Sir Steve Redgrave's Olympic rowing partner killed by Weil's disease

“He had occasional problems with back pain and things like that, but nothing that stopped him from doing what he needed him to do,” he said.

“He phoned me a couple of times for advice, as he was extremely unwell with what sounded like a flu-like illness. He talked about his fever and feeling very unwell, and in the second phone call he started talking about muscle pain.

“He was a very resolute, determined person who always followed his own course in life.”

His wife, Gabrielle Griffith, said the couple both thought it was flu. “But as the week went on we went to an NHS walk-in centre and they thought possibly it was glandular fever,” she said.

“Then we went to a GP and they suggested we went to an emergency room so we did that the next day, the 16th.”

Dr Istvan Bodi, a consultant neuro­pathologist, told the hearing that he had confirmed the diagnosis of Weil’s disease during an autopsy. “This type of bacteria is quite widespread in wild animals,” he said.

“I think the theory is that contaminated water got into circulation via minor injuries. The chances of recovery from this condition would be very low. It wasn’t only the brain, basically every single organ was infected.”

Recording a narrative verdict, the coroner, Doreen Lawrence, said Mr Holmes, of Dulwich, south-east London, was “clearly a very talented person”.

She said that, according to hospital staff, Mr Holmes “fell into the water” during the marathon row.

“On Oct 16 he was admitted to King’s College Hospital, where a CT scan of his head revealed a massive subarachnoid haemorrhage [a bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover it]. His condition deteriorated and he sadly died.”

Mr Holmes was awarded the MBE in 1989 after a successful rowing career. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Mr Holmes joined Sir Steve, Richard Budgett and Martin Cross in the coxed four to win Britain’s first rowing gold medal for 36 years.

Four years later in Seoul, Mr Holmes and Sir Steve won gold in the coxless pairs and bronze in the coxed event.

Sir Steve, a five-times Olympic gold medallist , paid tribute to his friend at the time of his death. “Having shared some memorable and emotional experiences with Andy, I am extremely sad to hear the news,” he said.

Is Swine flu the same as Influenza A? | Influenza Flu Info Blog

Flu that affects humans.

Human flu types classed as type A, type B and type C. Something like “influenza A” refers to type A flus but is very nonspecific as which sub-type. Flu types are further divided into sub-types according to the number of proteins on the capsule that surrounds the flu virus. These proteins are hemagglutinin and neurominadase. Proteins not manufactured by our body are called antigens. Hemagglutinin and neuromindase are also abbreviated as HA (hemagglutinin antigen) and NA (neurominadase antigen). A flu type A sub-type such as H3N2 has 3 HAs and 2 NAs on the capsule surface.

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