Purcell-Gilpin finished 16 out of 33 rowers in the single sculls competition of the FISA World Junior Championships in Bulgaria last weekend. The Peterhouse schoolboys, Johnson and Faber, finished 22 out of 33 participants in the doubles sculls.
Rowing Coach Craig Peebles told The Zimbabwean the result is “quite a good and promising start” for the local rowers, which will lay a foundation for future competitions like the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
“It is definitely a step in the right direction, they have gained so much experience and now know what it takes to achieve at high levels. They can now start training for high profile tournaments,” said Peebles.
This year Purcell-Gilpin has travelled to South Africa, Spain and Italy after invites by FISA to participate at two training camps. At the South African Junior Championships last February in the open singles’ and Open doubles’ regatta, he won two bronze medals.
The St Georges prefect has also raced in Austria and Germany.
Rowing was one of the only four sports that saw Zimbabwe fielding athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, earlier this month. The other three sports were marathon, triathlon and swimming.
Coming from an economically troubled country, rowers Micheen Thornycroft and James Fraser-McKenzie did well by finishing 14 and 30respectively, during their debut appearance competing against the world’s best athletes pampered with a lot of corporate support.
Post published in: Sport
Trying to locate Michael Purcell Gilpin. Ex farmer from Zimbabwe and moved to Argentina. He visited us in Florida and we’re back in Australia. Russell and Maria Snook