The Sunday Mail
Brighton Zhawi
For rower Peter Purcell-Gilpin, fear of failure is now non-existent.
Fear is the illusion that stole from him an Olympic Games qualification some five years back, but today he is a different man.
This new Gilpin is fresh from securing Zimbabwe an Olympic berth at Tokyo 2020 after he won silver at the African Olympic Qualification Regatta in Tunisia last week.
However, this recent feat puts him in a familiar position to that which broke his heart three years ago.
Qualifying at the African Regatta is the first step, after which the country holds trials before the Olympics to determine who represents the country.
“I have been in that situation once before, after qualifying the boat for the 2016 Olympics, I lost my seat to Andrew Peebles at the final trials.
“I have learnt a lot from that and training with the fear of failure is not a great way to live, so I would rather focus on what I can control and am excited about the possibilities instead.
“If someone else goes (to the Olympics) they will have my respect as it is not going to be an easy task to get there,” he said.
Gilpin credits hardwork and sound preparation for his success.
“I have been training for the Olympics since 2013. This past year I have been competing in the men’s heavyweight double with Stephen Cox.
“We attempted to qualify this boat at the world champs in September, and, unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in that endeavour.
“Although I had been out of the singles for a year, training for the heavyweight double put me in great physical condition.
“Now, it’s just a matter of re-familiarising myself with the singles during the remaining five weeks.”
So what is next for the UK-based athlete?
“I stayed in Tunis for a few more days to race in the African Championships where I won a bronze medal.
“Now, I have two weeks of cross training before I get back into full-time training for next year.
He added: “Racing at the qualification regatta is quite a unique experience and the pressure the athletes are under at the event is clearly evident, as there is no grey area – either years of hard work pay off and you are one step closer to the Games or you have to wait another four years.
“So, to secure a spot for Zim felt both awesome and a massive relief. It is just sad that Lieben Dickens, who was also competing for Zimbabwe, won’t be able to go due to the change in rules since the last Olympics despite coming third.”
