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The Boat Race 2024

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The Boat Race 2024
Date30 March 2024
Men's race
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory3 1/2 lengths
Winning time18 minutes 56 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)		87–81
UmpireMatthew Pinsent
Women's race
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory7 lengths
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)		48–30
UmpireRichard Phelps
Reserves' races
Men's winnersGoldie
Women's winnersOsiris
← 2023 2025 →

The Boat Race 2024 was a series of side-by-side rowing races in London which took place on 30 March 2024.

Held annually, The Boat Race is contested between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, usually along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames, known as the Tideway, in south-west London. This was the 78th women's race and the 169th men's race. Cambridge led the longstanding rivalry 86–81 and 47–30 in the men's and women's races, respectively.

Background

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Map of the Championship Course
The Championship Course along which the races were conducted (historic names used)

The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues")[1] and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").[1] First held in 1829, the race usually takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course, between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in south-west London.[2] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; the race is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.[3][4]

Coaches

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Sean Bowden was the chief coach for OUBC, having been responsible for the men's crew since 1997, winning 13 from the previous 20 races. A former Great Britain Olympic coach, he led the Light Blues in the 1993 and 1994 Boat Races. Bowden's assistant coach was Brendan Gliddon, a South African who formerly coached under-23 and Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) teams for both South Africa and Great Britain.[citation needed] The OUWBC chief coach was Allan French, formerly of Oxford Brookes University Boat Club. He was assisted by James Powell.[citation needed]

The Cambridge men's crew coaching team was led by their chief coach, Rob Baker, who had previously coached Cambridge's women to victories in both the 2017 and 2018 races. Cambridge women's chief coach was Patrick Ryan who joined as CUBC's women's assistant coach in 2013. CUBC's assistant coaches included Bill Lucas, Matilda Horn and Nick Acock, with Henry Fieldman as the coxing coach and Donald Legget and Marko Banovic performing supporting roles.

Details

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The crews for both men's and women's boats were announced earlier in March 2024 at Battersea Power Station.[5] The women's race was umpired by Richard Phelps and the men's race was umpired by former Olympian Matthew Pinsent.[6]

Cambridge retained their title as winners of the Women's Boat Race for the seventh consecutive year, 7 lengths ahead of rivals Oxford.[7] This took the overall record in the women's race to 48–30 to Cambridge. Cambridge beat the Oxford men by 31⁄2 lengths in a time of 18m 56s in a tense encounter which featured the collapse of the Cambridge stroke Matt Edge in the closing stages of the race. As a result of Cambridge's victory the head-to-head record after the race stood at 87–81 in Cambridge's favour.[8][7] Oxford women's boat Osiris won the women's reserves race.[9] Cambridge's Goldie won the men's reserves race.[10] Cambridge's men and women secured victory in The Lightweight Boat Races.[11][12]

The race was broadcast internationally on television.[13] Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, CBS and other international media organisations ran stories about the poor water quality in the Thames, specifically citing excrement in the water during the race.[14][7] Thames Water said improving river health was a "key focus" for the company,[15] which recently completed the Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer to stop sewage overflows and improve water quality in the Thames.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer. 6 April 2003. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  2. ^ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race crew". CBC News. 6 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ^ "TV and radio". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Crews announced for The Boat Race at public event". Oxford Mail. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  6. ^ "Boat Race The 2024 Boat Race | Powered by Pocketmags". boatrace.pocketmags.com. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  7. ^ a b c McLaughlin, Luke (30 March 2024). "Oxford Boat Race crew reveal sickness problems after Cambridge double up". The Observer. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ^ Kidd, Patrick (2024-03-30). "Boat Race 2024: Cambridge seal double victory despite Matt Edge collapse". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  9. ^ Briggs, Simon; Wilcox, Greg (2024-03-30). "Boat Race 2024 result: Cambridge thrash Oxford to claim men's and women's double". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  10. ^ Fraser, Alexandra (2024-03-30). "Cambridge win the 78th Women's and 169th Men's Boat Races". British Rowing. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  11. ^ Weir, Iain (2024-03-29). "Cambridge Dominates in Men's Lightweight Boat Race Amidst Challenging Conditions". The Boat Race. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  12. ^ Weir, Iain (2024-03-29). "Cambridge Women's Lightweight Crew Secures Victory in a Tense Battle Against Oxford". The Boat Race. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  13. ^ "Broadcast Coverage of The Gemini Boat Race". The Boat Race. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  14. ^ "'You wouldn't put your dog in this river': Boat Race exposes Thames Water failings". The Observer. 2024-03-30. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  15. ^ "Boat Race: Oxford rowers criticise sewage levels in River Thames". BBC News. 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  16. ^ "Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer completed". BBC News. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  17. ^ "In London, the Long Wait for a Super Sewer Is Almost Over". Bloomberg.com. 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
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