Alison Knowles

Alison was selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in the women's eight.  Alison helped the eight to qualify for the final but due to illness was unable to race in the final.

A former World U23 Champion, Alison won the women's pair with Natasha Howard at the 2007 GB Rowing Senior Trials in Belgium. They came 5th at the World Cup in Linz in June 2007 and 4th in the B Finals at the World Cup in Amsterdam. Recently Alison won a bronze medal in the eight at the 2007 World Rowing Championships. In the 2008 World Cup series she raced in the eight finishing 6th in Lucerne and 3rd in Poznan.

Alison took up rowing in 2000 at Exeter University and on moving to London in 2003 joined Thames Rowing Club where she was part of the successful High Performance Programme run by Gary Stubbs.

She became World U23 Champion in 2004 by producing an excellent row in the final, they demolished the field, leading by clear water after 500 metres to win an impressive and emphatic gold medal.

Alison, with her pair’s partner Beth Rodford, won the pairs' event at the GB Rowing Senior Trials in 2005 and raced in the pair and eight at the Eton World Cup Regatta winning a bronze in the eight.

Alison then switched to the four at the Lucerne World Cup Finals, taking bronze again. She went on to be part of the women's eight which performed so well at the 2005 World Championships, finishing 5th.

In the 2006 World Cup Series, the women's eight took another bronze in Poznan and finished 4th in the World Cup in Lucerne.

At the 2006 World Championships at Eton the GB women's eight finished eighth.

Alison is Lottery Funded through UK Sport.