RIP Andy Holmes

I am still in a state of shock some 20 hours after hearing of the death of Andy Holmes, the double Olympic rowing gold medallist from suspected Weil's Disease.

I knew Andy a little way back in the late 80's when I was starting out in the media and was lucky to stand by the towpath at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul to watch him and a certain Steve Redgrave win gold in the coxless pairs and, 24 hours later, bronze in the coxed pairs.

Holmes, who was also in the 1984 gold medal-winning coxless fours alongside Redgrave, then quit and went a different way in life whilst Sir Steve, of course, went on to become the greatest British Olympian ever.

What happened to Holmes this week is a tragedy for many reasons. He had just become a father a few weeks ago, he had returned to rowing after a long exile from the sport and was both competing and coaching, and he was then struck down by a disease that kills one in 30 million a year in the UK, a disease that stems from waterborne bacteria in what is the cruellest of ironic twists.

All this follows Sir Steve having a horriifc cycling accident and then James Cracknell following suit, with even worse head injuries which, thankfully, he is recovering rom. Rowing, one of our great, and most successful British sports, has been hit very hard over the past month or two, but no harder than the news of Andy Holmes's death at the age of just 51.