DOUBLE Olympic champion Pete Reed had to watch from home as the Team GB Men's Eight missed out on a podium place when only fourth in the final of the Lucerne World Cup.

Former Cirencester Deer Park pupil Reed was missing his first international having been laid low by flu in the build-up to the event.

The GB rowing team were also missing the virus-hit Constantine Louloudis from the Men's Four, but they still provided our only gold medal at the event.

Alex Gregory, George Nash, Mo Sbihi and sub Callum McBrierty overhauled Australia in the final two strokes to win by 0.27 seconds after one of the Aussies caught an oar in the water on the second-last stroke.

Gloucestershire's Gregory led the four and said: "It shows how strong our squad is that we can swap in someone like Callum McBrierty and still pull out the win."

Britain were denied a predicted gold medal in the opening final of the day when Olympic champions Heather Stanning and Helen Glover pulled out of the Women's Pair.

Stanning was one of several members of the squad who fell ill overnight, with Peter Lambert also stricken by a bug.

Two silver medals were provided, however, by the Women's Eight and the Men's Quad and bronze came in the Men's Pair.

But there was disappointment for the Men’s Eight who were fourth behind surprise winners, the Dutch. Reed, the Olympic Champion in the Men’s Four in Beijing and London, was replaced by Alan Sinclair.

Olympic champions Germany had been pre-race favourites but could finish only second.

Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing team performance director, said: “I am very pleased with our medals – all of them high quality in their different ways.

"Well done to Callum McBrierty for subbing into the Men’s Four and Jack Beaumont in the Men’s Quad. These two results were great but underneath that there has been the frustration of illness before we came and in Lucerne today."