Alastair Mckean

Alastair McKean is a British rowing champion and Olympic speaker. Alastair found his love for rowing back in 1990 when he took up the sport as a teenager, rowing at Herne Bay. Tragically, however, Alastair was a victim to a traffic accident that left him with debilitating injuries. He collided with a truck when he was riding his motorbike, breaking his arm in eight places and severing many nerves. As a result of the accident, Alastair was left with little feeling in his arm, putting his passion for rowing in jeopardy.

After injuring his arm he was in rehabilitation for two years, during which he trained as a teacher. He began teaching History and Geography at Canterbury High, before leaving to pursue a career in rowing full time.

Alastair did not let his injury stop him from following his passion. In 2005 he was invited to join Great Britain’s Adaptive Rowing Team. This allowed him to fulfill his passion for rowing whilst accommodating for his injuries. Alastair’s first victory came when he competed at the 2005 World Championships, with the team winning a gold medal. A year later at the 2006 World Championships, his team took gold again, and in 2007 they took home a silver.

2008 holds Alastair’s most prominent achievement, competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as part of the Paralympic Rowing team. The team went on to win a bronze medal in the competition. Another competition that brought Alastair success was the first World Cup Regatta in 2007, where he won another gold medal. Alastair has also been awarded the Disabled Sports Person of the Year award at the BBC South East Sports Awards for his commitment to the sport.

Due to this success at the Olympics, Alastair has become prominent with the general public. It also helped to land Alastair a career in Olympic speaking, speaking at a range of corporate events up and down the country. He often visits schools to advise and help people with achieving fitness and healthy living. Alastair uses his personal life experiences and expertise to inspire and motivate those around him.