Alan Campbell born in 1983 from Coleraine, Northern Ireland is The Great Britain Rowing Team's single sculler finishing 5th at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Single sculling is regarded as rowing toughest event both physically and mentally. Put simply, it is a sport for tough characters. Alan, as an excellent speaker communicates to clients that there are ‘no short cuts to success.’

At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 Alan placed 5th and is amongst the favourites aiming to win Olympic Gold at the 2012 Games in London.

His results and physiological improvements leading up to Beijing which included defeating the reigning Olympic and World champion in 2006 and 2007 indicated that he was on course to make his dream a reality. In the months proceeding Beijing Alan was unlucky to require an operation to his knee which impacted on his final preparations for the 2008 Games.

Alan has a fantastic chance and real prospect of winning the Olympic Gold Medal in London at the 2012 Games.


“Single sculls is the blue riband of rowing, the event that Sir Steve Redgrave admitted was too tough for him. Britain has not had an Olympic gold medal-winner since Jack Beresford in 1924 and Campbell will have some stern competitors in Beijing, not least Mahe Drysdale, the three-times world champion from New Zealand, but if medals were given for determination, Campbell would be near the top of the pile already.” Patrick Kidd – Daily Telegraph 31/12/2007

Background

Alan started rowing at Coleraine Academical Institution School, for Boys, in his hometown in Northern Ireland and was then 'found' by Tideway Scullers School in London (where he is currently based) and encouraged to aim high through their development programme.

In 2003, Alan realising his potential opportunity as an oarsman left his degree and a career in the Army at Sandhurst and won the prestigious Diamond Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta. He then made his international debut at the World U23 Championships in 2003, where he was forced to switch from the double to the single sculls five days before the regatta when his sculling partner became ill. Despite this he finished 8th.

He competed in the quadruple sculls at the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing in 12th place. In 2005, Campbell won the men's single at the GB Selection Trials, and raced in the men's quad for the World Cup series, winning the bronze at Lucerne regatta.

In 2006, Campbell switched to competing in the men's heavyweight single, and shocked the rowing world by winning the overall World Cup ahead of the reigning Olympic and World Champions.

Alan continues to be encouraged and supported by his mentor, Bill Barry, an Olympic rowing silver medallist in 1964 in the men's four.

Alan is Lottery Funded through a UK Sport Performance Grant and the kind sponsorship of Jones Lang LaSalle.

Great Britain Results:

Olympic Games
2004 12th quadruple scull
2008 5th single scull

World Rowing Championships
2007 4th single scull
2006 6th single scull
2005 7th quadruple scull

World U23 Championships
2003 8th single scull

Speaking

Alan talks about the pure drive and motivation that burns inside him to achieve his goal. In his case this is to be Olympic Champion. There are no shortcuts to success, if you want to succeed then you can but you must set your goals and put in the hard work to achieve them. No one owes you anything, success is down to what you want to achieve and those that want something enough will usually achieve.

Alan recognises the importance of working with a team around him and the knowledge and inspiration that they provide him and he gives back to them. There are all sorts of messages that Alan can tailor to a specific audience from setting goals, dealing and learning from mistakes, understanding and respecting your competition, importance of working with others for support and ultimately performing at one’s best.


Daily Telegraph 31st December 2007

Sound of Paul McCartney and sands of home help toughen up single-minded Alan Campbell

Dunes of Portrush can lead to Beijing gold; British sculler hopes to end 84-year wait

Patrick Kidd

A prediction for 2008: Saturday, August 16 and the finalists for the men’s single sculls are on the start line at the Shunyi Olympic Park in Beijing. As the tension rises, the sound of jingling bells and electronic 'boinks' can be heard coming from the Great Britain entry. A serene Ulsterman is in his boat, listening to music and singing, 'The mood is right, the spirit’s up . . .'

Athletes prepare in different ways, but surely no one but Alan Campbell would psyche themself up by listening to Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney. He says that it reminds him of the hard work he has put in during the winter for his tilt at glory.

Most athletes, even rowers, grant themselves a day or two of light training over Christmas. But Campbell was up at 6.30 on Christmas morning to run up and down frost-covered sand dunes on the bleak Northern Ireland coast for five miles before returning to open his presents and go to church.“We’re using it to make him tougher,” Bill Barry, his coach, said.For the past three Christmases, Campbell, 23, has run on the Portrush sand before a bracing dip in the Atlantic Ocean. Then the hard work starts: 40 minutes of shuttle runs, carrying 50kg bags of sand back and forth on a 40-metre course before finishing by sawing a felled telegraph pole. “Bill found a massive bow saw and I do ten saws left hand, ten saws right and so on,” Campbell said. “It may sound Rocky-esque but it’s hard work. At least it provides logs for Dad’s fire.”The inspiration came from Olaf Tufte, the Norwegian who won gold in the single sculls at the Athens Olympics in 2004. “Tufte is a farmer who has built up strength by working on his farm,” Barry said. “I want Alan to become as tough as if he had been born a peasant. It gives him mental toughness, too. Every time he runs up that dune on Christmas Day, he thinks that his rivals probably aren’t doing this.”

Campbell’s relationship with Barry, who won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympics in the coxless four, began in 2002. Campbell was rowing for the Army, having been offered a place at Sandhurst. Barry watched him on the Thames and thought Campbell was good, if not exceptional. “He needed a lot of technical changes,” Barry said. “But then I talked to him and discovered his immense commitment.”

Campbell said: “The first time I met Bill, I told him I wanted to be Olympic champion. I was being cocky, trying to catch him off guard, but he was deadly serious and said, ‘OK, you can be if you do what I tell you, starting with losing weight.’ ” The Army career was abandoned and, although Campbell is training in commercial property investment with his sponsor, Jones Lang LaSalle, Beijing became his driving force. A year after meeting Barry, Campbell won the Diamond Sculls at Henley. In 2004 he rowed in the quad in Athens, coming twelfth, before winning the Munich World Cup in 2006 on his debut as a single sculler on his way to winning the overall World Cup series.

This year he has won silver medals in World Cup events in Linz, Austria, and Lucerne, Switzerland, but his preparations for the World Championships were hampered by a knee injury and he came fourth. To protect his troublesome knee, Campbell will not join the men’s team on a cross-country skiing tour in St Moritz, the Swiss resort, next month. Instead he will fly to Seville in Spain on Friday to train with the women’s and lightweight squads.

Single sculls is the blue riband of rowing, the event that Sir Steve Redgrave admitted was too tough for him. Britain has not had an Olympic gold medal-winner since Jack Beresford in 1924 and Campbell will have some stern competitors in Beijing, not least Mahe Drysdale, the three-times world champion from New Zealand, but if medals were given for determination (and tolerance of saccharine Christmas songs), Campbell would be near the top of the pile already.