Alastair Heathcote

To offset his studies, he began rowing for fun. What was supposed to be recreational activity rekindled his passion, and Heathcoat began working towards his Master’s degree at Oxford Brooke University so that he could row on the team there.

He joined the army in 2001 and was commissioned into the Blues and Royals regiment. Whilst he was in Bosnia and Iraq he trained on an ergo that had been flown to the camp in Basra. Due to the patrol programme, that Heathcote was assigned to and the very hot temperatures, it often meant that he had to complete his ergo at 3.00 am with his rifle, body armour and helmet to hand, in case of attack.

After completing this tour, Heathcote taught tank gunnery in Dorset, where he found himself instructing Olympic rower and international medallist Robin Bourne–Taylor, who was undergoing army officer training.

They decided to try for GB selection in the autumn of 2006 and managed to balance the demands of a full time military career with rowing under the coaching of Jonny Singfield, himself a former GB international and medallist. The Army has now allowed Heathcote to train full time with the GB Squad.

Heathcoat won a bronze medal in the eight at the 2007 World Rowing Championships, his first GB selection. This followed a strong World Cup series which included a bronze medal in Amsterdam. In the 2008 World Cup series, he raced in the eight finishing third in Lucerne and first in Poznan.

Last Updated August 2009