Kiwi rowing hero Mahe Drysdale's very good British mate Alan Campbell has been confirmed a definite starter for the November Billy Webb Rowing Challenge on the Whangaui River.

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Recent Achievements:

• 2010 World Cups; Silver
• 2009 World Championships; Silver
• 2008 Olympic Games; 5th
• 2005-2010 GB Rowing Team Senior Trials; 1st

Silver medallist at last years world championships behind Mahe Drysdale.

Alan is GB's leading single sculler and has established himself as a strong and respected competitor in the solo world of the men's single. He won his sixth successive title at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials in Hazewinkel in April this year.

Alan raced in all three 2010 World Cups, taking silver behind Ondrej Synek at both Bled and Lucerne, and in Munich he finished 5th.

In the 2009 World Cup series he showed himself to be in the top rank, winning in Banyoles and taking silver in Munich against the Olympic medalists from Beijing. At the World Championships in Poznan Alan led for the first 750m of his final before Mahe Drysdale from New Zealand moved through just before half way. Rowing a tactically astute race Alan stalked Drysdale in the third quarter and despite closing the gap with a final attack, he could not quite catch him, finishing just under a second behind gold with both scullers beating the former World's Best Time. An excellent performance.

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

He made his GB debut at the World U23 Championships in 2003 where he raced in the single scull, finishing 8th. This was no mean achievement as he was selected in the double and switched to the single just five days before the regatta when his partner became ill and was unable to race. A month before, Alan had made his mark by winning the Diamond Sculls at Henley.

Alan represented GB in the quad at the Olympic Games in 2004 and was a member of GB's first ever World Cup medal winning men's quad in 2005. In 2006 he raced in the single, winning the overall World Cup series and finishing 6th at the the World Championships. He stepped up again at the 2007 Worlds with a medal zone finish in 4th place.

In 2008 Alan made a great start to his Olympic season by winning the World Cup in Munich ahead of the 2007 silver and bronze medallists from Norway and the Czech Republic. At the Lucerne World Cup he was placed 4th. However, he then suffered an infection which seriously affected his knee, requiring surgery, and meant it was "touch and go" whether he would race at the Olympics at all.

With fantastic back up from the medical and science teams, and strength of character from Alan and his coach Bill Barry, Alan raced in Beijing. Once there he claimed his place in the A Final finishing a creditable 5th.