Nick Purnell

Sydney University Boat Club (NSW)

Nick Purnell was born in Sydney in 1990 and attended Shore School, where he won the 2008 Head of the River in the seven seat of the first eight. After graduating in 2009, Nick rowed for the Sydney University Boat Club, quickly making his way into their U23 eight and winning the national title over Melbourne University. He gained selection for the U23 Australian men’s eight, marking his first international racing experience, where he finished a close fourth, just missing a medal.

2010 was Nick's breakout year. Still competing in the U23 category, he raced in both open and U23 events in Australia, winning the U23 men’s eight and four at the national championships, as well as the open coxless four. He also participated in his first King's Cup, a competition he would be part of for nearly a decade. Nick was selected for the men’s four at World Cup II, where his crew won gold—his first international medal. The four was then moved into the men’s eight for World Cup III, where they finished just behind the Germans. Along with three other members from the senior eight, Nick went to the U23 World Championships in the men’s four as strong favorites. However, illness struck the crew before the regatta. They managed to advance through the early rounds but finished third in the final, earning a bronze medal. Nick still had more racing in 2010, competing at the senior World Championships in the eight, where the crew finished third in the A final.

2010 National Championships Under 23 Eight - Nick back row second from left

Final of the 2010 World Championships Australia Third

In 2011, Nick secured another King's Cup victory at the nationals before heading overseas in the men’s four with Dunkley-Smith, Loch, and Ginn. The crew struggled at their first regatta, finishing in the B final and coming seventh at World Cup III. With the Olympics approaching, the four needed a top nine finish to secure a spot for the Games. They found their form at the World Championships, making the A final and finishing third, earning a bronze medal and a spot in the Olympics.

2012 saw Nick win his third King's Cup for New South Wales before heading to Europe for the racing season. In the men’s eight at the first regatta, the crew finished sixth before going to World Cup III, where they picked up a silver medal in the last race before the Olympics. At the London Olympics, Nick stroked the men’s eight to a sixth-place finish in a tightly contested race; the difference between second and sixth was less than two seconds, and the Australian men’s eight missed a medal by just 0.5 seconds.

After the Olympics, Nick transitioned from sweep rowing to sculling to try something new. He raced in the men’s quad at the nationals and won another King's Cup, bringing his total to four. He finished third at World Cup I in the quad, fourth at World Cup II, and thirteenth at World Cup III. Due to an injury to one of his quad teammates, the crew split into a double, while Nick raced in the single at the World Championships, where he placed fourteenth.

In 2014, Nick secured his fifth King's Cup and seventh overall for New South Wales. He continued sculling that season, racing the single at World Cup I and finishing sixth in the A final before competing at Henley and the Holland Beker, where he finished third. He placed tenth at World Cup III and ended his second sculling season thirteenth at the World Championships.

2014 King's Cup win with Nick fourth from left

In 2015, Nick switched back to sweep and was selected for the men’s eight at Henley, where they were knocked out by the British eight on Saturday. At World Cup III, the eight placed fifth in the A final, which was promising for the World Championships. However, after Alex Lloyd from the men’s four was involved in a bike crash, the crew was reshuffled. At the World Championships, Nick raced in the eight, finishing ninth and missing qualification for the Rio Olympics. In 2016, he was again selected for the men’s eight that competed at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, where they needed a top two finish to secure a spot in the Olympics. The crew finished fourth, missing the last two spots for the Games.

After 2016, Nick took a year off from rowing and enjoyed some time away from the sport, having been on the national team since 2009, right after finishing school. When he returned in 2018, he won his sixth King's Cup and was selected for the men’s eight, placing fifth at World Cup II and winning silver at World Cup III, just behind the Germans. At that World Championships, the Australian men’s eight set a heat time of 5:19.25, making them the fastest Australian eight of all time. In the A final, the crew delivered an impressive performance in the third quarter and claimed the silver medal in a close finish.

2018 World Championships - Nick front row left

In 2019, Nick won the men’s coxless four and another King's Cup, bringing his total to seven wins. He was selected for the men’s four for the international season again, and the crew won both World Cup II and III convincingly. Following a reshuffle after World Cup III, the new four went to the World Championships, where they were the fastest crew in the semi-final, qualifying for the A final and securing a spot for the Tokyo Olympics. However, in the final, the crew didn’t achieve their usual fast start and struggled during the race, finishing sixth.

2019 World Cup winners -- Nick second from right

In 2021, Nick and New South Wales lost to Victoria in the King's Cup by just 0.1 seconds, which would have given Nick his eighth King's Cup win and made him the most decorated NSW King's Cup athlete. Due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing the Australian team from traveling before the Olympics, Nick only raced the eight at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing sixth in the A final. This was Nick's final race, and he retired soon after the Games, having enjoyed a successful career.

Some rowing highlights

2008 AAGPS Head of the River First Eight – First

2009 National Championship U23 Men’s Eight – First

2009 Under 23 World Rowing Championships Men’s Eight – Fourth

2010 National Championship U23 Men’s Coxless Four – First

2010 National Championship U23 Men’s Eight - First

2010 National Championship Open Men’s Coxless Four – First

2010 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2010 World Rowing Cup II Men’s Four – First

2010 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Eight – Second

2010 Under 23 World Rowing Championships – Third

2010 World Rowing Championships Men’s Eight - Third

2011 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2011 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Four – Seventh

2011 World Rowing Championships Men’s Four – Third

2012 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2012 World Rowing Cup II Men’s Eight – Sixth

2012 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Eight – Second

2012 London Olympic Games Men’s Eight – Sixth

2013 National Championship Men’s Quad – First

2013 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2013 World Rowing Cup I Men’s Quad – Third

2013 World Rowing Cup II Men’s Quad – Fourth

2013 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Quad – Thirteenth

2013 World Rowing Championships Men’s Single Scull – Fourteenth

2014 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2014 World Rowing Cup I Men’s Single Scull – Sixth

2014 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Single Scull – Tenth

2014 World Rowing Championships Men’s Single Scull – Thirteenth

2015 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Eight – Fifth

2015 World Rowing Championships Men’s Eight – Ninth

2016 FISA European and Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Men’s Eight – Fourth

2018 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2018 World Rowing Cup II Men’s Eight – Fifth

2018 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Eight – Second

2018 World Rowing Championships Men’s Eight – Second

2019 National Championship Open Men’s Coxless Four – First

2019 National Championship Interstate Men’s Eight – First

2019 World Rowing Cup II Men’s Four – First

2019 World Rowing Cup III Men’s Four – First

2019 World Rowing Championships Men’s Four – Sixth

2021 Tokyo Olympic Games Men’s Eight – Sixth

Jack Hargreaves
November 2024