Matthew Pinsent and Tim Foster have announced that they are to continue rowing until the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The gold medal winning duo from the coxless four in Sydney have both spent time considering their futures despite the lure of another Olympic title.
For Pinsent it was a question of motivation, while for Foster it was a case of whether his body would stand up to the severe punishment.
"I had to be certain that I would be able to get through another four years in this sport after all that has happened to me," said Foster.
"I have a long history of back problems and before I felt I could make any decision about my future, I had to be in possession of the full facts.
"It has taken some time but with the full backing of the medical team I am happy to say that I am going to carry on to Athens."
Pinsent remains as physically sound as ever but after three Olympic titles, he was unsure whether he could remain focussed for another four years.
"I wanted to take time to make sure I was making the right decision," Pinsent said. "I had aimed to have it sorted out by Christmas.
"The Sydney Olympics was the best experience of my life and has taken on a fairytale quality since then, so I knew that I would be in danger of making a snap decision about my future.
"I had seen what had happened to Steve when he made his comments in Atlanta and I didn't want that happening to me.
"I thought very seriously about retiring or about having a year off from the sport but I took some tests 10 weeks after the Olympics and realised that I had lost 10 percent of my fitness, and that made me very frustrated."
The pair remain uncertain as to where their rowing futures lie, as no decision on crews will be made until April.
However both are content to either attempt to retain the title they won in Sydney, or look for challenges elsewhere.
"People think that rowers choose their boats, but that is not the case," added Pinsent. "It is the coaches who make that decision.
"I wouldn't want to be tied down to saying that I want to row in a particular kind of boat because I have trusted Jurgen with my rowing career for the last decade and I will continue to do that." PA