British Boat Race goes Oxford’s way

This historic annual event, raced on the River Thames near London, attracted the usual huge crowds of up to 250,000 people and huge television audiences including a United States audience after BBC America agreed to cover the 6.8km race live.

Despite a strong international representation in recent years in the Boat Race, no less than 13 of the participating athletes this year were British – the highest number for a decade. Swiss native Moritz Hafner, who rowed in the bow seat of the winning crew, was the sole international on the Oxford University crew. There was, however, a strong Australian presence in the Cambridge University crew. Three of their athletes hailed from Australia including Hardy Cubasch, their four-seat, a former World Champion in the coxed pair from 2005. Cambridge also had American Derek Rasmussen and Canadian Geoff Roth.

Oxford won the right to choose which side of the river to start on and their president, Ben Myers chose the Surrey station – the more southerly of the two lanes on the upstream course which runs from east to west. Surrey is always the safer option, offering the theoretical advantage of the so-called Hammersmith halfway up the course. This is despite the last four Boat Races having been won on the opposite Middlesex station.

Off the start Cambridge powered off at 47 strokes a minute, with Oxford on 46, and the crews were level as they approached the long line of boathouses on Putney Embankment. Oxford then gained a slight advantage after the first minute, still rating 39 with Cambridge at 38, but umpire Rob Clegg warned Oxford twice for their steering. Oxford’s coxswain Sam Winter-Levy then took his crew back on course and they maintained the advantage. With both crews rating 35, Oxford reached the first timing position at the mile mark in 3 mins 49 secs, one second ahead of the opposition.

Oxford then began to build their attack to create the key point of the race. Packing on the pressure, but with a minimal rate increase, Oxford began to ease away to create a three second advantage by the first bridge on the course at Hammersmith, which they reached in 6 mins 52 secs. Leading the way by just one length Oxford finally broke clear at the top of Chiswick Eyot, the island four kilometres into the course.

For a brief moment Cambridge raised the rate by one pip and their coxswain Liz Box steered them tight on the corner to try and claw back the deficit. It was to no avail – the margin between the two crews was six seconds at the third timing point at Chiswick Steps, which Oxford reached in 10 mins 44 secs, looking increasingly confident as they capitalised on their advantage. Cambridge were rating 34 along Corney Reach and gathering themselves for one final push as the final Middlesex bend was in their favour.

But with ten seconds dividing the crews at the final bridge at Barnes, where Oxford's time was 14 mins 34 secs, Winter-Levy was able to steer where he liked, denying Cambridge the final edge. Cambridge upped the rate to 36 strokes a minute as the Mortlake Brewery came in sight, but it was too late. Oxford were able to hold them off with ease, crossing the line in 17 mins 32 secs to take a four length verdict over Cambridge, who were 12 secs adrift at the finish.

"It feels absolutely fantastic. We got into our rhythm and we just didn’t let them have a peak in," said Oxford president Ben Myers afterwards.

"It’s the best feeling ever,” said Oxford’s six-seat man, Constantine Louloudis, who took silver at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in the British men’s four last year in Brest. “My team, those guys were awesome.”

The win means that Oxford, who haven’t led the series for more than 80 years, have now reduced their overall deficit to just four wins, as Cambridge have now won 80 races to Oxford’s 76.