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The Guardian
13-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
The Boat Races 2025: Oxford v Cambridge
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature A more uplifting, empowering tale of the Oxford v Cambridge rivalry comes via Matt Hughes. He spoke to Heidi Long and Claire Collins, who were born on the same day and have raced each other 15 times. They go again today with it all on the line – epic stuff. Share It's got pretty toxic in the buildup to the 2025 Boat Races – and we don't just mean the sewage pollution and E coli in the Thames. There's been an eligibility criteria row between the two fierce rivals, with three Cambridge students – two female rowers, one male – banned from the race because they were studying for postgraduate certificates in education (PGCEs) rather than a degree. This led to Imogen Grant, the Olympic lightweight double sculls champion and a three-time Boat Race winner with Cambridge, accusing Oxford of 'slimy tactics' in March, amid talk of academic snobbery. An independent panel, however, saw things the way of Oxford University Boat Club. So we've got the playlist ready before the 2025 event: Toxic, Bad Blood, erm … The Tide Is High? Of course, the state of the river is a serious matter. Tests carried out by water campaigners along the four-mile route revealed E coli levels three times above the threshold for 'poor' bathing water status. Last year, the Oxford team revealed that some of their crew had been ill in the buildup. As for the races themselves: Cambridge boast recent dominance. The Light Blues are going for a hat-trick of victories in the 170th men's race, while the women's team are looking to stretch an even more impressive run. They have won the last seven Boat Races, though last year's was a dramatic affair with the Dark Blues taking an early lead. Can Oxford turn the tide, as it were? We find out with the women's race beginning at 1.21pm BST, the men's starting at 2.21pm. Share
The Guardian
12-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Friends relish battle from opposite sides of women's Boat Race
Heidi Long and Claire Collins have competed against each other at world championships and Olympic Games, so it is testament to the continued allure of the University Boat Race that both describe it as a 'bucket-list event'. Having last met in the final of the Women's Eight in Paris last summer, with Long winning bronze for Team GB ahead of Collins' USA crew in fifth, they were reunited on the banks of the Thames in Putney this week in preparation for Sunday's race. The pair have led parallel lives on and off the water, competing against each other on 15 previous occasions in international, Olympic and American collegiate regattas, as well as sharing the same birthday – 29 November 1996 – but Sunday is likely to be a one-off. Both are targeting the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 so may not return to a race where the result is the only thing that counts. 'The Boat Race has always been on my bucket list,' says Collins, who has added even more strength to a Cambridge crew that have won the last seven women's races. 'It's an incredible event, with a unique mix of athletes in terms of their age and experience. You have athletes coming from the Olympics rowing alongside students who've literally only learnt to row at either Oxford or Cambridge in their colleges. And together we have to form a team, which is a real challenge and great fun. 'I've really enjoyed the whole experience, particularly meeting Heidi again and getting to know her over the past few days. There are usually 10 or 20 teams in the mix, but this time it's just two teams so we've had time to talk properly. We didn't even realise we had the same birthday until this year, things like that. It's pretty crazy that we've had these parallel journeys, but it's super cool.' Oxford's Long chips in: 'I was looking back to see actually when we first raced each other, and it was 11 years ago at the junior world championships in Hamburg. We probably learned to row around a similar time and made similar decisions to go to collegiate rowing programs, go for the Olympics and now come back to university. 'I want to continue representing Great Britain internationally and still dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, so that is going to be a priority the closer it gets to LA. But for now this experience has been unbelievable. I am super-excited to race, and will take it where it comes after Monday morning.' Talk of their first meeting in Hamburg reminds Long that when she first applied to Oxford as an undergraduate the women's Boat Race did not take place on the same course as the men's race, and was hidden away in Henley with little media interest. Given the gradual move towards greater parity between the sexes in sport, it seems incredible that Sunday is just the 10th time the women's race will be held on the Thames with equal billing and live TV coverage on the BBC. While the 100th anniversary of the women's event in two years' time will be a cause for big celebrations, the smaller landmark this weekend should be the source of some embarrassment given how slow these old institutions were to adapt, although Long takes heart from how much has changed during her career. 'When I was applying to Oxford there was no women's Boat Race on the championship course,' she says. 'So in my university lifetime it has completely changed in that regard, and women are now able to go out there and compete in exactly the same format as the men. 'I remember when I first watched the Boat Race you just watched the men. The sad thing was I didn't realise that there was anything wrong with that, it was just the norm. You just would go and watch men's sport. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'But now I think, if on Sunday the women's race didn't happen, young girls around the river would notice and ask: 'What's going on here?' Hopefully we're inspiring the next generation to go out there and give sport a go. Sport gives you so much more than just some physicality – the friends you make and the lessons you learn are one of a kind.' Long's friendship with Collins is testament to that, but while the rivalry between both crews is friendly enough Cambridge remain deeply aggrieved that Molly Foxell and Kate Crowley, plus Matt Heywood from the men's club, are unable to race after Oxford successfully petitioned for a ban on students studying for postgraduate certificates in education, rather than degrees, competing. All three have remained with the squad in London this week and will join in the celebrations if Cambridge maintain their recent dominance. As well as winning seven women's races in succession the Light Blues have won five of the last six men's races and are bidding for three in a row. 'At this point we're really excited for the team, for the whole team, to be able to enjoy the whole day and compete,' Collins says of the controversy. 'It really does take a whole team to compete, so while I'm quite sad that some people on our team can't race it doesn't mean that they haven't contributed to what's going to happen on race day. 'It is sport, so what happens on the day is what people will remember, but the journey that gets you there is also important. Like in the buildup to an Olympics, the Boat Race is very much a journey, and those teammates of ours are very much a part of that. 'And they're very impressive human beings, I will say that as well. They're very impressive athletes, they're very impressive students, very impressive human beings. So I feel very lucky to have been on a team with them, even if they can't race.'
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Boat Race 2025: Who is competing for Oxford and Cambridge?
Oxford and Cambridge are once again set to do battle as the annual Boat Race nears. The Blue Boats will vie for glory along a four-mile stretch of the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake, with Oxford out to end a streak of Cambridge dominance in recent years. The Light Blues have won seven years in a row in the women's race and six of the last eight men's races. To combat this, Oxford have a new-look squad, with a brand-new coaching setup and a host of former Olympians in their Blue Boat. Cambridge's preparation for the race has been rocked by a spat over selection, with Oxford successfully banning three of the opposition crew, all PGCE students, from taking part in a debate which has dragged on for months. Whether that has a material impact in ending Cambridge's long winning streak remains to be seen, with all to play for on Sunday afternoon. When is the Boat Race? The women's race will start at 1.20pm BST on Sunday 13 April. The men's race will start at 2.20pm BST on Sunday 13 April. How can I watch the Boat Race? The action will be shown live on the BBC, with coverage getting underway at 12.45pm. What is the course? The Boat Race course, known as the Championship Course, is four miles and 374 yards (6.8 km) long, stretching between Putney and Mortlake on the south bank of the River Thames in south west London. What are the teams? Oxford Women's Team Daniel Orton (Cox) Heidi Long (Stroke) Kyra Delray Annie Anezakis Sarah Marshall Alexia Lowe Tessa Haining Lilli Freischem Sarah Polson (Bow) Oxford Women's most decorated rower this year is Heidi Long, a British bronze medallist from the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women's eight. The boat's third-place finish marked just the second time in history that GB had won a medal in the race. GB have another potential Olympian in the Oxford boat in Kyra Delray, who has won junior and under-23 medals for the national team and recovered from double hip surgery to race this Sunday. Cambridge Women's Team Jack Nicholas (Cox) Samy Morton (Stroke) Tash Morrice Claire Collins Carys Earl Annie Wertheimer Sophia Hahn Gemma King Katy Hempson (Bow) Cambridge Women have Australian 2024 Olympic spare Samy Morton and two-time Olympian, and former World Championships bronze medallist Claire Collins in their boat. The American has raced a parallel career to Long: the pair share a birthday and have faced off several times through the junior, U23 and senior ranks, including at the Olympics last summer. Cambridge's Blue Boat also features returning winners from last year's crew, Carys Earl and Gemma King, the latter in her seventh Boat race campaign. Oxford Men's Team Tobias Bernard (Cox) Nico Kohl (Stroke) Nick Rusher Tom Mackintosh Tass von Mueller James Doran Felix Rawlinson Will O'Connell Tom Sharrock (Bow) The Oxford men's team is stacked with former Olympians: president and Olympic champion Tom Mackintosh, who won gold for New Zealand in the men's eight in Tokyo 2020; Nico Kohl, a member of the Italy squad in Paris 2024; and American Nick Rusher, who won bronze in the men's eight last summer and whose parents - who met on the national team - and sister have all competed in the Games. Cambridge Men's Team Ollie Boyne (Cox) Douwe de Graaf (Stroke) Simon Hatcher James Robson George Bourne Gabriel Mahler Luke Beever Noam Mouelle Luca Ferraro (Bow) The Cambridge men's team doesn't have the same international pedigree as their opposition number but makes up for it in experience, with 30-year-old James Robson - himself a spare for GB in Paris - the veteran of the day. The squad also includes Noam Mouelle and Luca Ferraro, both two-time Boat Race winners with Cambridge, and Douwe de Graaf, a member of GB's development squad for LA 2028.
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Heidi Long dares young girls to dream as she prepares for Boat Race
British Olympic bronze medallist Heidi Long is daring girls to dream when they watch her tear down the Thames in the Boat Race. The 28-year-old is set to stroke Oxford's dark blue boat on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the men's and women's events both taking place on the historic 6.8-kilometre Championship Course. Long, who was on the podium last summer in Paris with Team GB's women's eights, remembers sitting on the London river's bank at a younger age, not even noticing the lack of female crews because the absence back then felt 'so normal'. 'I think the fact that women fought for this to be an opportunity, and that for us to be included without a second glance is really special to be a part of,' Long told the PA news agency. 'I hope that we create something and encourage girls of the future. I remember when I first watched the Boat Race, and it was just the men's race, so to now, I never knew that would be possible. 'So now to be out there, racing, hopefully we can inspire the next group of young girls who are out there, who will hopefully be watching and cheering on, and in 10 years time they will be in our seats, racing and competing on an equal playing field.' Oxford won the first women's edition on the Thames in 2015, highlighted by a devastating sprint at the Surrey bend that that led to them crossing the finish line six-and-a-half lengths ahead of their Cambridge rivals, with about 4.8 million people watching on the BBC. A decade later, Long and her crew-mates in the dark blue boat will be in the hunt for Oxford's first women's trophy since 2016 – and a third on the Thames – having been beaten by seven lengths last year. Long said: 'I remember we would watch the Boat Race (before) and I remember there not being many women involved, but I didn't notice that that was a bad thing. 'It was so normal that women weren't given the same platform, so I didn't notice that as anything different. Now this feels like the new norm. 'Women's and men's sports should be equal, and to have the opportunity to speak with everyone, and race on the same day with the same coverage is really special.' Long's late father Keith was so convinced his daughter would be an Olympian last summer he bought a block of tickets to events well before he knew she was even competing. He also booked accommodation in Paris, correctly anticipating a large travelling party, and left the log-ins for friends and family in one of his final notes before he passed away from cancer in 2023. 'That confidence and who I am it really wouldn't be without him,' added Long. 'I don't really hear much when I'm rowing, apart from the cox. 'I drown everything out, even at the Olympic Games, everyone warns you the last 500 metres will be the loudest thing. You can't hear anything. 'There are two people I can hear when I'm rowing. One is one of my brothers, and the other is my dad, so I'll really miss his voice on the bank (at the Boat Race). 'There's going to be noise, but he'd be one of the only people I'd hear.'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boat Race 2025: Oxford and Cambridge crews announced
The respective crews for the 2025 Boat Race have been announced. Oxford and Cambridge will go head-to-head on April 13 over the traditional four-mile course from Putney to Mortlake on the River Thames. Whilst the build-up to the 2025 Boat Race has been dominated by disputes, the boat clubs from both universities have thrown their support behind the London Rivers' Pledge, a commitment to cleaning up the city's waterways. With that said, the women's and men's crews for the 2025 Boat Race were announced at Battersea Power Station on Wednesday 26 March and below are the teams in full. Daniel Orton (Cox), Heidi Long (Stroke), Kyra Delray, Annie Anezakis, Sarah Marshall, Alexia Lowe, Tessa Haining, Lilli Freischem, Sarah Polson (Bow) Jack Nicholas (Cox), Samy Morton (Stroke), Tash Morrice, Claire Collins, Carys Earl, Annie Wertheimer, Sophia Hahn, Gemma King, Katy Hempson (Bow) Introducing the crews for The Women's Boat Race 🚣Join us along the Thames Sunday 13 April or watch live at 13:21 on BBC1 📺#Rowing #Oxford #Cambridge — The Boat Race (@theboatrace) March 26, 2025 Tobias Bernard (Cox), Nico Kohl (Stroke), Nick Rusher, Tom Mackintosh, Tass von Mueller, James Doran, Felix Rawlinson, Will O'Connell, Tom Sharrock (Bow) Ollie Boyne (Cox), Douwe de Graaf (Stroke), Luca Ferraro, James Robson, George Bourne, Gabriel Mahler, Tom Macky, Noam Mouille, Simon Hatcher (Bow) Introducing the crews for The Men's Boat Race 🚣Join us along the Thames Sunday 13 April or watch live at 14:21 on BBC1 📺#Rowing #Oxford #Cambridge — The Boat Race (@theboatrace) March 26, 2025 Cambridge have been the dominant force in the Boat Race in recent years. They have won six of the last eight men's races, which has taken the overall record to 87-81 in their favour. It has been even more one-sided in the women's race, with Cambridge winning the last seven races, including last year's victory by seven lengths.
