Zac Purchase MBE

In 2010 Zac raced in the lightweight double with Mark Hunter for the first time since their Olympic victory in Beijing at the Munch World Cup.  In a tight race they won their final and a gold medal, in Lucerne they were fifth.  Zac had also raced in the first World Cup of the season in Bled winning the lightweight single.

Regrettably, Zac was ruled out of the 2009 competitive season due to illness.  However, at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials in Hazewinkel in April this year he proved he is back to good health, training hard and looking forward to competing in 2010, by winning the lightweight men's single sculls title in some style.  His time of 7:26.09 was almost 6 seconds clear of his nearest rival.   

In 2008 Zac raced in the lightweight men's double with Mark Hunter and they were the only crew in World Rowing to be unbeaten in every race.  They topped the World Cup series and produced majestic form at the Olympics to win GB's first ever lightweight medal and Olympic gold.  In the final they dominated the race to produce an emphatic victory. 

Zac won a bronze medal in the lightweight double scull at the 2007 World Championships.  He was the 2006 lightweight single's World Champion and won in the same class at the 2007 GB Rowing Team Senior Trials.  He is the World Record holder in this class, achieved at the World Championships final at Eton in August 2006, where he took the gold medal in front of a home crowd in an incredible time of 6:47.82.

He won silver in the lightweight men's double at the Linz World Cup in June 2007, silver in the lightweight men's double at the Amsterdam World Cup and bronze in the lightweight men's double at the Lucerne World Cup.

Having won the World U23 title in a lightweight single scull in 2005, he carried on to the World Championships later that year to take a world silver medal in the same boat class.

In his first major senior-level outing in Lucerne in June of 2006, he won a gold in the lightweight single scull, despite having missed much of the preceding winter's training with a wrist injury.  On the strength of that result and his 2005 achievements, he was selected to race for Great Britain in the lightweight single scull at the 2006 World Championships at Eton in August 2006 taking gold.

Zac has an engaging manner and is focused on success. He takes a keen interest in everything that happens around him.

Zac was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours list in recognition of his achievement.

Zac is Lottery Funded through UK Sport.