bradley Wiggins, McKeever does not do pressure. He just does his own race and lets the others try and catch him.
His approach has already brought success. He won the World Championships in 2010 and topped the podium twice at the 2011 World Cup series.
Gold medal stardom is unlikely to affect McKeever, however. After the Games, he plans to marry fiancee Anya Kuczha, a 26-year-old PE teacher who he met while studying accountancy and finance at Kingston University.
The couple plan to tie the knot on September 22 at a church in Beaconsfield and McKeever admits it will be large gathering, although he insists that is because Anya is from a big Polish family.
It will then just be a case of completing his accountancy exams.