Paul Gerritsen, is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 rower

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

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He was a member of the world champion under-23 coxed four in 2006 also winning a bronze medal at the senior world championships the same year.

Early life

Gerritsen was born in Cambridge, New Zealand

Cambridge, New Zealand

Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...

 and attended St Paul's Collegiate School

St Paul's Collegiate School

This article relates to an Anglican school. For a Catholic secondary school with a similar name see: St Paul's College in Ponsonby, AucklandSt Paul's Collegiate School is an independent Anglican secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand...

 in nearby Hamilton. He started rowing with the school club in 2000, where he was coached by three time Olympian Ian Wright (rower)

Ian Wright (rower)

Ian Wright is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic Bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Wright won Bronze in the coxed four along with George Keys, Greg Johnston, Chris White and Andrew Bird...

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In 2002 and 2003 Gerritsen was part of the U19 Eight that won the Maadi Cup

Maadi Cup

The Maadi Cup is the prize for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Boys' Under 18 Rowing Eights. More colloquially, it is the name given to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta, at which the Maadi Cup is raced...

 - the first two wins in the school's history.

International rowing

In 2006 Gerritsen was selected as the number three oarsman in the New Zealand coxed four, along with James Dallinger

James Dallinger

James William Dallinger, is a New Zealand rower.He was a member of the World Champion under-23 coxed four in 2006, and the world champion senior coxless four in 2007...

, Steven Cottle, Dane Boswell and cox Daniel Quigley

Daniel Quigley

Daniel "The Hurricane" Quigley is an Irish kickboxer from Derry City, Ireland. He is coached by former 3 time world kickboxing champion Paddy Toland at PT's Kickboxing gym in Carrigans, Co. Donegal and in Derry City....

. They won gold at the FISA Under 23 World Champs in Hazewinkel, Belgium and Bronze at the World Championships in Eton, UK.