Oxford women ended Cambridge’s eight-year reign in their Boat Race with a stunning performance led by Olympic medalist Heidi Long, while Cambridge defeated their dark blue rivals in the men’s race after opening a strong contest for a fourth successive victory.
On a windy and overcast day in London, the Oxford women took the lead as soon as the first race of the day left Putney and led by six seconds at Hammersmith Bridge. Tens of thousands of supporters cheered the boats off the river, lining the 6.8km road to reach it.
The water was exceptionally rough in the later part of the course and Matt Moran, the Cambridge cox, drifted into calm water left by Chiswick Eyot, taking the inside line and forcing Oxford to respond. Running into that strong wind, and exceptionally choppy water beyond Hammersmith Bridge, Cambridge threatened to close the gap in the second half of the race, again heading for the inside lane on the right hand side of Barnes Bridge.
But Oxford stubbornly refused to let go of this opportunity and confirmed the first victory in the women’s race since 2016. The celebrations from the members of the Oxford team on the river bank waiting at the end of Mortlake, and for the athletes on board, were loud and noisy.
On the other hand, the mood was negative among the Cambridge team after their eight-game winning streak was abruptly ended. So Oxford took their 31st win in the women’s race since its inception in 1927, while Cambridge won 49.
“I’m proud and happy,” said Long, the bronze medalist for Great Britain in the women’s eight at Paris 2024. “This is a group of wonderful, intelligent women to be in the same group. I loved working with them every day. To be able to do this with them, I’m very happy. This is not about me and we do this together.”
Allan French, the Oxford women’s coach, told Channel 4: “I’m very proud of what they’ve done, what the whole team has done and what everyone has done before this. This takes time, it’s years in the making. These girls are amazing…
Annie Anezakis, who was the president of Oxford women last year, and together with Sarah Marshall finally tasted victory at the fourth attempt, said: “What I learned in rowing is that hard work, patience and determination always pay off. If you just put it in every day you will get a reward.
In the men’s race, Oxford put up an interesting battle with what some believe is the best crew fielded by Cambridge. The light blues were made to work, but reasserted their power in the second half after Oxford were repeatedly cautioned for interfering with their opponents.
Cambridge were trying to power off near Hammersmith Bridge as the wind picked up, but led by a short length. At Barnes Bridge they were in complete control and won by four lengths, a 10 second advantage, in the conditions of Simon Hatcher of Cambridge called “Bible”.
“It really doesn’t get old,” said Rob Baker, the Cambridge men’s coach, after their 89th win overall. “There are a lot of emotions and feelings, because it’s a very important day for all the work we’ve done. I’m very happy that the guys can do it and get a reward for all their hard work.”
Baker, who has been involved as Cambridge coach since 2002, says the team is “high” in terms of their quality. Although their success was widely expected, the success of the Oxford women was the story of the day.
“We’re talking about patience,” French said. “For Annie and Sarah to come back and keep doing it. Annie is a part-time medical student. It’s not easy. It’s a challenge. I firmly believe, win or lose, it’s an important challenge.
“But you talk about patience – it’s about coming back and believing that we can change it. We put time, effort and energy into them. They believe in each other. They can feel very proud.”
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