Key events
It’s sister taking on sister: yep, Oxford’s Lilli Freischem against younger sibling Mia. Mia is doing a PhD in surgery and, as noted on the event’s official website, “hadn’t heard of the Boat Race until my sister competed in the reserve race in 2023”. Quite the flex if she goes on to beat Lilli.
The women’s crews
Oxford: Louis Corrigan (Cox), Heidi Long (Stroke), Sarah Marshall, Esther Briz Zamorano, Kyra Delray, Julietta Camahort, Lilli Freischem, Emily Molins, Annie Anezakis
Cambridge: Matt Moran (Cox), Aidan Wrenn-Walz (Stroke), Mia Freischem, Camille Vandermeer, Antonia Galland, Carys Earl, Charlotte Ebel, Isobel Campbell, Gemma King
Please do get in touch if you’re lining up by the Thames or watching on from home. It’s a cloudy day in London but the rain looks to be staying away.
Here’s a reminder of the course the crews must navigate. We begin in Putney for a 6.8 km-long race, passing Craven Cottage, Hammersmith Bridge, Chiswick Eyot and Barnes Bridge, finishing before Chiswick Bridge. If you’re ahead at Hammersmith Bridge, you’re pretty much nailed on to win.
Preamble
Welcome to the latest edition of the sports day that got a little out of hand. The Boat Races – contested by crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities – are back, nearly 200 years on from the first men’s race.
The buildup has been less eventful than last year: yes, how can we forget the PGCE eligibility hoo-ha and those high E coli levels. This time round the focus is on a fresh look, with Channel 4 taking over coverage from the BBC. Reality TV’s Jamie Laing is one new presenter. We wait to see if this gets down with the kidz.
As for the actual contest, well, it hasn’t really been one for a while. Cambridge’s men have won six of the last seven races and look primed to make it four successive victories. It’s worse for Oxford’s women, who have lost eight in a row. But their long wait looks like it’ll end today, with the Dark Blues – led by Olympic medallist Heidi Long – starting as favourites. The women’s race begins at 2.21pm BST, the men’s an hour later. Get in, we’re going rowing.