Alan Sinclair

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

A fourth-placed finish at the GB Rowing Team Trials earned Alan and Stewart Innes selection in the men’s pair for the 2016 European Championships in Brandenburg, where they won a silver medal. With Stewart absent through illness, Alan subbed into the men’s eight for the Lucerne World Cup and finished fourth.

He and Stewart returned to the pair in Poznan and won a hard-fought bronze medal, edging out fellow Brits Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell and Mat Tarrant. Alan and Stewart were then named as the GB men’s pair for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Runners-up in both their heat and semi-final, Alan and Stewart were firmly in medal contention throughout a well-contested final but were narrowly edged into fourth place – still an impressive achievement on their Olympic debuts.

Alan spent 2015 in the men’s four and the season began in style as he, Scott Durant, Tom Ransley and Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell successfully defended GB’s title at the European Championships in Poznan.

After a fifth-placed finish at the Varese World Cup, the four missed out on the A final in Lucerne but raced well to finish third in the B final and place ninth overall.

Stewart Innes replaced Nathaniel for the World Championships in Aiguebelette, where the four rediscovered some of their early-season form to win a fine bronze medal.

Alan was also in the men’s four in 2013, along with Scott, Nathaniel and Matt Tarrant, and finished fourth on his GB debut at the World Cup in Sydney before winning silver at Eton Dorney. After placing tenth at the Lucerne World Cup, the four finished fifth overall at the World Championships in Chungju.

Alan started 2014 in the men’s pair with Nathaniel, finishing just outside the medals at the European Championships in Belgrade. He then helped the men’s eight win silver at the World Cup in Aiguebelette before joining Scott Durant and cox Henry Fieldman in the coxed pair for the remainder of the season. They produced strong performances to win silver medals at both the Lucerne World Cup and the World Championships in Amsterdam.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

A broken leg prevented Alan from making his GB Rowing Team debut at the 2012 European Championships but he had made an impression on the domestic stage by then.

He won gold in the double and quadruple scull for Leander Club at the 2008 Home Countries Match, then claimed three titles at the following year’s National Championships in 2009 before netting three gold, one silver and two bronze at the Commonwealth Regatta in 2010.

Alan also won the 2011 Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, breaking all of the course records in the process, and took the Double Sculls Challenge Cup in 2012 with John Collins.

Alan took up rowing at Inverness Rowing Club when he was 14.  He moved to Aberdeen for University and found himself “accidentally” walking in on a meeting that was to sign up to 10+ sessions a week and targeting Henley Royal Regatta. He reached the semi-finals of the Britannia Challenge Cup in 2005 and 2006.

He then moved to England to continue his studies at the University of East London, and was among the first rowers to represent the UEL Boat Club when it was formed in 2009.

In his spare time, Alan works part-time as head coach of the women’s squad at UCL Boat Club.  Prior to this, Alan coached several Oxford Colleges on the Isis for Torpids and Summer Eights racing.

Alan is Lottery funded through UK Sport.