Holmes was born in
Uxbridge, Greater London, and was educated at
Latymer Upper School in
Hammersmith, west London, where he was coached by Olympic rowing silver medallist
Jim Clark. At the age of 19, he won the
Thames Challenge Cup at
Henley Royal Regatta. He rowed twice in the
Olympic Games (in
1984 and
1988) with
Sir Steve Redgrave. He was a gold medalist in the
men's coxed four in
1984 and in the
men's coxless pair in
1988, when he also took bronze in the
coxed pair. He also rowed for
England in the
1986 Commonwealth Games in
Edinburgh,
Scotland. winning the coxed four and the coxless pair competitions., He retired from rowing in 1990 and severed most contacts with the sport. His daughter only discovered her father's gold-medal-winning pedigree when reading about him in a book at school. ==References==