Alan Campbell

Rower // Men's Squad
Date of Birth: 9th May 1983 (40 years old)
Club: Tideway Scullers' School
Height: 191.00
Hometown: Coleraine

Alan Campbell profile image

Alan Campbell became Great Britain’s first Olympic medallist in the men’s single scull since 1928 when the Dorney Roar helped him win bronze at the London 2012 Games.

He has been the GB Rowing Team’s leading single sculler for the past ten years, winning three World Championship medals during that time.

This year saw Alan become the first sportsperson from Northern Ireland to compete at four Olympic Games when he raced at Rio 2016.

Alan won GB's first single scull Olympic medal for 84 years at London 2012 and competed at a historic fourth Games in Rio

On The Water

2012

Olympic Bronze Medallist Men's Single Scull

2010 & 2011

World Bronze Medallist Men's Single Scull

2009

World Silver Medallist Men's Single Scull

2008

Olympic Finalist Men's Single Scull

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

After winning the GB Rowing Team Trials for a ninth time, Alan was once again selected in the men’s single scull for the 2016 season. He had to settle for ninth place at the European Championships in Brandenburg but improved to fifth at the World Cup in Lucerne before returning to the podium with a fine performance at the Poznan World Cup, winning bronze.

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Alan won his heat and was runner-up in his quarter-final but had to settle for fourth place in his semi-final. Vertigo brought on by a head cold meant Alan was unable to race in the B final, meaning he finished 12th overall.

The 2015 season saw Alan return from a year of illness and injury to qualify the single scull for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with an eighth-placed finish at the 2015 World Championships in Aiguebelette.

While he was disappointed not to make the A final on that occasion, he had demonstrated he was back to racing form during the World Cup series. He was fifth in Varese and then produced a sprint to the line to take bronze in Lucerne.

Alan had started the Olympiad with a silver medal at the Eton Dorney World Cup and was then sixth in Lucerne before finishing just outside the medals at the 2013 World Championships in Chungju.

The following year started with a sixth-placed finish at the European Championships in Belgrade. However, he missed out on the A final for the first time in his single scull career at the World Cup in Lucerne, placing 14th, and his season was cut short by illness.

Alan Campbell at the Lucerne World Cup in 2015

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

Alan, who battled back from knee surgery to finish a spirited fifth at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, enjoyed a healthy rivalry with New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale and Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic throughout the London Olympiad.

He started it in style, winning World Cup gold in Banyoles and silver in Munich, and was one of two rowers to beat the former World’s Best Time as he finished runner-up to Drysdale at the 2009 World Championships in Poznan.

The 2010 season saw Alan win World Cup silver in both Bled and Lucerne before winning bronze behind Synek and Drysdale at the World Championships in New Zealand.

After finishing fifth at the first World Cup of 2011 in Munich, Alan was sidelined by illness but returned to win another bronze medal at the World Championships in Bled.

Alan started the 2012 Olympic season with silver in Belgrade and, after just missing the podium in Lucerne, took bronze in Munich. A dramatic final at London 2012 saw him lie fourth behind Drysdale, Synek and Sweden’s Lassi Karonen with just 500m to go but, lifted by the home crowd, he powered through to secure bronze.

GB Competitive Record

Olympic Games
2016 12th M1x
2012 M1x
2008 5th M1x
2004 12th M4x
Olympic Games:
2016
12th
M1x
Olympic Games:
2012
M1x
Olympic Games:
2008
5th
M1x
Olympic Games:
2004
12th
M4x
World Rowing Championships
2015 8th M1x
2013 4th M1x
2011 M1x
2010 M1x
2009 M1x
2007 4th M1x
2006 6th M1x
2005 7th M4x
World Rowing Championships:
2015
8th
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2013
4th
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2011
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2010
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2009
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2007
4th
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2006
6th
M1x
World Rowing Championships:
2005
7th
M4x
European Rowing Championships
2016 9th M1x
2014 6th M1x
European Rowing Championships:
2016
9th
M1x
European Rowing Championships:
2014
6th
M1x
World Rowing Cup Regattas
2016 Poznan M1x
2016 Lucerne 5th M1x
2015 Lucerne M1x
2015 Varese 5th M1x
World Rowing Cup Regattas:
2016 Poznan
M1x
World Rowing Cup Regattas:
2016 Lucerne
5th
M1x
World Rowing Cup Regattas:
2015 Lucerne
M1x
World Rowing Cup Regattas:
2015 Varese
5th
M1x
World Rowing U23 Championships
2003 8th M1x
World Rowing U23 Championships:
2003
8th
M1x
GB Rowing Team Senior Trials
2016 1st M1x
2013 2nd M1x
2005-2012 1st M1x
GB Rowing Team Senior Trials:
2016
1st
M1x
GB Rowing Team Senior Trials:
2013
2nd
M1x
GB Rowing Team Senior Trials:
2005-2012
1st
M1x

More info...

Alan made his GB Rowing Team at the 2003 World U23 Championships in Belgrade, finishing eighth in the single scull, before moving up to the senior ranks the following year. He raced in the men’s quadruple scull and finished 12th at the Olympic Games in Athens.

He remained in that boat in 2005 and helped to secure GB’s first-ever World Cup medal in the quad, a bronze in Lucerne, before finishing seventh on his World Championships debut in Gifu.

Alan moved to the now familiar single scull in 2006 and made an impressive start, winning gold in Munich and silver in Poznan as he claimed the overall World Cup title. He then finished sixth at the World Championships in Eton Dorney.

The 2007 season saw Alan win World Cup silver medals in Linz and Lucerne but narrowly miss out on the podium at the World Championships in Munich.

He made a stylish return to that venue for the first World Cup race of 2012, winning gold, and was fourth in Lucerne before suffering an infection which affected his knee and required surgery. It was touch and go whether he would race at the Olympics but, showing great strength of character and with fantastic back-up from the medical and science teams, Alan was able to compete in Beijing and finished a fine fifth.

Club: Tideway Scullers’ School
Boat: Men’s Squad
Role: Rower
Coach: John West
Learnt to Row: Coleraine Academical Institution for Boys
Original Club(s): Tideway Scullers School
Original Coach(es): Bobbie Platt MBE, Bill Barry

Beyond the Boat

Alan started rowing at school, Coleraine Academical Institution for Boys, in his hometown in Northern Ireland and was then ‘found’ by Tideway Scullers School and encouraged to aim high through their development programme.

He may be an Olympic medalist but Alan says his other sporting claim to fame is being one-and-a-half legs of the 2002 Wiltshire three-legged pub crawl winning team.  His ideal dinner companions would be his wife and daughter plus Heston Blumenthal to do the cooking, although he is also partial to bucket chicken.

Alan is a big Rocky IV fan but, if he could be any other sportsperson for the day, would swap places with Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury.

Alan is Lottery funded through UK Sport.

Personal information

Current address Home Town Region
Richmond-upon-Thames Coleraine Northern Ireland
Current address:
Richmond-upon-Thames
Home Town:
Coleraine
Region:
Northern Ireland
Date of Birth Weight Height
9th May 1983 95kg 191cm
Date of Birth:
9th May 1983
Weight:
95kg
Height:
191cm
Education
Coleraine Academical Institution for Boys
Education:
Coleraine Academical Institution for Boys