Paul began rowing at university, having previously played club rugby at a high level for Frome RFC. While completing a PhD at Oxford Paul competed in Nephthys, the lightweight reserve boat, and later joined Wallingford RC where he learned to scull.
His first GB vest came in 2005 where he won the B final of the lightweight men's fours at the World Championships in Japan. The following year he retained his place in the crew which reached the final and finished in 5th place overall.
The 2007 season was a triumph for the lightweight four - Paul and his crewmates took successive bronze, silver and gold medals at the three World Cup regattas before reaching the climax at the World Championships in Munich where they won the world title. It was the first time Britain had ever won the gold medal in an Olympic lightweight boat class!
Paul once again featured in the lightweight four for 2008 - a silver medal at the opening World Cup regatta was followed by two finals places and a 5th place in Beijing.
For 2009, while the Olympic champions Hunter and Purchase took a break, Paul spent the season in the lightweight double, partnered by Rob Williams, and finished in 6th place at the World Championships in Poznan.
Paul was back in the lightweight four for the 2010 season, winning silver in Bled, followed by gold in Munich and Lucerne. The final of the World Championships in New Zealand was marked by the closest finish of the regatta, with GB taking gold by just 0.07 sec, with the second-placed Australians just 0.01 sec ahead of China in third place.
Following Paul's second word championship title his crew remained unchanged for 2011, but the competition in this boat class was no less fierce. The GB four won bronze in Munich before an impressive gold in Lucerne, but the World Championships in Bled proved less fortunate. The British crew had to fight their way back through the field, eventially taking the bronze nedal behind Australia and Italy.
Link to biography on British Rowing website
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