Zac Purchase
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Zachary Jake Nicholas Purchase | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
2 May 1986 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 11 st (70 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's rowing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Lightweight Double Sculls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Marlow Rowing Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Zachary Jake Nicholas 'Zac' Purchase MBE (born 2 May 1986) is an English rower.
Biography
Born in Cheltenham, Purchase started rowing in 1999 whilst a pupil at the King's School, Worcester.[1]
Purchase married long term partner Felicity Purchase-Hill (née Hill), also a former pupil and rower at the King's School, Worcester, shortly after the 2012 Summer Olympics at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The wedding was covered by Hello and published in Issue 1242 on 10 September 2012.
Career
Purchase competed at the Junior World Rowing Championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2005 he competed on the World Cup circuit in the lightweight men's single sculls, finishing fourth at Dorney Lake and second at Munich-Oberschleissheim. Purchase became under-23 world champion at the 2005 world U-23 championships in Amsterdam, before taking silver at the 2005 World Rowing Championships at Gifu, Japan. In 2006, Purchase continued in the lightweight men's single and won his first World Cup event at Lucerne, before becoming the World Champion at the 2006 World Rowing Championships at Dorney Lake setting a new World Record.
In 2007 he partnered Mark Hunter in the Great Britain Lightweight Men's Double Scull. They medalled at each World Cup Regatta through the season. At the World Rowing Championships in Munich-Oberschleissheim they won a Bronze medal. The following year, their double dominated the lightweight event, winning all of their races, and finishing the season as Olympic champions in Beijing, setting a new Olympic Record. After a year off in 2009, he and Hunter won Gold at the 2010 World Championships at Lake Karapiro in New Zealand.
Purchase was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to sport and collected his award in June of that year.[2]
On 27 November 2008, Zac Purchase officially named an eight rowing boat at The King's School, Worcester in honour of his olympic gold-medal win.
Achievements
Olympics
- 2012 London – Silver, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2008 Beijing – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
World Championships
- 2011 Bled – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow) with Mark Hunter
- 2010 Lake Karapiro – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2007 Munich – Bronze, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2006 Eton – Gold, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2005 Gifu – Silver, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2005 Amsterdam – Gold, Lightweight Single Scull (U23 World Championships)
World Cups
- 2012 Belgrade - Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2010 Bled - Gold, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2008 Poznań – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2008 Lucerne – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2008 Munich – Gold, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2007 Lucerne – Bronze, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2007 Amsterdam – Silver, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2007 Linz – Silver, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)
- 2006 Lucerne – Gold, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2005 Munich – Silver, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2005 Eton – 4th, Lightweight Single Scull
World Under 23 Championships
- 2005 Amsterdam - Gold, Lightweight Single Scull
GB Rowing Team Senior Trails
- 2011 - 1st, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2010 - 1st, Lightweight Single Scull
- 2007 - 1st, Lightweight Single Scull
References
- ↑ Tozer, Malcolm, ed. (2012). Physical Education and Sport in Independent Schools. John Catt Educational Ltd. p. 289. ISBN 9781908095442.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58929. p. 21. 31 December 2008.