Zimbabwe sports award acknowledge rowing

The Thronycroft – Davis collaboration of athlete and coach is one of the success stories of Zimbabwean rowing. Rowing in Zimbabwe is not well-known and only a small number of people are involved in the sport there. For Thornycroft it is something her and her siblings picked up and in 2006 Thornycroft, with her sister Rosanne, became the first rowers from their country to compete at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

Thornycroft went on to continue in the sport teaming up with Davis, a Canadian who had moved to Zimbabwe to coach, and after returning to Zimbabwe following her university studies, Thornycroft worked on making the single go fast with the aim of qualifying for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Winning the women’s single sculls at the African Continental Qualification Regatta, Thornycroft booked her ticket to London. Davis also successfully helped fellow Zimbabwean, James Fraser-Mackenzie to qualify for the Olympics.

Leading up to the Olympics Thornycroft, 26, achieved a B-final placing in the single at the Samsung World Rowing Cup in Lucerne (SUI). She then went on to finish in the C-final in London. Thornycroft has hinted that she would like to aim for the 2016 Rio Olympics and most recently she was 10th overall at the 2013 World Rowing Championships.

Thornycroft also had success at the 2013 African Rowing Championships in Tunisia where she took gold in the single.

Winner of the Junior Sportsperson of the Year, Purcell-Gilpin, 19, began rowing as a 13-year-old and two years ago he represented Zimbabwe at the World Rowing Junior Championships in the junior men’s double sculls. Then in 2012 Purcell-Gilpin switched to the single. At last year’s Samsung World Rowing Cup in Sydney (AUS), Purcell-Gilpin raced successfully at the senior level finishing seventh overall in the single. He also competed at the 2013 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

Another rower, Faber Lauchlan was also nominated for Junior Sportsman of the Year.

Zimbabwe’s annual National Sports Awards were held in the capital city of Harare and recognise the top performing athletes and officials in the nation