At the start of the year, the University of Otago land surveying graduate was just a promising rower. He now has his eyes on the London Olympics.
Fauvel (24) only started rowing three years ago in his first year at the University of Otago when he had a trial for the New Zealand University Games.
He was a novice when he reached the semifinals of the club single sculls at the New Zealand championships at Lake Karapiro in 2008.
Fauvel grew up on a Wairarapa Bush sheep and beef farm and played rugby for fun at Wairarapa College.
"But I was not really a sporting person until I came to university," he said. "I thought I would have a trial for the University Games." His potential was recognised by the Otago University Rowing Club's coaches Glen Sinclair and Sonya Walker.
"I could see it in his eyes," Sinclair said. "It was hard to keep him away. He was always sculling on a single sculls or double."
Fauvel attended the Otago University Rowing Club trials to select crews for the New Zealand University Games, liked the sport and realised he had talent.
He has been added to the New Zealand 2011 elite squad and will travel to Europe with the team on July 1 for the World Cup in Lucerne in early July and the world championships in Bled, Slovenia, in September.
He was invited to train alongside the squad at Lake Karapiro after trials in March and found the training harder than he had been used to.
"It took time to get used to it," he said. "I was not used to that intensity. It took a toll of me for a start and I needed lots of sleep and lots of food to keep up. I have now got used to the training."
He had been introduced to the hard work at Otago University by Sinclair and Walker and quickly adapted to the demands of national head coach Dick Tonks.
"They told me that if I worked hard, I would get there," Fauvel said. "They built into me a determination to succeed."
He had the support of the University of Otago high performance rowing programme over the past three years and the southern regional performance centre during the summer months.
There was nothing startling in his results at this year's national championships to suggest the 2012 Olympic Games was a possibility.
He was fifth in the premier single sculls at Lake Ruataniwha and won the silver medal in the double sculls.
The national selectors looked deeper and recognised a potential Olympic champion.
His ergometer score for the 2000m of 5min 50sec was the fourth best in the history of New Zealand rowing.
The three rowers ahead of him - Mahe Drysdale, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond - were all world champions.
"I have been given an opportunity to prove myself," Fauvel said. "I didn't expect it but it's nice to know that the hard work has paid off."
A spot at next year's Olympic Games is now a strong possibility for Fauvel.
"That would be the ultimate." he said. "I hope to get into one of our Olympic crews next year."
