Cambridge on Sunday won the University Boat Race, but their victory was overshadowed by the collapse of an Oxford University rower.
There were worrying signs at the finish on London’s River Thames, with Oxford stroke Felix Drinkall slumped in the Dark Blues’ boat following a race that took place in rough water where the choppy conditions made life tough for both crews.
Drinkall was carried off on a stretcher and into an ambulance that took him to hospital.
Photo: Reuters
In the 168th edition of the race, which involves crews from England’s two oldest universities, Cambridge held off a late charge from Oxford to win by just over a length as they posted their fourth victory in five editions.
Both boats were warned about being too close together early on by race umpire Tony Reynolds as Oxford, the heavier of the two crews, pulled ahead.
An unusually bold move by Cambridge cox Jasper Parish paid dividends when, quickly assessing the tricky conditions, he steered a crew that included his brother, Ollie Parish, to the Fulham bank in the hopes of finding calmer waters.
The move proved the difference as Cambridge maintained a slender lead on the 6.83km course from Putney to Mortlake. Cambridge now lead Oxford 86-81, with one dead heat, in a race first staged in 1829.
The Light Blues’ win meant Cambridge enjoyed a double success after their women’s crew triumphed on the Thames earlier in the day to record their sixth successive boat race win.
Both women’s boats broke records last year, with Cambridge winning by two-and-a-quarter lengths, but Sunday’s conditions meant those records remained intact, with Cambridge president Caoimhe Dempsey the only returning rower.
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