University rowing Dunn first attracted national notice in October 2001 when student newspaper
Varsity reported that he had just returned from
Lucerne as a freshly crowned world champion in the men’s coxless four.
International career Dunn debuted for Great Britain at the 1999 World Championships, graduating to the senior coxless four in 2001. At the
2001 World Rowing Championships in Lucerne he,
Toby Garbett,
Steve Williams and
Ed Coode won gold in 5 min 48.98 s, ahead of Germany and Slovenia. Dunn stayed in the four for the 2002 campaign and retained his seat when the crew took silver at the World Championships in Seville, finishing behind Canada. A second consecutive silver followed at the 2003 regatta in Milan.
Olympic cycle and pair selection (2004) In early 2004 national coach Jürgen Grobler reshuffled the flagship coxless four, dropping Dunn and Garbett so that
Matthew Pinsent and
James Cracknell could switch in. Dunn spoke publicly of his “heartache” at the decision and vowed to prove himself in a new coxless pair with Garbett. The pair qualified for the
2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where they reached the semifinal and raced the B-final. ==Achievements==