Cambridge and Oxford to lock horns on the Thames at Boat Race
The Putney to Mortlake races are being held on Sunday
Cambridge and Oxford lock horns once again as the 170th and 79th men's and women's boat races take shape.
Last year saw Cambridge win both the men's and women's titles in front of thousands of spectators between Putney and Mortlake along the River Thames in London today (Sunday).
Cambridge beat Oxford by almost five lengths to retain the trophy, while in the women's event, Cambridge was able to retain its title by beating Oxford for the seventh year in a row.
'All we can do is focus on ourselves'
James Robson - representing Cambridge - was a reserve in the men's eights crew at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and is competing in his first boat race.
He has high praise for his opponents.
"Oxford are an incredibly talented crew this year, especially on the men's side; they've got three Olympians in their crew," James said.
"For us, we're spending as much time as we can honing our rhythm, trying to make sure when the flag drops and we start racing, we'll be able to recreate what we've done in training."
Carys Earl is competing for Cambridge in the women's race and tasted success in last year's event.
She's aware of the pressure that the crew are under to maintain their winning run, but is keen to not let any distractions get in the way of their performance.
"There are a lot of statistics around you and people making predictions, but a lot of that is outside your control," Carys said.
"All we can do as athletes is focus on ourselves, what we can do and how we can best perform on the day."
Rivalry intact
Heidi Long is in the stroke seat for Oxford women's crew, looking to end their losing run in this event.
She won bronze in the Paris Olympics last year and this will be her first boat race.
"It's one of those bucket list races, but such a unique one as well because you've got to be at Oxford or Cambridge universities, one of the top academic institutions in the world, but I never thought that was possible," she said.
"The whole story behind it is steeped in years of history, and just being part of that for a fraction of time is really special."
Tom Mackintosh is president of the Oxford men's crew, who believes the long-standing rivalry between the two universities remains healthy.
"I do feel it; I think I underestimate it a lot and it did catch me off guard but I'm embracing it and I think that's why the race has got so much attention," he said.
"I've been involved in various sporting events throughout my rowing career and this one is definitely different, and I think that's what makes it so appealing."
The women's race is due to start at 1.21pm before the men's race begins at 2.21pm.