Indeed, the silvers claimed by David Lean in athletics in 1956 and cycling pioneer Danny Clark in 1972 represented the sum total of the state’s medal haul. Grenda would change all that.

“It just happened to be that I was the first Tasmanian to win a gold medal in any event and that wasn't even something I was aware of – I just sort of rocked up," he said.

The Launceston cyclist was destined to open the floodgates with ​Maree Fish (hockey 1988), Stephen Hawkins (rowing 1992), Matthew Wells (hockey 2004), Scott Brennan (rowing 2008) and Paralympians Julie van Keulen (javelin 1984) and Melissa Carlton (swimming 1996) all following in his golden footsteps.

Grenda had made Australia’s 1982 Commonwealth Games team, but his ride to the Olympics was anything but smooth.

In 1983, he fell off his bike and sustained severe head injuries while training for the world championships.

 "I had to take three months off, then I started to train ... everything was about trying to get fit enough to get selected for the team," he said.

“It was a really difficult time for everybody back then.

"We were just a group of young guys ... I was nearly killed in an accident, and they were sort of thrown into turmoil.” 

After he had recovered, Grenda was reunited with Dean Woods, Kevin Nichols and Michael Turtur in preparation to race the 4000-metre team pursuit at the Los Angeles Olympics.

The team qualified second fastest behind Italy in a time of 4:28.79 and then defeated Belgium in the quarter-finals in 4:30.19.

In the semi-finals, the Australians clocked 4:23.56 to see off Italy while the US produced the shock of the competition by eliminating the reigning champion West German team.

Competing against the host nation and a partisan crowd in the final, Australia clocked 4:25,99 to take victory at a speed of 54,137km/h.

Grenda retains vivid memories of the competition.

“It went through my mind, 'don't blow it' ... it's that one opportunity missed that you're going to miss, for the rest of your life,” he said.

“The first feelings that I had when we crossed the line and we'd won were more of relief than anything else.

“It was a relief that we hadn't run second. It would be great to get second - but to get so close."

Grenda said the win marked a career and life highlight. 

“I can remember thinking at the time, 'if I never ride again, I don't care',” he said.

“That, for me, that was everything."

Featuring on The Sunday Examiner's inaugural front cover later that week, Grenda made a swift return home where he said the support and fanfare was overwhelming.

"I was 22 at the time and it probably had a significant impact on things that I did and choices I made in years to come," Grenda said.

"Cycling was my whole life then and it was just huge - I have really fond memories of it.

"I was part of the national track squad in the years prior to that, I had been travelling overseas since 1980. But going to the Olympics was an exciting adventure.

"It is a little box ticked against my name that no one else is going to have.

"It was a result of years of hard work and training."

Grenda said his victory has helped Tasmania athletes realise that anything is possible.

He keeps his gold medal in a cupboard and gets it out every couple of years whenever someone asks to have a look.

He has also stayed in touch with his teammates.

“We’ve got together a few times,” he said.

“We're all living in different states doing different things but we keep in touch by phone."

After the Olympics, Grenda carved out a professional cycling career in Japan, which he “thoroughly enjoyed”. 

"The sport of cycling opened up all sorts of opportunities for me and I really enjoyed the racing.

“I enjoyed the travel, just visiting different places and the friendships I made along the way."

He retired from professional cycling at “the peak of his powers”, aged 29, to return to Tasmania. 

"I could have kept racing for another six or seven or eight years when I stopped [but] it was never going to be my life forever.”

After settling back in Launceston with his wife and three kids, Grenda was employed in both the advertising and timber industries before pursuing a career with Tasmania Police, graduating from the academy in 2014. 

“My wife and I have been together since we were in our teens [and] her father was a police inspector,” he said. 

“It was one of those things that I'd always thought about."

Grenda said "great memories" came flooding back when the Olympics roll around every four years.

He has remained involved in the cycling world, laughing that he’s become a “fair weather” rider. 

"I still do some cycling for exercise and enjoyment, still do a bit of mountain biking, little bit of road riding, even rode a couple of club races, haven't done that for a couple of years.

“I've stayed involved on and off and enjoy getting out when the weather is good.”