ZAC PURCHASE is the ultimate early developer. Just 20, he won the world lightweight sculls title on Saturday thanks to a mature and focused display. He preceded this with an under-23 world gold, a world silver in 2005 and a World Cup gold this year after a four month lay-off with a wrist injury, during which he cycled to keep fit.

He was favourite for the gold on Saturday but Elias Pappas, of Greece, and Juan Zunzunegui Guimeráns, of Spain, put him under early pressure leaving Purchase in third place near halfway. A typical smooth “Purchase push” put him a length up at 1,500 metres and when the Spaniard attacked, Purchase eased to victory, taking 0.15sec off the world record.

The lightweight singles is not an Olympic event; the lightweight doubles is and he wants to go to Beijing in 2008. David Tanner, the team manager, accepts that Purchase will be a strong candidate but fast lightweight doubles are not necessarily composed of the fastest singles performers. Peter Haining, the triple world lightweight singles champion, never shone in a double and went to the Atlanta Olympics in the heavyweight singles.

Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham created modern history by taking the bronze medal in the men’s double sculls, the first sculling medal for a British crew for 28 years. France, the world record holders, and Slovenia, the world and former Olympic champions, led from the start. Wells said: “We knew that in the second 1,000 we are the fastest crew.” They proved this, moving from sixth to third.

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