Cambridge's men's crew claimed their fourth consecutive Boat Race victory on Saturday, defeating Oxford by four lengths in choppy conditions on the River Thames, while Oxford's women ended a decade of Cambridge dominance with a commanding three-length triumph in the 80th Women's Boat Race.
The 171st Men's Boat Race, broadcast on Channel 4 for the first time after the event moved from the BBC, was watched by tens of thousands of spectators lining the 4.25-mile Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake, with Cambridge finishing in 17 minutes and 56.84 seconds — an 11-second winning margin.
Cambridge, starting from the Middlesex station despite being considered strong favourites, took an early lead and gradually pulled away from a gutsy Oxford crew that pushed them hard through the middle section of the race, with the boats coming close to clashing oars near Hammersmith Bridge. Both crews received warnings from the race umpire before Cambridge's superior fitness told in the notoriously choppy conditions beyond Chiswick Eyot.
The victory extended Cambridge's overall lead in the historical rivalry to 89-81 wins, with Noam Mouelle, the Cambridge president, becoming a four-time winner — a remarkable achievement in the sport.
The women's race, however, belonged entirely to Oxford. Starting from the supposedly slower Middlesex station after Cambridge won the toss and chose Surrey, Oxford took an immediate half-length lead within the first minute and never looked back, leading from the first stroke to the last in what commentators described as a "dominant" and "hugely impressive" performance.
Oxford's victory ended Cambridge's eight-race winning streak in the women's event — their first triumph since 2016 — with stroke Heidi Long, an Olympic bronze medallist from Paris 2024, leading her crew to glory in brutal, choppy conditions that saw water frequently lapping into both boats.
One of the most poignant moments of the day came when sisters Lilli Freischem (Oxford) and Mia Freischem (Cambridge) competed against each other in the women's race, with Lilli emerging on the winning side.
"We knew we had the crew to do it," said Oxford women's cox Louis Corrigan. "We've been building towards this all year and today we showed what we're capable of."
