GB Lightweight Men's Double



This video, posted in the lead up to the British victory in the Lightweight Men's 2x in Beijing, is the best rowing training video online. The two scullers involved, Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase, exhibit the consummate British rowing style, with the excellent posture at the back end and a quiet release, while not disturbing the run of the boat as they take the catch. On top of the technical grace demonstrated in the video, there is also a latent intensity, which grows with the music and seems ready to burst forth as they sprint.
Neither one of them were strangers to success in their own right before the pairing was put together, most notably Purchase, who set the Lightweight Men's World Record in the 1x at Dorney Lake in 2006 at the World Championships. The hope again in British rowing is that these two will achieve the same level of success on home waters in 2012, and from the reports in UK newspapers it sounds like they are on their way.

Below is a video of Zac Purchase setting the new World Record in 2006:



After winning in Beijing, the duo split up for a year, with Hunter moving across the pond and taking an assistant coaching position with the UCLA Women's Rowing team for a year -- a sabbatical of sorts -- while Purchase dealt with an unusual illness which causes fatigue. Fortunately, Purchase has emerged from his struggles with the little known virus, and while the two did not row at the world championships last year, they'll be making their mark once again in Karapiro. Click here to go to a listing of the GB National Team roster for the upcoming World Rowing Championships in New Zealand.

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