Tokyo Olympics: NSW athletes, brothers, debutants on Australian rowing team

There are brothers from Sydney, a northern beaches surf lifesaver and NSW country athletes. It’s an Australian rowing team unlike any we have seen before for a very different Olympic Games.

Athletes pose for a photo during the Australian Rowing Tokyo Olympic Games Team Announcement at the Adelaide Oval.

Sydney brothers Nick and Alexander Purnell and a former surf boat rower from the northern beaches are among 29 debutants named to row for Australia at the looming Tokyo Olympics.

The Purnell’s and Georgie Rowe are on the biggest team so far named to compete in Tokyo by the Australian Olympic Committee with 38 athletes handed their ticket to Tokyo in Adelaide on Sunday.

The team - which includes 11 from NSW country and city - is tipped to be one of the success stories of the Olympics with both brothers and Rowe among the medal contenders.

Australian rower Georgie Rowe set a world indoors record en route to her Olympic selection. Pic: Sam Ruttyn

Nicholas Purnell is presented with his kimono by his brother Alexander Purnell during the Australian Rowing Tokyo Olympic Games Team Announcement.

In fact the only NSW athletes to have competed at a previous Olympics are Spencer Turrin from Dungog, Genevieve Horton from East Lindfield and Cameron Girdlestone from Mosman

But while they are heading into uncharted waters as debutants, Rowe said she and her women’s eight crewmates aren’t letting their Olympic inexperience faze them.

“It’s just picking up an oar and rowing. We have to treat it like every other race,’’ said Rowe, a Collaroy surf life saver from Narrabeen, who four years ago quit surf boat rowing to pursue an Olympic dream.

Killara rower Alex Purnell when a member of the under-23 Australian quad.

Nick and Alexander Purnell, from Killara, are the first brothers named on the same Olympic team since 2004.

But in Tokyo they will be cheering for each other on separate crews with Alexander, 26, in the men’s four, and Nicholas, 31, in the men’s eight.

“You don’t go to an Olympics without the goal of a medal,’’ said Nicholas, who also competed at the London Olympics in the men’s eight.

Others NSW rowers heading to Tokyo are Tara Rigney from Roseville, Rowena Meredith from Mosman, Sam Hardy from Balmain East, Jack Hargreaves from Nyngan and Jack O’Brien from Walgett.

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