Pete Reed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lieutenant Commander
Pete Reed
OBE

Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1981-07-27) 27 July 1981 (age 43) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
College team	Oxford University Boat Club
Club	Leander Club
Coached by	Jürgen Gröbler
Medal record Men's rowing Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Coxless four Gold 2012 London Coxless four Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Eight World Championships Gold 2005 Gifu Coxless four Gold 2006 Eton Dorney Coxless four Gold 2013 Chungju Eight Gold 2014 Amsterdam Eight Gold 2015 Aiguebelette Eight Silver 2009 Poznań Coxless pair Silver 2010 Karapiro Coxless pair Silver 2011 Bled Coxless pair European Championships Silver 2015 Poznan Eight Bronze 2014 Belgrade Eight

Peter K. Reed (born 27 July 1981) is a retired British Olympic rower. He is famous for winning three Olympic gold medals! Pete earned gold in the Men's coxless four at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. Then, he won another gold medal in the Men's eight at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He also has five gold medals and three silver medals from the World Championships.

Early Life and Military Service

Pete Reed was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. His family moved to England a few months later. He grew up in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, and went to school there.

Pete is a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy. This is a high-ranking officer position. He started rowing later than many athletes. In 2001, while training as an officer, he tried an ergometer for the first time. An ergometer is a machine that simulates rowing. He quickly set the fastest time in the Royal Navy's fitness competition!

Pete's Amazing Rowing Career

Pete began rowing seriously in 2002 during his second year at the University of the West of England. He was studying mechanical engineering to become a naval engineer. In 2003, he became a successful leader of his university's Boat Club.

In 2004, Pete went to the University of Oxford to study engineering. While there, he trained with the Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC). He was nicknamed "The Commander" because of his military background. He was chosen twice for the Blue Boat team. This team races against Cambridge in the famous annual Boat Race. Oxford lost in 2004 but won in 2005. The 2005 race was very exciting, with Oxford winning by a small margin. Their crew was the "heaviest-ever Boat Race crew" at the time!

Becoming a World Champion

In 2005, Pete and his Oxford teammate, Andrew Triggs Hodge, won the Great Britain senior pairs trials. They won these trials every year from 2005 to 2012! After two famous rowers retired, Pete and Andrew were chosen to join Alex Partridge and Steve Williams in the new Great Britain Coxless Four team. A "coxless four" is a boat with four rowers and no coxswain (the person who steers and directs the crew).

This British Four team was incredibly strong. They were unbeaten for 27 races in a row until 2007! They won gold medals at all three World Cups in 2005 and 2006. They ended both seasons by becoming World Champions.

Olympic Gold Medals

Pete continued training for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The team faced some challenges with injuries. But in the final World Cup event before the Olympics, they finished second. At the Beijing Olympics, the British four dominated their early races. In the final, the Australian team led for most of the race. But the British boat made an amazing push at the end! They won the exciting final, becoming gold medallists by just over a second.

Pete is very tall, standing 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm). In 2006, it was reported that he had the largest recorded lung capacity (11.68 litres). This helps him in rowing! After the Beijing Olympics, he was allowed to keep training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

At the 2012 London Games, Pete, along with Andrew Triggs-Hodge, Tom James, and Alex Gregory, helped Great Britain win another gold medal in the men's coxless four. This meant they kept their title from 2008!

More World Titles and Retirement

After the 2012 Olympics, Pete started rowing in the "eight" boat. An "eight" is a boat with eight rowers and a coxswain. He competed at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, where he won a gold medal as part of the eight.

He then won another gold medal as part of the eight at the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. The following year, he was part of the British team that won the most medals at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in France. He won another gold medal as part of the eight with his teammates.

In April 2018, Pete Reed announced that he was retiring from professional rowing. He had achieved so much in the sport!

Personal Life and Challenges

In August 2014, Pete Reed was one of many public figures who signed a letter. This letter was sent to a newspaper to share their thoughts on Scottish independence. This was before a vote in Scotland about whether to become an independent country.

In October 2019, Pete shared some sad news. He announced that he had suffered a spinal stroke. This is a serious medical event that has left him unable to move his body from the chest down.

Awards and Honours

Pete Reed has received special awards for his services to rowing:

• He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2009.
• He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017.

These are high honours given by the British monarch for great achievements.

Pete Reed's Major Rowing Achievements

Olympics

• 2016 Rio de Janeiro – Gold, eight (5 seat)
• 2012 London – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2008 Beijing – Gold, coxless four (3 seat)

World Championships

• 2015 Aiguebelette – Gold, men's eight (3 seat)
• 2014 Amsterdam – Gold, men's eight (5 seat)
• 2013 Chungju – Gold, men's eight (4 seat)
• 2011 Bled – Silver, coxless pair (Bow)
• 2010 Karapiro – Silver, coxless pair (Bow)
• 2009 Poznań – Silver, coxless pair (Bow)
• 2007 Munich – 4th, coxless Four (2 seat)
• 2006 Eton – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2005 Gifu – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)

World Cups

• 2014 Lucerne – Bronze, men's 8 (5 seat)
• 2014 Aiguebelette – Silver, men's 8 (5 seat)
• 2013 Eton Dorney – Gold, men's 8 (7 seat)
• 2013 Sydney – Gold, men's 8 (7 seat)
• 2012 Munich – Silver, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2012 Lucerne – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2012 Belgrade – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2011 Lucerne – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2011 Munich – Gold, coxless pair (bow)
• 2010 Lucerne – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2010 Munich – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2010 Bled – Gold, eight (7 seat)
• 2010 Bled – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2009 Lucerne – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2009 Munich – Silver, coxless pair (bow)
• 2009 Banyoles – Gold, coxless pair (bow)
• 2008 Poznań – Silver, coxless four (3 seat)
• 2008 Lucerne – 8th, coxless four (3 seat)
• 2008 Munich – Gold, coxless four (3 seat)
• 2007 Lucerne – Silver, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2007 Amsterdam – Gold, men's eight
• 2007 Linz – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2006 Lucerne – Gold, coxless four (3 seat)
• 2006 Poznań – Gold, coxless four (3 seat)
• 2006 Munich – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2005 Lucerne – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2005 Munich – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2005 Eton – Gold, coxless four (2 seat)
• 2004 Poznań – 11th, coxless pair (bow)

World Rowing Under 23 Championships

• 2003 – 4th, coxed four

Other Recognitions

• British Olympic Association Male Olympic Athlete 2014
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2012
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2011
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2010
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2009
• Combined Services Sportsman of the Year 2008
• President's Award from the Sports Journalists' Association
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2008
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2007
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2006
• Senior Pairs Trials winner 2005
• Combined Services Sportsman of the Year 2005
• Royal Navy Sportsman of the Year 2005

See also

In Spanish: Peter Reed para niños

• 2012 Olympics gold post boxes in the United Kingdom