Alexander Purnell

Last updated

Alexander Purnell
OAM
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1995-01-30) 30 January 1995 (age 28)
St Leonards, New South Wales Australia
Education Shore School
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight88 kg (194 lb)
Sport
CountryAustralia
Sport Rowing
Event(s)M4x
Club Sydney Uni Boat Club
Achievements and titles
National finals King's Cup 2017 - 2022
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Coxless four
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2018 Plovdiv Quadruple sculls
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Račice Coxless four

Alexander (Steve) Purnell OAM (born 30 January 1995) is an Australian rower. He is an Olympic and national champion who has represented at underage and senior world championships. In 2018 in an Australian eight, he won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. He rowed in the bow seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics. [1]

Contents

Varsity, club and state rowing

Purnell began his rowing career at Shore School in Sydney. His senior club rowing has been from the Sydney University Boat Club.

Purnell competed for the SUBC at the 2014 and 2015 Intervarsity Championships. In 2014, he rowed in the Sydney University eight and a coxed four and won both titles. [2] In 2015 he rowed in the double scull and the eight and took the title in the eight. [3] With Marcus Britt he won the open men's national coxless pair title at the 2023 Australian Rowing Championships. [4] At the 2023 Australian Rowing Championships he won the open coxless four national title in an all SUBC crew. [5]

He first made state selection for New South Wales in the 2013 youth eight contesting the Noel Wilkinson Trophy at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. [6] He again raced in the New South Wales youth eight in 2014 and 2015, rowing to an Interstate championship victory in 2015. [7]

In 2017, he was selected to stroke the New South Wales senior men's eight competing for the King's Cup at the Interstate Regatta. Purnell raced in three consecutive King's Cup victories for New South Wales from 2017 to 2019 [8] He rowed in the seat behind his older brother Nicholas Purnell in those 2018 and 2019 victories. [9] Nicholas is himself an Australian representative and Olympian rower and was selected as a 2021 Tokyo Olympian. In Tokyo the brothers became the first to row in the same Australian Olympic squad since the Stewart brothers. [10] Alex again rowed in the New South Wales men's King's Cup eights of 2021, 2022 and 2023, stroking the 2022 and 23 crews to victory. [11]

International representative rowing

Alex Purnell made his Australian representative debut in 2013 in a junior quad scull which contested the 2013 Junior World Rowing Championships in Trakai to an eleventh place finish. [12] In 2015 he was selected in an U23 quad scull which competed at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Plovdiv and rowed to a bronze medal. [12] The following year at the 2016 World Rowing U23 Championships in Rotterdam he was seated in the Australian U23 eight which raced to a seventh place finish. [12]

2017 saw Purnell elevated to the Australian senior squad and into the men's eight. He raced in the eight at two World Rowing Cups in Europe and then at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota to a seventh placing. [8]

Purnell was selected in the Australian squad for their 2018 international tour. He rowed in the quad scull to a fourth place at the World Rowing Cup II in Linz, Austria. [12] In the touring party's second regatta of the 2018 season Purnell was seated in the Australian men's eight racing as the Georgina Hope Rinehart National Training Centre, in honour of Rowing Australia patron, Gina Rinehart. That eight won the 2018 Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta [13] - the fourth Australian men's eight to ever do so. He was back in the Australian quad for the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv. That crew placed third in their heat and then in the repechage they went out hard and alongside New Zealand they surprised the Lithuanian world champions knocking them out of the final. In the final the Australian quad rowed through most of the field from the 1000m mark and finished in second place for a silver world championship medal. [12]

In 2019, he was selected with Caleb Antill, David Watts and Cameron Girdlestone to row Australia's quad scull for the 2019 international season. They placed 2nd at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan and 4th at WRC III in Rotterdam. [12] Purnell was then selected to race in the Australian men's eight at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria. [14] The eight were looking for a top five finish at the 2019 World Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. [15] The eight placed second in their heat and fourth in the final and qualified for Tokyo 2020. [12]

By the time of national team selections in 2021 for the delayed Tokyo Olympics, Purnell had forced his way into the Australian coxless four, which had qualified for the Olympics on 2019 performances. Purnell was selected to join the former two-time world champions Jack Hargreaves, Alexander Hill and Spencer Turrin in that boat. [16] This combination had won the 2021 Australian national title in the coxless four. [17]

In Tokyo the Australian coxless four won their heat and progressed straight to the A final where they held a lead from the first 500m, and were being challenged by the British four who lost their steering and control in the final 500m. With Purnell steering straight and true from the bow seat the Australians kept their composure and held off the Romanians in a tight finish, taking the gold in an Olympic best time. [12]

In March 2022 Purnell, Hargreaves, Turrin and Jack O'Brien were selected as the men's four in the Australian team for the 2022 international season and the 2022 World Rowing Championships. [18] They took gold at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan in June, won the Stewards Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in July and a week later finished second at the WRC III in Lucerne. [19] At the 2022 World Rowing Championships at Racize, he rowed in the Australian coxless four to a silver medal. [12]

With Alex Hill's renewed intention, in March 2023 selectors picked Purnell, Turrin, Hargreaves and Hill as the Australian coxless four for the 2023 international season and world championship preparation. [20] At the Rowing World Cup II in Varese, Italy they raced as Australia's M4- entrant. They made the A final and won the silver medal behind the Great Britain four. [12] At 2023's RWC III in Lucerne, that unchanged four again raced the M4-. They won their heat and semi but again were beaten into second place by Great Britain in the A final. [12] That crew was selected intact as Australia's coxless four for the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade Serbia. They placed second in their heat. [12] They placed 3rd in the A/B semi-final at which point they qualified an Australian M4- boat for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the A final the Australian four finished fifth, giving them a fifth place world ranking from the regatta. [12]

Accolades

In the 2022 Australia Day Honours Purnell was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. [21]

Personal

He is the partner of frontline worker, Laura Triggs.

Related Research Articles

Olympia Aldersey is an Australian rower. She is an Australian national champion, a dual Olympian and was a 2019 World Champion in the coxless four. In 2014 she set a world's fastest ever time (6:37.31) in a women's double scull over 2000m, a record which has stood since. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Jane Robinson is an Australian former rower - a national champion, three-time World Champion and triple Olympian. She competed at the Summer Olympics in 1996, 2000 and 2004; and at World Rowing Championships in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003. She won World Championships as both a sculler and a sweep-oared rower. She attended Toorak College in Mount Eliza, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Purnell</span> Australian rower

Nicholas Purnell is an Australian representative and dual Olympian rower. He is a national champion, who has competed at seven world championships and in the men's eight event at the 2012 London and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Spencer Alf Turrin is an Australian representative rower. He is a national champion, twice world champion, a dual Olympian and an Olympic champion. He competed and won medals in the Australian senior men's coxless four at every World Rowing Championship from 2013 to 2018, culminating in consecutive world championship gold at Sarasota 2017 and 2018 Plovdiv. He rowed in the two seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Alexander Hill is an Australian representative rower. He is an Australian national champion, a dual Olympian, an Olympic gold and silver medallist and was the 2017 and 2018 world champion in the coxless four. He stroked the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Molly Goodman is an Australian rower. She is a national champion, a dual Olympian and a world champion winning the 2017 world title in a coxless four. She stroked the Australian eight to victory in the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta. She stroked the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Joshua Hicks is an Australian representative rower. He is an Olympian and a two-time world champion who won gold in the coxless four at the 2017 World Rowing Championships and defended that title at Plovdiv in 2018. He competed in the Australian men's coxless pair at Tokyo 2021.

Jack Hargreaves is an Australian representative rower and a world and an Olympic champion. He won consecutive world championships in the coxless four at the 2017 World Rowing Championships, then successfully defended that title at 2018 Plovdiv. He rowed in the three seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sarah Hawe is an Australian rower. She is an Australian national champion, an Olympian and a two-time world champion winning the 2019 and 2017 world titles in the coxless four. She was a winner of the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta in the Australian women's eight. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Rosemary Popa is an Australian national champion rower, Olympic gold medalist, and former rower for the University of California, Berkeley. A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, she has represented both countries at World Rowing Championships, twice winning medals for Australia. She won the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta in the Australian women's eight. In 2021, she was selected to represent Australia in the coxless four event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, where she won the gold medal.

Chris Shinners is an Australian rower. He was a six-time Australian champion who represented at world championships and competed in the men's coxless pair event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Timothy Masters is an Australian rower. He is a national champion, a representative and silver medallist at World Championships, and a three-time silver medallist at World Rowing U23 Championships. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Simon Keenan is an Australian representative rower. He is a national champion, a silver medal winner at world championships and is an Olympian. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Caleb Antill is an Australian representative rower. He is an Olympian, a multiple Australian national champion, was a 2016 U23 world champion and has represented at World Rowing Championships, winning medals in 2018 and 2022. He raced in the Australian men's quad scull at Tokyo 2021 to a bronze medal.

Campbell Watts is an Australian rower. He is an Australian national champion who participated at the 2018 World Rowing Championships, where he won a silver medal.

Sholto Carnegie is a British representative rower. He is an Olympian and a two-time world champion in the Great Britain men's eight.

Joseph "Jack" O'Brien is an Australian representative rower. He is an Australian national champion, has represented and won a silver medal at senior world championships and has won several gold medals at World Rowing Cups. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Luke Letcher is an Australian representative rower - a national champion, an underage world champion and an Olympian. He won a world title at the 2016 World Rowing U23 Championships in Australia's U23 quad scull. He raced in the Australian men's quad scull at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to a bronze medal.

Hamish Parry is a former Australian representative lightweight rower. He was a nine-time national champion in both sculling and sweep-oared crews and has sculled at underage and senior world championships from 2013 to 2021.

Amanda Bateman is an Australian representative rower. She is a national champion, has represented at underage and senior world championships and is a 2021 Tokyo Olympian where she competed in the Australian women's double-scull.

References

  1. ↑ 2021 Australian Olympic Crews
  2. ↑ "2014 Intervarsity Championships". Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "2015 Intervarsity Championships". Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  4. ↑ 2023 Australian Rowing Championships results
  5. ↑ 2023 Australian Championships
  6. ↑ "2013 Interstate Regatta". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "2015 Interstate Regatta". Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  8. 1 2 "2017 Interstate Regatta". Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ↑ 2018 King's Cup results
  10. ↑ "Firmed Australian 2021 crews". Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ↑ 2023 Australian Rowing Championships
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Purnell at World Rowing
  13. ↑ "2018 Australian Henley victories". Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  14. ↑ 2019 WRC entry list
  15. ↑ "2019 World Championship selections". Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  16. ↑ Rowing Australia 2021 Olympic Team
  17. ↑ 2021 Australian Championships
  18. ↑ "Australian Rowing Team Named for 2022 World Rowing Cups". 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Henley 2022". Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  20. ↑ 2023 Australian Squad announcement
  21. ↑ "Australia Day Honours List" (PDF). The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.