IT is one of Britain's most cherished sporting memories.

When figure skater Robin Cousins won Olympic Gold in 1980, he joined an elite group whose achievements earned them a permanent place in the nation's hearts.

To many it was a moment to equal the 1966 World Cup, Virginia Wade's Wimbledon victory and the decathlon triumphs of Daley Thompson.

The fresh-faced former Bristol schoolboy, who couldn't bear to watch the skaters that followed his performance, was an instant star.

His win, together with those of John Curry before him and Torvill and Dean later, sparked a boom in British skating.

And after a Silver medal in the same year's World Championships, Robin turned professional.

It led to many more titles, his own touring company, roles in West End shows and extensive TV, choreography and skating work in America.

Tomorrow he will be inducted into America's Skating Hall Of Fame at Cleveland, Ohio, home of the country's oldest skating club.

So it will come as a particular shock to fans to learn that at the age of 41, Robin is hanging up his skates.

The star will perform the last show of his career in Brighton before retiring to concentrate on other projects.

Robin, who has lived in Kemp Town for three years, spoke exclusively to the Argus about his reasons for quitting at his adopted home town's Grand Hotel.

He said: "People have a pre-conceived idea of what they are getting when they go to see an Olympic champion. It is no good saying 'I don't feel well today'.

"I have other things in my life now. Ice is not the be all and end all. I can't think of anything better than ending it in front of a home crowd.

"I still love to perform and there is no question of me not enjoying it.

"But I won't miss it. I can still get my kicks on the ice without being in front of an audience."

Robin says he was "hooked by the bug" when he first skated, aged nine, during a family holiday in Bournemouth.

As he pursued the sport in Bristol, his older brothers did extra paper rounds and his mother took on a second job to cover his costs.

Robin skated before school until he was 15, when he left home to train with a professional coach in London.

He rented a £9-a-week bedsit in Notting Hill Gate and stacked shelves in a department store to pay for train tickets back to Bristol.

His parents Jo and Fred are now retired in Kent, brother Nick is an international rugby referee and oldest sibling Martin works in insurance.

But while Robin says his skating never earned him special treatment at home he was clearly a talent to be reckoned with.

He made the British international team aged 15, competing alongside the late John Curry in the 1976 Olympics.

Robin said: "He was a great person to observe, but he wasn't very forthcoming in conversation. He was a purist, whereas I love all the razzmatazz."

Four years later, and with plans to turn pro already in place, it was Robin's turn in the spotlight. Ask about his 1980 Olympic performance now and the skater admits his memory is hazy.

He said: "After I skated I went to watch a women's training session. My brother found me and said, 'It's over, you've won'.

"I can't remember much about what happened next, although I do remember tripping up on the podium when I got my medal.

"There was no winning formula. A week later and it could have been a different result.

"I have never watched it all the way through. I have my own memories of what I did and I don't want them clouded."

The win threw Robin into a media scrum which, even now, he finds hard to understand.

He prefers to keep his personal life private, believing part of Brighton's appeal is the ease with which "at the height of the summer season, you can be on your own and no one can find you".

He said: "I had no idea how huge my win was. I went away to train for the World Championships afterwards. Had I come home I don't know if I would have been able to cope with the tournament.

"I could not believe so many people were interested in me. When something happens like that you want to stop and get it in perspective for yourself.

"I have never wanted to know about people's private lives. I am interested in what makes them tick, why they do something well.

"I would not equate the attention I got to that of other people, but when you come from a lower middle-class background you do not expect it.

"My parents recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. We are a very close, tactile family and I thought that was the norm.

"I am still horrified to realise that it isn't the norm."

Robin will star in all Brighton Centre performances of next January's Holiday On Ice show Extravaganza, retiring on the final night.

Future plans include more choreography, a major American TV series and ongoing campaigning for a new multi-purpose venue, including an ice rink, in the Brighton area.

It continues a dream championed by the late commentator Alan Weeks, who Robin describes as "a great loss".

The skater's Brighton finale follows several appearances at the end of Holiday On Ice's run at the Centre this year.

Robin said: "I was in great shape when I did that, and decided I must keep it up. A couple of months later it had gone.

"I always say it's not the car itself, it's the maintenance. You have to keep yourself fine-tuned, otherwise you notice the difference and the audience can tell.

"There comes a time when enough is enough. If I retired and someone said 'about time too', I would know it was too late."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.