Burnell, Richard
Date Born/Est
26 Jul 1917
Date Died/Ceased
29 Jan 1995
Biographical Display
RICHARD BURNELL, journalist, author and Olympic champion
Richard Burnell became an Olympic champion in double sculls in 1948, and was a distinguished journalist and author on rowing. An Oxford Blue in 1939, his family was steeped in the sport, his father Don Burnell also being an Olympic champion and Oxford Blue. Educated at Eton and Magdalen, Burnell was rowing correspondent for the Times and then the Sunday Times in 1967, and wrote histories of Leander Club, the Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta as well as several how-to-row books. He was a champion of the underdog and a master of cerebral argument.
Richard Burnell became an Olympic champion in double sculls in 1948, and was a distinguished journalist and author on rowing. An Oxford Blue in 1939, his family was steeped in the sport, his father Don Burnell also being an Olympic champion and Oxford Blue. Educated at Eton and Magdalen, Burnell was rowing correspondent for the Times and then the Sunday Times in 1967, and wrote histories of Leander Club, the Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta as well as several how-to-row books. He was a champion of the underdog and a master of cerebral argument.