| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Rowing | ||
| Competitor for Great Britain | ||
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Coxless four |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2011 Bled | Coxless pair |
| Silver | 2010 Karapiro | Coxless pair |
| Silver | 2009 Poznań | Coxless pair |
| Gold | 2006 Eton | Coxless four |
| Gold | 2005 Gifu | Coxless four |
Peter Reed MBE (born 27 July 1981 in Seattle, United States) is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and three silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.
Contents |
Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months later. He was raised in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire and attended Cirencester Deer Park School.
Reed is a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. In 2001, whilst training as an officer on board HMS Exeter, he used an ergometer for the first time — and promptly posted the fastest time in the Royal Navy’s annual fleet-wide fitness competition.
Reed then took up rowing in his second year of university in 2002, whilst studying mechanical engineering at the University of the West of England, to become a naval engineer.[1] The following year, in 2003, coached by Fred Smallbone, he became a successful Boat Club President.
In 2004, Reed won a place at the University of Oxford to attend a two-year MSc course in engineering. During this time, he trained at the Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) under coach Sean Bowden, where he earned the nickname "The Commander". He was selected in both years for the Blue Boat to race against Cambridge in the annual Boat Race. Defeat in 2004 was followed by victory in 2005, in the much-documented "heaviest-ever Boat Race crew". The crew won by 2 lengths in a time of 16 minutes 42 seconds.
In 2005, Reed and his Oxford strokeman, Andrew Triggs Hodge, won GB senior pairs trials (together they have won every year since), and following the retirement of Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell were selected by coach Jürgen Gröbler to row alongside Alex Partridge and Steve Williams MBE, in the new Great Britain Coxless Four.
Unbeaten for 27 consecutive races until Lucerne 2007, the British Four won gold at all three World Cups in 2005 and 2006, and finished both seasons by becoming World Champions.
Reed continued his training to represent Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. After a difficult early season, in which his teammates Tom James and Andrew Triggs Hodge picked up injuries, the first-choice four raced together for the first time in Poznan in the final World Cup event of the season, finishing second. The GB four then dominated their heats and semi finals at the Olympics Beijing. In the final, however, the Australian four lead for most of the way. Only a dramatic push by the British boat in the closing stages made the difference; they won the nail biting final to become gold medallists in a time of 6 minutes 6.57 seconds, beating the Australian four by 1.28 seconds.
He stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and was reported in 2006 as having the largest recorded lung capacity (11.68 litres).[2] Originally due to return to full-time naval duties after returning from Beijing but he confirmed on 6 November 2008 that he had been given permission to continue training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[3]
Reed was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[4]