Pete Reed

Nickname

Commander, because of his role in the Royal Navy, and Big Lungs Pete, because of enormous lung capacity. (independent.co.uk, 15 Aug 2006; GB Rowing, 02 Nov 2007)

Hobbies

Music, playing piano and guitar, walking, exploring, drawing caricatures of his teammates, photography. (debretts.com, thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

Occupation

Athlete

Education

Mechanical Engineering - Oxford University, Oxford, GBR

Language(s) spoken

English

Club name

Leander, Henley-on-Thames, GBR

Coach

Jurgen Grobler (GER) (britishrowing.org, 29 Feb 2012)

Sporting relatives

He played American football, for the Gloucester Gladiators and the Bristol Rams, and was selected to play for the British Bulldogs side that faced a United States team in 1997. (petereed.co.uk, 29 Feb 2012)

Debut

2004 for Great Britain, World Cup (Poznan) (rowingone.com, 29 Feb 2012)

Injuries

He suffers from hayfever. (thisislondon.co.uk, 14 Jul 2011)

Additional information

Start of sporting career
He took up the sport in 2001 on the docks at Bristol where he was studying at the University of the West of England. (GB Rowing, 18 Jan 2008; thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

Reason for taking up this sport
He says he started the sport on a whim because he wanted to do something physical and meet people while he was at university. (thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

Ambitions
To win gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (ox.ac.uk, 29 Feb 2012)

Training
He trains six hours per day, seven days a week, with a day off every fourth or fifth Sunday. He does up to four sessions per day, on the water, on the rowing machines and in the gym, as well as casual exercise like running. (thisislondon.co.uk, 14 Jul 2011; ox.ac.uk, 29 Feb 2012)

Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning gold in the four at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (thisislondon.co.uk, 14 Jul 2011; ox.ac.uk, 29 Feb 2012)

Sporting philosophy / motto
"I hate being beaten more than I love winning." (thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

Awards
He was conferred as a Member of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2009 New Year's Honours list. (britishrowing.org, 29 Feb 2012)

Named Combined Services Sportsman of the Year for 2005 and 2008. (debretts.com, 29 Feb 2012)

General
COMMANDER AND VERSE
He wrote a poem to mark the occasion of teammate Andrew Triggs-Hodge's wedding. (thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

TAKE A DEEP BREATH
In May 2006, during a routine physical test at the English Institute of Sport, he was found to have the largest lung capacity of any person ever tested at the facility at 9.38 litres. The physiologist tested him twice because he did not fully trust the first result. His lung capacity was greater than former record holder and Great Britain's four-time Olympic rowing champion Matthew Pinsent [8.5l], Tour de France-winning cyclists Miguel Indurain [8l] and Lance Armstrong [7l] and most regular adults whose standard lung capacity is about six litres. At the same testing session he was diagnosed as borderline asthmatic and prescribed an inhaler to improve his breathing efficiency. Later tests then revealed that his capacity had risen to 11.68 litres. (independent.co.uk, 15 Aug 2006; menshealth.co.uk, 27 July 2011; thisislondon.co.uk, petereed.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

MILITARY MODEL
In 2007 he was promoted to Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and is constantly grateful for the time off he receives to train and compete, but occasionally suffers from a spot of guilt. "My peers are now doing some really serious jobs around the world. Part of me thinks I'm letting them down and the service down, but I can't let that overshadow what I'm doing." (sport.independent.co.uk, 28 Mar 2004; timesonline.co.uk, 29 Jun 2005; sport.guardian.co.uk 02 Jun 2007; thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

BOAT RACE
While studying a masters degree in mechanical engineering at Oriel College, he was part of the Oxford crew that won the 2005 Boat Race. (ox.ac.uk, 29 Feb 2012)

URBAN HERO
In November 2005 he helped an old age pensioner escape a fire after noticing smoke coming from a building. "I could see straight away it was more than just a toaster fire. I dialled 999 and then went to see what I could do. I'd done a firefighting course in the Navy so I wasn't just going to rush in and possibly make myself another casualty. But I also knew I had to check to see if there was anyone in there. There was heavy smoke literally pouring across the ceiling and down the walls. It wasn't a good scene. I found this old chap, probably late 70s, struggling to get down the stairs. I picked him up and carried him out. It wasn't a big deal. Anyone would have done the same thing." (independent.co.uk, 15 Aug 2006)

EARLY DAYS
During his officer training scholarship with the Royal Navy he had his first experience on an ergometer rowing machine during an assignment in the Middle East. "We had the ergo set up on the deck in the Persian gulf. I had a go in the 48°C heat and I massively blew out". He still broke the ship's record held by the captain, himself a keen rower. (petereed.co.uk, thisislondon.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012)

Previous Olympics

Beijing 2008