At just 18, Alp Karadogan has already established himself as one of the most striking new talents in British rowing. A young athlete of extraordinary physique — he was already 2.01m before his 15th birthday and now stands at 2.06m — he has amassed titles with a composure and consistency that command respect. Two victories at the Henley Royal Regatta, including one secured at only 15, a junior world title in 2023, a silver medal in 2024, two national crowns, two wins at the Head of the Charles, and a near-constant presence among the country’s top junior oarsmen.
Karadogan’s story in rowing truly begins at St Paul’s School, the London institution whose reputation in the sport needs no introduction. It was there that he caught the early attention of Bobby Thatcher, former Olympian and now one of the most respected schoolboy coaches in the country, renowned for his demanding standards, his instinctive eye for talent, and his ability to mould crews capable of shining on the biggest stages. In 2022, Thatcher approached him directly, convinced that the teenager possessed exceptional potential despite his lack of experience and the natural technical limitations of a young athlete still learning his craft. The season ahead was an unusual one: the senior squad was thin, meaning several J16s and J15s would be required to build a competitive first eight. Within that context, the idea of placing a 15-year-old in a Henley boat bordered on boldness — if not outright gamble. But Thatcher, true to form, made no promises. He prefers to observe, test, and judge. And Karadogan, very quickly, showed enough to be thrown in at the deep end.
His first campaign at the Henley Royal Regatta was unlike any other. The defining moment came against Shiplake, in a match-race where St Paul’s trailed by a length after barely a minute. Aware of the danger, perhaps still naïve in terms of pacing but already driven by a raw competitive instinct, the young Karadogan unleashed a violent surge after 600 metres — a sprint entirely unorthodox at that point in the course. For more than a minute he produced a colossal effort, with the gap refusing to budge. Midway down the track, cox James Trotman called for a decisive push. The boat lifted, found a second wind, and began to claw back distance, seat by seat. Behind, Karadogan continued to empty himself. St Paul’s eventually crossed a length ahead, an heroic comeback that left the teenager utterly spent, collapsed in a chair for nearly an hour afterwards. That day, he learnt what the sport truly demands; that day, St Paul’s realised it had unearthed a competitor of rare temperament.
Meanwhile, his ergometer numbers caused a stir across the rowing landscape. He broke the junior records for the 2,000m, 5,000m, and 30-minute tests, confirming a blend of power, endurance and aerobic engine well beyond the ordinary. Predictably, this drew interest from American universities and, of course, from British selectors.
Three years with the British Team, three World Championship medals — and already a place in junior history
Karadogan’s rise with the United Kingdom has mirrored the rest of his journey: intense, rapid, and underpinned by constant performance standards. He made his international debut at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Paris, returning home with gold in the eight. Even in his first year he became a stabilising presence, capable of sustaining consistent power throughout the race. In 2024, he returned for a second World Championships in Canada, this time in the coxless four, and claimed silver after a fiercely contested final. Observers were quick to note his versatility and his ability to adapt seamlessly to contrasting crew dynamics.
But it was in 2025, his final junior year, that Karadogan delivered the defining chapter of his young career. Racing in the pair with long-time training partner Patrick Wild — a teammate with whom he had logged hundreds of hours at St Paul’s — the British duo arrived in Trakai, Lithuania, as natural favourites. Their real advantage, however, lay not just in raw power or international mileage but in something often absent from junior pairs assembled by major nations: deep, long-term cohesion.
The final produced a dramatic narrative. Trailing Australia for much of the race, Wild and Karadogan refused to let the gap stretch. Only in the closing 500 metres did they unleash their decisive move — timed to perfection, relentless in intensity. They edged ahead, held off a desperate Australian response — despite Wild “starting to blow in the last five strokes” — and crossed in 7:02.22 to take gold. The victory carried particular resonance: the United Kingdom had not won the junior pair at a World Championships since 1988, when Tim Foster and Matthew Pinsent first wrote their names into the sport’s history. Karadogan’s achievement completes one of the most remarkable junior careers in recent memory. Three World Championship appearances, three medals, two world titles. The numbers alone speak to a generational prospect — one likely to shape the years ahead as much as the ones he has already dominated.
The presence of Matthew Pinsent among those watching was no small detail. Four-time Olympic champion and one of British rowing’s most towering figures, Pinsent remains a model for generations of aspiring athletes. To see a legend of his stature take note of Karadogan’s rise lends an added weight to the teenager’s trajectory — a subtle indication of just how far he may go.
Rowing is, above all, a collective endeavour, yet some athletes possess the rare ability to elevate an entire programme. At only 18, Alp Karadogan is already showing the qualities of such a rower. And while his story is still in its earliest chapters, it is hard to escape the sense that his impact on British rowing could be felt far sooner than anyone might have predicted.
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