Zachary Jake Nicholas Purchase-HillMBE (born 2 May 1986) is a retired English rower.
Purchase won an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Both medals were won in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls. He has also won three gold, one silver and a bronze at the World Rowing Championships.
Early life and education
Purchase was born in Cheltenham to Nicholas Purchase and Sara Holyer on 2 May 1986. Originally a competitive swimmer, Purchase started rowing in 1999 whilst a pupil at the King's School, Worcester.[1] Whilst at school, he also passed Grade 8 on the Saxophone with a Merit.
Following school, Purchase joined the British Rowing team as a Junior rower.
Rowing career
His main discipline was sculling with the majority of his international medals being won in the Lightweight Men's Double Scull with Mark Hunter.
By 2006, Purchase was a full-time member of the senior British Rowing, based in Caversham, Berkshire. The same year saw him suffer a ligament injury in his left wrist, which stopped him training between January – May. Regardless of this, his competed at the World Rowing Championships in Eton, Berkshire that summer and won his first World Championship title, achieving a World Record in the Lightweight Men's Single Scull.
In 2008, Purchase went on to win an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing following an incredible season where Purchase & Hunter also won the World Rowing Cup.
Purchase married long-term partner Felicity Purchase-Hill (née Hill), also a former pupil and rower at the King's School, Worcester, shortly after the 2012 Summer Olympics at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The wedding was covered by Hello. They have two daughters, born in 2015 & 2018.
Achievements
Olympics
2012 London – Silver, Lightweight Double Scull (bow)