Double Olympic gold medal winner Andy Holmes dies

Andy Holmes, who won two Olympic gold medals for rowing, has died aged 51, it was announced yesterday. He is believed to have contracted Weil's disease, a bacterial infection that can be caught from rat urine in river water. Holmes, who fell ill last week, and Steve Redgrave were part of the GB coxed fours team that won at the Los Angeles games in 1984 before they won the coxless pairs in Seoul four years later. They also won Commonwealth and world titles together. More recently Holmes had been a coach and a competitive sculler.