The Boat Race 2024

Last updated
The Boat Race 2024
Date30 March 2024
Men's race
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory3 1/2 lengths
Winning time18 minutes 56 seconds
Overall record
(CambridgeOxford)
87–81
Umpire Matthew Pinsent
Women's race
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory7 lengths
Overall record
(CambridgeOxford)
48–30
Umpire Richard Phelps
Reserves' races
Men's winnersGoldie
Women's winnersOsiris

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

Contents

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

The Championship Course along which the races were conducted (historic names used) University Boat Race Thames map.svg
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]

Details

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 312 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Race</span> Rowing races between Cambridge and Oxford

The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henley Boat Races</span> Annual rowing races in Britain

The Henley Boat Races were a series of annual rowing races between various crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Boat Race</span> Boat race on the River Thames

The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on the same day and course as the men's Boat Race on the River Thames in London, taking place around Easter, and since 2018 the name "The Boat Race" has been applied to the combined event. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.

The 126th Boat Race took place on 5 April 1980. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Oxford in the closest finish for a century, despite one of its oarsmen collapsing before the end of the race.

The 129th Boat Race took place on 2 April 1983. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The pre-race preparation saw Cambridge threaten to boycott the race for the first time, following the inclusion of Boris Rankov in the Oxford boat. The crews were the two heaviest in the history of the event, and featured ten former Boat Race competitors. Oxford won the race by 4+12 lengths.

The 136th Boat Race took place on 31 March 1990. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford won by 2+14 lengths. The race featured the heaviest oarsman ever to have rowed in the event in Oxford's Chris Heathcote, and the lightest Cambridge crew for nearly 30 years.

The 140th Boat Race took place on 26 March 1994. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge won by 6+12 lengths. The race saw the first competitors from Norway in the history of the race, in brothers Snorre and Sverke Lorgen. It was also the first time that both competing coxes had previously won the event.

The 119th Boat Race took place on 7 April 1973. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Cambridge who passed the finishing post thirteen lengths ahead of Oxford, the largest winning margin since the 1955 race. Despite being pre-race favourites, Oxford's warm-up saw them take on board a large amount of water in rough conditions.

The 114th Boat Race took place on 30 March 1968. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The race, umpired by Harold Rickett, was won by Cambridge by 3+12 lengths. Goldie won the reserve race and Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.

The 120th Boat Race took place on 6 April 1974. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Oxford who passed the finishing post 5+12 lengths ahead of Cambridge, in a winning time of 17 minutes 35 seconds, the fastest in the history of the race, beating the existing record set in the 1948 race. It was umpired by Ran Laurie.

The 111th Boat Race took place on 3 April 1965. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The race was won by Oxford, who led from the start, by three-and-three-quarter-lengths, in the third fastest time in Boat Race history. Isis won the inaugural reserve race while Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.

The 110th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1964. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The Oxford crew was the heaviest in Boat Race history. The race was won by Cambridge by six-and-half lengths. Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Races 2015</span> Annual race between Oxford and Cambridge universities

The 2015 Boat Races took place on 11 April 2015. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the first time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway; in the men's reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie faced Oxford's Isis after the women's race, as a preliminary to the main men's race, while the women's reserve race, held the day before, saw Oxford's Osiris race against Cambridge's Blondie.

The 69th Women's Boat Race took place on 30 March 2014. The race, between crews representing Oxford University Women's Boat Club and Cambridge University Women's Boat Club, was umpired by Judith Packer. Cambridge's crew, the heavier of the two, was entirely British, while Oxford's boat included rowers from Canada, Switzerland and the United States. Oxford won by four lengths in a time of 5 minutes 50 seconds, their second consecutive win. The victory took the overall record in the event to 41–28 in Cambridge's favour. It was the last time the race would be conducted over a 2 km (1.2 mi) straight race as part of the Henley Boat Races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Races 2016</span> 2016 boat races between Oxford and Cambridge universities

The 2016 Boat Races took place on 27 March 2016. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the first time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Race 2018</span> 2018 boat races between Oxford and Cambridge universities

The Boat Race 2018 took place on 24 March 2018. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the third time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lightweight Boat Races</span> Annual rowing races on the River Thames

The Lightweight Boat Races are a series of annual rowing races between men's and women's lightweight crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

The Boat Race 2021 was an event comprising two side-by-side rowing races that took place on 4 April 2021. The Boat Race is contested annually between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Usually held on the traditional Championship Course in London, the 2021 race took place on the River Great Ouse near Ely, Cambridgeshire, between Queen Adelaide Bridge and Sandhill Bridge. This was the 75th women's race and the 166th men's race; the 2020 race was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Before the 2021 races, Cambridge led the longstanding rivalry 84–80 in the men's race and 44–30 in the women's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Race 2022</span> Cambridge vs Oxford rowing race

The Boat Race 2022 was a side-by-side rowing race which took place on 3 April 2022. 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 76th women's race and the 167th men's race. Cambridge led the longstanding rivalry 85–80 and 45–30 in the men's and women's races, respectively. The race returned to the Tideway after the previous year's race had taken place without spectators, on the River Great Ouse. This followed the cancellation of the 2020 race as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

The Boat Race 2023 was a side-by-side rowing race which took place on 26 March 2023. 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 77th women's race and the 168th men's race. Cambridge led the longstanding rivalry 85–81 and 46–30 in the men's and women's races, respectively.

References

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  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. 1 2 3 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.