John Martin Pritchard (born 30 November 1957) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed in the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

, winning a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

, and in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

. Pritchard was born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, South West London. His father, John William Pritchard, was a Detective Chief Superintendent and who made his career as an investigating officer on the Great Train Robbery in 1963. He attended Halford Road Primary school, Fulham, St Clement Danes Grammar School, Ducane Road, Hammersmith from 1969–1975 and

Robinson College, Cambridge Robinson College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1977, it is one of the newest Oxbridge colleges and is unique in having been intended, from its inception, for both ...

from 1983 to 1986, where he read

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

. Whilst at Cambridge, he was President of the

Hawks' Club The Hawks' Club is a members-only social club for sportsmen at the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1872, the club represents the best sportsmen in the University of Cambridge. Membership is by election only, and the usual criterion is that th ...

, succeeding Rob Andrew, the England Rugby player. In 1980 he was a crew member of the British eight which won the Olympic silver medal. In 1981, he won a silver medal at the

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. He finished fifth with the British eight in the 1984 Olympics. He coached the

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the rowing club for male, heavyweight oarsman of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century. The Boat Race The club races agai ...

in 1980 and 1981, and the

Cambridge University Boat Club The Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England. The club was founded in 1828 and has been located at the Goldie Boathouse on the River Cam, Cambridge since 1882. Nowadays, training primarily ...

in 1982 and 1983. He rowed in

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

three times for Cambridge against Oxford. In the 1984 race, the crew in which he rowed famously hit a barge moored above

Putney Bridge Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. The bridge has medieval parish churches beside its abutments: St Mary's Church, Putney is built on the s ...

resulting in the much-broadcast image of a sinking boat. The win in the 1986 race was the only Cambridge win in a run of 17 wins for Oxford. By winning in 1986, Cambridge denied Oxford winning the Ladbrokes trophy outright, having won for the previous nine years. Pritchard founded and runs an

executive search Executive search (informally called headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service which organizations pay to seek out and recruit highly qualified candidates for senior-level and executive jobs across the public and private sectors, as well ...

business, Piper Pritchard Associates, in London. He was a director of the

British Olympic Association The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...

and is Chairman of Right To Play, an international charity which supports children in war-torn and deprived parts of the world through sport. He is Chairman of the Hawks' Club. He is also chairman of the steering committee and deputy chairman of the alumni advisory board of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 2014, he rowed the length of the Mississippi river in a traditional Thames racing skiff. The 2,320 mile journey took three months and raised over $1,000,000 for Right to Play.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchard, John 1957 births Living people British male rowers Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Olympic rowers of Great Britain Rowers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Alumni of Robinson College, Cambridge Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain