Alan Edwards

An apprentice bricklayer who started canoeing at the age of 16, Alan Edwards was a reserve for the Great Britain kayak fours that reached the semi-final at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Four years later, the squad again reached the semis via the repêchage, but this time Edwards was a crew member along with Alistair Wilson, Michael Mean and Laurence Oliver. Just a few weeks before the Mexico Olympics, the Great Britain kayak finished second in the Bremen International Regatta involving the cream of the European crews, including Norway, who went on to win Olympic gold six weeks later.

Edwards, who also gained selection for the 1963, 1966 and 1970 World Championships, and the 1965 and 1967 Europeans, was the national junior pairs champion with Geoffrey Palmer in 1963. Edwards was third each year in the national K-1 championships between 1962-64, but went on to win many national titles including the K-2 with his Olympic team-mate Laurence Oliver

Edwards later competed successfully in veterans´ races and was still wining titles into his 50s, including the 1991 K-4 500 and 1,000 metres titles. Sadly, he died of cancer at the age of 58 in 2002. A former chairman of the Worcester Canoe Club, Edwards devoted 40 years of his life to them as a racer, coach, and administrator. He also did a lot of the organisation of the National Marathon Championships.