Michael Lapage

Michael Lapage was educated at Monkton Combe School near Bath, and it was during his time that he learned to row, on the River Avon, and was a member of the school eight between 1940-42. He was scheduled to go to university, but the war year intervened and Lapage served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm during the hostilities. He eventually went to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he read geography. It took him two years to establish himself on the university rowing crew but he obtained his Blue in 1948, when the Light Blues became the first winners under 18 minutes, and their 17:30 was a record that stood until 1974. The 1948 Boat Race crew formed the basis of the silver medal-winning eight at the London Olympics that year. Two years later, Lapage collected a bronze medal in the eights at the 1950 Empire Games at Auckland, representing England.

After Cambridge, Lapage became a teacher, before taking up a Christian Missionary post in Kenya for 20 years. He was ordained by Bishop Obadiah at Fort Hall (now Muranga} in 1961. Lapage later became the vicar of Mount Kenya Parish, and started the Kenya Anglican Youth Organisation.

Lapage’s son Philip was a rowing coach, and coached his own two sons Patrick (a stroke for the Harvard men’s eight) and Sam, to the verge of selection for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, which would have been nice to have emulated their grandfather. Michael Lapage was honoured to be one of the runners during the 2012 Olympic torch relay around the UK.