Olympian joins as new Director of Rowing at the University

Tuesday 1 June 2021
Five people in a row, four holding giant oars
Left to right: Lydia Theos, Joseph White, Alan Sinclair, Lewis Gladwin, Ailsa Martin

Olympic rower Alan Sinclair has been appointed Director of Rowing at the University of St Andrews following a ten-year career rowing for Great Britain.

Alan joins the University from the Leander Club rowing team, bringing a wealth of experience to his new position at St Andrews.

He started his rowing career at Inverness rowing club aged 14, before joining the student team at the University of Aberdeen, and then the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames. It was there that he broke into the GB coaching team and joined them in 2012.

Alan made his Olympic debut at Rio in 2016, finishing fourth in the final of the men’s pair, and was also on the podium at two successive World Championships, in 2014 and 2015.

On his new appointment at the University, Alan said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed as Director of Rowing and am honoured and excited to become a part of this ambitious, dedicated and close-knit team. I am looking forward to using my experience to enable the athletes to make the most of their time at the University of St Andrews, and to support a developing programme.”

Lee Boucher, Scottish Rowing Head of Performance Pathway, said: “Alan has enjoyed an outstanding international career and has been an excellent role model for many across the Scottish Rowing community, particularly as his successes in the sport have often been against the odds and as a result of his grit, determination and hard work.

“We are delighted that he will be able to share some of his experiences as an Olympian with the students at the University of St Andrews in his new role as Director of Rowing and we look forward to working with him to improve opportunities and pathways for more young people.”

Deputy Director of Sport at the University of St Andrews, Ian Gaunt, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alan to the team at Saints Sport. Adding an Olympian with Alan’s knowledge and experience to the team demonstrates our ambitions for our rowing programme here at St Andrews.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with Scottish Rowing and are excited about the impact Alan will make as our Director of Rowing.”


University of St Andrews Boat Club

Founded in 1962, the University of St Andrews Boat Club is a relatively young rowing club compared to many others in the UK. When founder John Browne started the club, he had “no water, nobody to row with, no boat, and no oars”, but nevertheless was able to create what is now a high performance rowing club within Scotland and the UK.

Today the club is part of the University’s performance sport programme and welcomes rowers from all backgrounds and with different levels of experience. The Club caters for heavyweight, lightweight and novice rowers and currently supports four squads – Novice and Senior Men, and Novice and Senior Women. With just over 50 members, the club offers a high performance training programme within a close knit community.

Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office.

Category University news

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