Cambridge – who protected double Olympic champion James Cracknell – beat Oxford for the second successive year to win the one hundred and sixty-fifth Boat Race. Holding off a late Oxford push, the Light Blues crossed the line in sixteen minutes 57 seconds – just two seconds beforehand in their fighters. Cambridge received the girls’ race through five lengths to seal their third victory. Cracknell, forty-six, said it made him realize he “overlooked” the game. He is the oldest man or woman to compete in the Boat Race, and informed BBC Sport: “I extraordinarily did not regret my decision to do that at any point within the race.
“At the start, I idea, ‘I’ve overlooked this; I haven’t felt this for two decades.'”
Early within the race, the boats clashed blades as Cambridge advised across the centerline, earlier than they opened up a two-duration lead. Oxford narrowed that gap toward giving up on the race, completing much less than one period in the back. Matthew Holland, Cambridge’s cox, said victory becomes “indescribable.” “This is a year of schooling, a year of hard work. The men have put a lot of tough work into this,” he said. Cambridge has gained 84 boat races compared to Oxford’s eighty, with one dead heat. It became the first time they’ve accomplished back-to-lower-back victories because of 1999.
‘This is so special’ – Cambridge win ladies’ race.
A victory in the ladies’ race became Cambridge’s 44th; Oxford won 30.
The Light Blues were completed in 18 mins 47 seconds, 15 seconds shy of the ladies’ document. “This is so special; we have been operating toward this for two years,” Larkin Sayre, the Cambridge boat captain, informed BBC Sport. “This is the culmination of so many paintings.” Cambridge controlled the girls’ race from the start, taking a length within the first 4 minutes earlier than extending that lead to 3 as they exceeded beneath Hammersmith Bridge. Blondie, Cambridge’s reserve boat, also gained the women’s reserve race, beating Oxford’s Osiris through five lengths.
