The 158th Boat Race The Boat Race


The 158th Boat Race

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It is one race, one day, and everything is building up to that.

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We can't let last year happen again. There is nothing else like it in

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sport, where you spent seven months, and at the end of it, you either

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win or lose. Each year, they come. It is man

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against man against water. Fishy is the tranquil, -- for she is the

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tranquil and the Tempest, and upon her surface plays out the Twist And

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Turn of hero and villain. For she is the river. And this is her drama.

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You spend your whole career dreaming about winning races like

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the Boat Race. Knowing that if you lose, you have basically just

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thrown away six months of your life. And that is what it means to the

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rowers who today are out there on the River Thames and will bear not

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just their muscles, but their souls. This is a unique event, based on

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intense rivalry, tradition and on the honour. There is no prize-money

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on offer. In any ordinary sporting event, second place might be a

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respectable result, but here in the Boat Race, second place means you

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have lost. Victory is everything. Defeat is crashing. It started in

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1829, when Cambridge challenged Oxford to a rowing race on the

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river and the. In 2012, the Xchanging Boat Race remains one of

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the most watched and famous sporting events in the world. We

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have a gorgeous day for it. The cloud is starting to clear, the son

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try to come out. There is a slight headwind, but conditions are good.

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This is a magnificent London occasion, the last great amateur

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event, and it is all free. No tickets are required. That is why

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so many people are lining the banks of the River Thames. Where

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expecting over a quarter of a million of them for the four and a

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quarter miles from Putney to Mortlake. The river pubs will be

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doing a booming business. The tow paths will be packed and full of

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family picnics and barbecues. As for the crews, they have waited and

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waited for this day, trying to keep calm, to ignore the crowds and the

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hoopla and the noise of the helicopter. But inside, their

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stomachs will be churning. The defending champions are Oxford. But

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Cambridge are the younger and heavier crew. Oxford are the

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bookies' favourite. The key to this classic event is its simplicity. It

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is the same course every year. Often the same crowds as well. The

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same two crews in terms of Oxford and Cambridge, but very different

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people, because they change every year. At some point, life has to be

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lived for them, earning money in the real world. The race starts at

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2:15pm and we aim to keep you entertained and informed between

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now and then. He Oz Clarke and James may embark

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on a very important liquid based reconnaissance mission. I think you

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get more of the race from this spot than anywhere else on the Thames.

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There is no reason why we should move from here.

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The scars are slow to heal, as we look back on the famous Oxford

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mutiny of 1987. It was made clear that we weren't going to row in

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that line-up. Matthew Pinsent reveals the hidden

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secrets beneath the surface of the Thames. The river is full, and the

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deepest, fastest water is completely invisible.

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And which are to be emotionally draining journey to the start-line.

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Knowing that if you lose, you have basically thrown away six months of

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your life is a good reason not to -- be 158th Boat Race. Joining me

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is Matthew Pinsent. I am the reserve umpire. If the umpire

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should kilo but from food poisoning, I will be there. I will be

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shadowing him and learning more about the roles. Hopefully, it will

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be enjoyable and not stressful. those who might be tuning in,

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saying, it is not a proper sporting event, you have won four gold

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medals. Why does this matter? a proper sport event because it is

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probably the last amateur event in the calendar. These guys do it for

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no money, no reward other than the luxury of winning. And it is a

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brutal physical test. You are unlikely to see a more exacting

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test of a rower. This was you at the age of 19, baby face. That was

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in 1990. My first race, which we went on to win. I remember being

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incredibly nervous. It was very stressful. James Cracknell is here

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as well, with whom you won two of your Olympic gold medals. James,

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how do you view the event? You live locally. Aside from the Olympics,

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it is the one time that rowing is on TV. And people grasp the

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importance of it. It is the one day that these guys have the chance to

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race. There is no heats, no semi. You have one chance to get it right.

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How important is it to keep your temper but controlled and not get

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too aggressive with the other side? That is the point. These guys might

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have been training for the last two weeks, and suddenly they come down

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and the tow path is 4, with that helicopter overhead. And Your TV

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cameras are very close. It is a very different atmosphere on Boat

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Race day. You want to replicate as much as you can knock on race day

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as you have in your best training. If you can carry that through and

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not be affected by the pressure, you will have success. Let me ask

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you about the respective weights of the boat. Matthew, your crew in

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1990 had the record deferential. Oxford were much heavier than

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Cambridge. This year, Cambridge have the second biggest

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differential, being much heavier. Why do the heavier crew have an

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advantage? A good big one will always beat a good little one. It

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is not like running or cycling where every bit of weight cows,

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because you do hang off the oar handle. But Oxford are not small.

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Their average height is my height, and they are a bit lighter than I

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was. And Cambridge are a bit taller and heavier than I was. So it is

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not like Amir Khan against one of the Klitschko Brothers. It is more

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similar and the water is fairly friendly today. Let's look at the

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course they will take, the four and a quarter miles, starting here at

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Putney Bridge tidal Thames Water, past Craven Cottage, Fulham's

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football ground, around the Surrey bend, which marks the two mile

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point. Then under Barnes Bridge and down to the finish line, where

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Cambridge set the record of 16 minutes and 19 seconds in 1998. Not

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long after Hammersmith Bridge, that is where the reach the halfway

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point across. It is a very popular spot to watch. There are a lot of

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pubs in that area. I suspect they will be packed. That is where we

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find Sonali Shah. I am behind the bar at the Black

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Lion, one of five pubs along this stretch of the Bank in Hammersmith.

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Landlord buzz cousins he has turned it into quite an event? Yes, we

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realised there was not much happening along the river that was

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a festival, so we have turned it into a festival with food courts

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and we are raising money for charities, including for a baby

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that is ill in hospital. These boys will be raising money for him. They

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will be done a bit of face painting and things like that. You are bring

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a bit of New Zealand here? Yes, a bit of Kiwi to make it a bit like

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home. These boys do a lot of canoeing and stuff like that.

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it in context for us, how big this days in terms of business? Is it

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your busiest day of the year? Definitely. We take five to six

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times the amount that we would normally take on a Saturday. It is

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a very busy day. Which side will you be cheering on? I will be

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cheering for Oxford, because our All Black captain was a scholar at

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Oxford. Thank you very much. Time to find out which side of the river

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the two boats will be rowing from, the Surrey side or the Middlesex

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side. It is the all-important toss. Ladies and gentlemen, after all the

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hard work and training these crews have put in, this bit comes down to

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luck, a toss of the coin to decide which station they will start from,

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Middlesex on the north side or Surrey on the south side, closest

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to us. Joining me here on the podium, from the sponsors,

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Xchanging, the global director of sales and marketing, Stephen Scott,

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the executive director of the Boat Race company, David Searle, the

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race umpire and the two President's for Oxford, Karl Hudspith and the

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Cambridge, Dave Nelson. As history dictates, the winners from the

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previous year toss the coin. The losers will call. Over to you, John.

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Thanks very much, Clare. I have the 1829 1/2 sovereign. I will ask Karl

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Hudspith to toss that and for Dave to call. Tales. The call is tails.

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The coin has fallen down as tale's. Sir Dave has the choice. Which

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station would you like? We will take Surrey. And a quick word from

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you on the Cambridge crew. How is everyone? Feeling good. And calm?

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Yeah, feeling good. Excellent. In terms of umpiring the race, what is

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your major challenge? We will be looking at the wind. We have a

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northerly wind at the moment, which is swinging a bit, so we have to

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make sure the crews get off straight at the start. Then we

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expect a light headwind as we are approaching Hammersmith Bridge.

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it will be a tough race. We wish you both like and we hope for a

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clean race. Cambridge have won the toss and chosen Surrey.

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The same choice as last year, when Oxford won the toss. They also

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chose the Surrey side and were in control by Hammersmith Bridge. They

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went on to record a dominant Oxford here were hugely impressive.

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Constantine Louloudis is now on the Olympic programme. Massive

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celebrations earlier. It is one of those sporting events where it is

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all about winning. You can see from the body language that you have to

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continue, but it is a long way back for Cambridge.

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The Boat Race. If you win, it hurts for minutes. If you lose, it hurts

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for months. It is totally devastating when you get a result

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like that. You have to just pull yourself together and say, what did

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go well, and what can we do better? Cambridge's initial squad featured

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three Blues hungry for revenge, including Mike Thorpe, who was

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still haunted by the events of last March. I saw the fate of me and the

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other two guys with me. We looked torn up, and I thought I needed to

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come back this year. As in 2011, the Oxford coach's squad contains

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just one returning blue, the club president, Karl Hudspith. Everyone

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is motivated. I am the only guy who has won it before, so everyone else

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is fighting for a first win. Powerful candidates are emerging

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such as experienced rower Alex Davidson and American William Zeng.

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It is nice to be at a university where rowing is the big thing. You

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were properly and do not just do a little motion. Australian James

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Ditzell turns 45 on race day. Cancer ruled him out of the 1992

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Olympics. He had not rowed competitively since. I have been so

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long out of the boat, I really realised what I missed. I enjoy the

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feel of the water under the boat. December's Trial eights were the

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first Test on the Boat Race course. Two crews from the same university

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doing battle, team-mates versus team mates. Cambridge were split

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into two equally strong boats to forge match-racing instinct,

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something the president felt had been lacking last year. Quickly,

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each crew forms its own identity and rallies to beat their own team-

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mates. Incredibly difficult conditions, really choppy water.

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Both Cambridge crews are showing real aggression. They have called

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Cambridge seemed ready for the battle to come. The coach had three

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candidates for the Oxford cox seek. One of them was Oskar Zorrilla.

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cox is not responsible for the emotional well-being of the rowers.

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They like to think that, but it is not the case. Oskar Zorrilla

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steered his boat to a comfortable victory. We have shown our

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teammates, let's show Cambridge, because at the end of the day, that

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is what is is all about. A lot of people are here down at the start.

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Who are you supporting today? are supporting Oxford. Why? Because

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we were at university there. know the President, Karl Hudspith.

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Are you supporting Oxford? Yes, I am. We will see if we can find some

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Cambridge supporters. We are supporting Cambridge. And why?

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live nearby. Is this the first time you have been to the Boat Race?

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it is the first time we have been down. Our friend lives just over

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the road. Good luck to all of you. Lots of people come with friends,

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they might know somebody in one of the crews, or they might have an

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affiliation, but for some people, it is just an excuse for a pub

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crawl. When I say some people, I mean, specifically, Oz and James.

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How the devil are you? How the devil are you, sir? Let's go and

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plan our day. We are going to do the whole course. Shall we start in

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:17:57.:18:03.

this very conveniently sited pub? So, what's the plan? Well, the Boat

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Race is a monumental British institution. Somebody has described

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it as the most brutal, harsh, uncompromising test of any sport.

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It is actually a drinking festival with some boating thrown in. Well,

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I think it is a boating festival with a massive amount of drinking

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thrown in. Where was it you went to university? Oxford. Interest in. I

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am just deciding that I am a Cambridge supporter. Without

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colours nailed to our mast, we boarded our craft. There is a

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little stone over there, called the University Stone, that's where

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everything starts. There's thousands of stones. No, the rest

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of them are parking bollards. I dragged the conversation around to

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the issue of the day. We're going to the famous River Cafe, where

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:19:13.:19:17.

Jamie Oliver used to work. No pie, no chips. No pies or chips or eggs

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or ham. Wow! That has got a slight... Very acidic and very

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fresh armpit, sweat sort of quality. The north of Italy has got lots of

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red grapes, and the middle of Italy has got lots of more rare, red

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grapes. Wow! That's fantastic. Would you like to try so with your

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risotto? Is that all he gets? have got the bottle. I think that

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was tremendous, very sophisticated, very modern, very contemporary. But

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how about a pint in the Dove? That's my wine. Is it? This is a

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tiny pub, it is ancient, all sorts of fascinating people came here

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like Graham Greene, and the bloke who wrote rule Britannia, what was

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The interesting thing, I think, is, the Middlesex bank is the best side

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for people to watch the Boat Race, Hammersmith is the best spot, the

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Dove is the best pub, and this terrace is the best part of the

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Dove. You're absolutely right. I think you get more of the race from

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this spot here than anywhere else on the River Thames. There's

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absolutely no reason now why we should move from here. This is as

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:21:19.:21:22.

And those two were fairly hard to move from that spot, but move them

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we did. Now, rowing was included in the Paralympic Games for the first

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time in 2008. And here today, for the first time, a race in the

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the first time, a race in the adaptive rowing category. They are

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racing against an able body crew. The adaptive four with a distinct

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advantage coming towards the finish, and they were the winners. Here's

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Sonali. I'm joined by world Sonali. I'm joined by world

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champions in the mixed coxed four. Congratulations - what does it feel

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like to have won a race here on the River Thames on Boat Race day?

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Absolutely epic, such a fantastic experience. To be here, deeply

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involved in what is going on on this special day, it is pretty good.

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It gets everybody watching a little bit of adaptive rowing. Yes, that's

:22:36.:22:39.

one of the things we have been trying to do over the past few

:22:39.:22:44.

years, building up the public's opinion of what adaptive rowing is

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all about. I think we are the closest of the categories within

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adaptive rowing to the able body rowers, in the fact that we have

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minimal disabilities, our boat is not adapted in any way. Dave, I was

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reading about your story, incredible, a couple of years ago

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you had a tumour removed from your spinal column, you did loads of

:23:09.:23:13.

intense rehab, came back as world champion - what would it mean for

:23:13.:23:16.

you to qualify for the Paralympic Games this year? It would mean

:23:16.:23:21.

everything. Taking part today in one of the oldest sporting events

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in the world, it gives you a taste of what the Olympics in London will

:23:24.:23:29.

be like. The closer it gets, the more it means to me. It will mean

:23:29.:23:35.

the world to me after all my rehab. Good luck to both of you in your

:23:35.:23:41.

attempt to qualify for London 2012. A could start to the day, something

:23:41.:23:48.

for the many fans to enjoy. And we will be showing you highlights of

:23:48.:23:56.

the Isis Goldie race later on. I am joined now by Andrew Triggs-Hodge

:23:56.:24:04.

and Tom James. Very, very different, this, but both of you have

:24:04.:24:09.

experienced it - Tom, first of all, what was it like for you, the Boat

:24:09.:24:15.

Race? It was quite stressful, but I was there for four years, I

:24:15.:24:20.

competed in four boat races, lost the first three, but finally house

:24:20.:24:25.

my last one, as President. So I have got good memories of it. It

:24:25.:24:32.

was fantastic. And Andrew Triggs- Hodge, you represented Cambridge,

:24:32.:24:36.

there is nothing glamorous about this sport, you do not get somebody

:24:36.:24:41.

else to carry your boat down to the river, you do it yourself. Andrew

:24:41.:24:51.

Triggs-Hodge, you won, didn't you? Yes, in 2005. Memories I will take

:24:51.:24:55.

away for a long, long time. What are they thinking and feeling right

:24:55.:25:00.

now? You want to just be focused on your boat, getting the boat in the

:25:00.:25:05.

water, just keep calm and relaxed, you want to enjoy the event, and

:25:05.:25:09.

look at the people around, but at the same time, you need to be

:25:09.:25:12.

focused on what you're going to be doing to win the race, that first

:25:12.:25:18.

stroke. You cannot get too carried away. You could see the one with

:25:18.:25:28.
:25:28.:25:30.

the big beard, Steve Dudek, who would have now regards it as one of

:25:30.:25:36.

his strengths, being so hairy! me, the buzz of the helicopter

:25:36.:25:44.

brings back a lot of memories. It is a very emotional day. To go up

:25:44.:25:49.

is a very emotional day. To go up to this level, it is a big step.

:25:49.:25:57.

Andrew, was Steve Bowden your coach when you were at Oxford? Yes, he

:25:57.:26:01.

when you were at Oxford? Yes, he was. Does he say anything this

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close to the race? He is a very focused man, he will usually say

:26:07.:26:11.

everything a couple of days before the race. Just before the race he

:26:11.:26:16.

will just remind us of what we have done, bringing out the confidence

:26:16.:26:19.

of the crew, reminding us why we are a good crew. So he does not

:26:19.:26:25.

have to say very much. You can feel that he is bristling with

:26:25.:26:29.

confidence, he just has to make sure that we're going in the right

:26:29.:26:35.

direction, he rarely leaves it to the crew to get on with it. For the

:26:35.:26:43.

Cambridge coach, he has got an awful lot to put right from last

:26:43.:26:49.

year. Yes, but looking back on it, within the boat, they were happy

:26:49.:26:52.

they had done everything they could do to win the race. Obviously they

:26:52.:26:57.

were not anywhere near Oxford's standard last year. So he will be

:26:57.:27:01.

feeling some pressure this year, but he is a good coach. Hopefully

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they will put it right this year. The crews are lining up inside

:27:09.:27:14.

their respective boat houses. And it is now time for them to take to

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the water. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the 17 men and one woman

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who will contest the Boat Race. For Oxford, their first female cox

:27:23.:27:30.

since 2000, she is 24 years old, studying for a doctorate of medical

:27:30.:27:39.

science at St Katharine's College, Zoe de Toledo! For Cambridge, a cox

:27:39.:27:43.

who turned 19 only yesterday, he left Radley College last year and

:27:43.:27:49.

is studying for a Bachelor of the arts in natural sciences at

:27:49.:27:58.

Pembroke College, Ed Bosson! And for Oxford, at bow, his tenth year

:27:59.:28:04.

at the University, he is now at Pembroke College studying graduate

:28:04.:28:14.

entry medicine, Dr Alexander Woods. For Cambridge at bow, the President,

:28:14.:28:24.
:28:24.:28:25.

Dave Nelson, from Brisbane, Australia. At two, for Oxford, from

:28:25.:28:31.

Virginia, a graduate of Yale, studying for computer science at

:28:31.:28:40.

Oriel College, William Zeng. At two for the Light Blues, a man who

:28:40.:28:50.
:28:50.:28:50.

learned to row at Oxford, he is studying medicine at Fitzwilliam

:28:50.:28:57.

College, Moritz Schramm. At three for Oxford, another experienced

:28:57.:29:07.
:29:07.:29:08.

rower, from Trinity College, and Washington DC, Kevin Baum. Next,

:29:08.:29:13.

for Cambridge, a man who has survived being struck by lightning,

:29:13.:29:23.
:29:23.:29:26.

studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, Jack Lindeman. Next, for

:29:26.:29:30.

Oxford, studying developmental Biology at Christchurch, Alex

:29:30.:29:38.

Davidson! At four for Cambridge, another of their crew who first

:29:38.:29:42.

learnt to row at university, he has played tennis and water polo for

:29:42.:29:51.

his native New Zealand, Alex Ross. Now, for the President of Oxford,

:29:51.:29:55.

at number 5, their only returning boo, the only one who knows what

:29:55.:30:00.

victory feels like, he comes from Twickenham, from St Peter's College,

:30:00.:30:06.

Oxford, Karl Hudspith! His opposite number has not cut his hair since

:30:06.:30:10.

this day last year, he is the vice- president for Cambridge, reading

:30:11.:30:19.

history, he hails from Chester, Mike Thorp. At four for Oxford, a

:30:19.:30:23.

German international who's planning this to be his final race, after 15

:30:23.:30:28.

years of rowing. He has a doctorate in law and is now studying for an

:30:28.:30:37.

MSc in geography, Hanno Wienhausen. At number 6 for Cambridge, the

:30:37.:30:45.

tallest and heaviest man in either crew, originally from Wisconsin,

:30:45.:30:55.
:30:55.:30:59.

At seven for Oxford, stepping up from the lightweight crew, he is 25

:30:59.:31:07.

and from Taunton and studying in computational biology, Dan Harvey!

:31:07.:31:12.

His opposite number for Cambridge is an Australian who has competed

:31:12.:31:17.

internationally at under 23 and junior level. He is studying law at

:31:17.:31:20.

St Edmund's College, Alexander Scharp!

:31:20.:31:27.

For Oxford, the first Dutchman ever to stroke a blue boat under 29 the

:31:27.:31:37.
:31:37.:31:38.

oldest man in the race this year, he is from Rotterdam. Roel Haen!

:31:38.:31:42.

And at stroke for Cambridge, a graduate from the University of

:31:42.:31:49.

Washington who is now reading history. Niles Garratt!

:31:49.:31:53.

They train for six hours a day, six days a week, for six months to take

:31:53.:31:58.

part in this. Ladies and gentlemen, the two crews for the 2012 Boat

:31:58.:32:08.
:32:08.:32:15.

I am here out on the water with Wayne Pommen, one of our

:32:16.:32:20.

commentators. What do you remember about those nervous moments as you

:32:20.:32:23.

push away from the Putney sure? is just such a relief to get out on

:32:23.:32:28.

the water. You may remember from your rowing career that those

:32:28.:32:30.

minutes beforehand seemed like hours. You can't wait to get out

:32:30.:32:34.

there. You know what you are doing on the water. The Boat Race is the

:32:34.:32:40.

worst, because thousands of people are there. Cameras are in your face.

:32:40.:32:43.

Even international rowing is not like that. So these guys can't wait

:32:43.:32:47.

to get in their bubble. They have about 40 minutes now before the

:32:47.:32:54.

race. How do they split that time up? They will have warm-up routines,

:32:54.:33:00.

getting physically and mentally ready. Let's have a word about the

:33:00.:33:05.

conditions. What do you think about the weather and the river today?

:33:05.:33:08.

is pretty benign. There is a 10 mile an hour when from the north-

:33:08.:33:11.

west, but I do not see it being a factor.

:33:11.:33:15.

So it sounds as if conditions should not be a factor for either

:33:15.:33:24.

side. James Cracknell is with us here. Who is going to win this?

:33:24.:33:28.

think Oxford's history over the last few years will be in their

:33:28.:33:35.

favour. The bow and stroke of the Cambridge side are both being on

:33:35.:33:40.

the same side means the Bowes have to travel further. That is not good.

:33:40.:33:46.

They are using a tandem wigging system, as Oxford did last year.

:33:46.:33:56.
:33:56.:33:56.

Yes, I do not think you really need that. The person nearer the blow

:33:56.:34:01.

karts keep in time. Matt Pinsent's first boat, he rowed in a tandem,

:34:01.:34:06.

and it was all tied to the person in front, so he stayed in time. A

:34:06.:34:12.

normal rigged boat is better. Now, obviously with every outside

:34:12.:34:16.

sporting event, it does depend on the weather whether it is to make

:34:16.:34:22.

the greens softer in the Masters at Augusta or in the Grand National at

:34:22.:34:26.

Aintree. But here, if the weather turns nasty, that course turns into

:34:26.:34:36.
:34:36.:34:41.

a real beast. It seems that we are moving into

:34:41.:34:47.

some dramatic, Wagnerian... word! An enormous car but under.

:34:48.:34:54.

years ago, there was an almighty storm and there had also been

:34:54.:34:58.

behind the scenes in the Oxford camp. Andrew Cotter tells the story

:34:58.:35:03.

of the 1987 mutiny. The Boat Race - tradition, honour,

:35:03.:35:09.

sportsmanship. The Americans staged a mutiny. Mutiny is in the eye of

:35:09.:35:14.

the beholder. In two became warfare. 1987, a race so dramatic that they

:35:14.:35:19.

even made a film of it. This isn't your Boat Race, it is all of ours.

:35:19.:35:26.

25 years on, have the scars healed? After ten years of domination,

:35:27.:35:33.

Oxford's humiliating seven-length defeat in 1986 led to coach Dan

:35:33.:35:37.

Topolski bringing world-class American athletes. Everybody was

:35:37.:35:43.

genuinely excited to come over here and take part in one of the great

:35:43.:35:46.

sporting events in the world. the world class training facilities

:35:46.:35:50.

that the visitors were used to were absent from the amateur realm of

:35:50.:35:55.

the Boat Race. The team didn't have its own boat house or its own boats.

:35:55.:35:58.

Half the training were spent in a van, driving around the British

:35:58.:36:07.

countryside. There was an incident at Radley School, where the whole

:36:07.:36:11.

squad, the president included, refused to go out for a second

:36:11.:36:19.

outing. Let's go out. Dan, we have done enough.

:36:19.:36:25.

That was the moment of mutiny, if you like, where they just piled

:36:25.:36:33.

into the training van and drove off. I thought, this is just not fun. I

:36:33.:36:38.

am not getting paid for this. Where is the goodwill? That was wrong of

:36:38.:36:44.

us to do. Simple as that. But what led up to that was an infuriating

:36:44.:36:48.

couple of months of logistical chaos. It makes no sense, all this

:36:48.:36:54.

pedalling around in that a ban from one boat house to another. It is

:36:54.:36:57.

not getting us anywhere. We thought we were being honest in raising our

:36:57.:37:01.

hands and walking to the front of the class and saying, teacher, we

:37:01.:37:05.

have an issue with the way you are conducting the class. Particularly

:37:05.:37:10.

at Oxford, deeply steeped in tradition. Tensions were

:37:10.:37:13.

intensified by the decision about who would be in the boat on the big

:37:13.:37:21.

day. In particular, the inclusion of club president Donald Macdonald.

:37:21.:37:26.

I choose based on performance, and Donald Macdonald's performances

:37:26.:37:32.

were consistently top. He named this wacky line-up. The majority of

:37:32.:37:39.

the blue boat rowers did not seek the sense or even the rationale in

:37:39.:37:43.

Dan's selection. There is disagreement over how the crew is

:37:43.:37:51.

run and the fairness of it. Were you obligated to Donald as the

:37:51.:38:01.
:38:01.:38:02.

president of the Boat Club? In no way. It was made clear to Donald

:38:02.:38:07.

that we would not roll in that line-up. The Americans staged a

:38:07.:38:16.

mutiny. They have excluded themselves from the squad.

:38:16.:38:21.

became popularised in the press. And in Dan's book, it was said to

:38:21.:38:26.

be an American issue. That could not have been further from the case.

:38:26.:38:31.

There is a lot of stuff in that book that is wrong. It is

:38:31.:38:39.

embellished and ultimately very hurtful where it did not need to be.

:38:39.:38:44.

In the book, everything was my recollection. Four Americans

:38:44.:38:50.

withdrew. In came reserve rowers. And like a Hollywood movie, the

:38:50.:38:55.

underdogs claimed an unlikely victory. They won, and it was

:38:55.:39:01.

fantastic, against the odds. And I thought, what was all for? It was a

:39:01.:39:06.

shame we could not all figure out how to focus on the things that we

:39:06.:39:14.

held in common. It was the most extraordinary story

:39:14.:39:19.

and a real clash of temperaments. It made for a very exciting race,

:39:19.:39:25.

film and book. Katherine Grainger, Britain's most successful female

:39:25.:39:31.

rower, has joined me. How important is that relationship between coach

:39:31.:39:35.

and rower, and how much do they have to respect your intellect and

:39:35.:39:38.

experience as well as sometimes telling you things you don't want

:39:38.:39:47.

to hear? The relationship is crucial. There needs to be mutual

:39:47.:39:50.

respect in the partnership. Like you said, you will have to hear

:39:50.:39:57.

things that you will not always want to hear. But they will be the

:39:57.:40:01.

person who will tell you that you need to be better. But it is a two-

:40:01.:40:05.

way thing. If there is respect on both sides, you bring out the best

:40:05.:40:11.

in each other. Andrew, the difficulty with the Boat Race is,

:40:11.:40:15.

you are talking about a multinational crew. It is not new

:40:15.:40:21.

rowing for one country. Absolutely. We had Canadians and Americans and

:40:21.:40:25.

a huge range of experience from an Olympic silver medallist down to

:40:25.:40:30.

people who came last. So the scale of bringing a crew like that

:40:30.:40:39.

together rests on the coach. You need mutual respect and

:40:39.:40:45.

understanding as much as a training programme. That is the sign of a

:40:45.:40:52.

seasoned coach. 16 weeks today, the two of them will be lining up for

:40:52.:40:57.

Great Britain for the Olympics. That is when the rowing will start.

:40:57.:41:02.

How great is the depth of British rowing? How has the legacy of

:41:03.:41:11.

Pinsent and Redgrave been followed 2011. The British team of top the

:41:11.:41:17.

world championship medal table. 10 in total, three of them gold. This

:41:17.:41:22.

is the best British rowing squad in Olympic history. The most medal

:41:22.:41:30.

chances, the best rowers. Competition for places is fierce.

:41:30.:41:35.

The four is the men's main boat again. But for the last two years,

:41:35.:41:39.

the best rowers have been in a pair and lost. There is tension in the

:41:39.:41:43.

team because there is a bit of uncertainty. We have to have ups

:41:43.:41:51.

and downs with pressure through the season as we go. I can't be sure I

:41:51.:41:58.

will be rowing for Great Britain yet. We are coming close towards

:41:58.:42:04.

the selection. It is a really strong team. I am new to it, and

:42:04.:42:10.

the standard is really high. In the women, Katherine Grainger has three

:42:10.:42:13.

Olympic silvers. For her, the battle is less about selection,

:42:14.:42:20.

more about going one better. athletics Dorrie is the three

:42:20.:42:26.

silver medals. I am still missing the fairy-tale ending, the gold at

:42:26.:42:33.

last in front of the crowd. I am aware that if you could write the

:42:33.:42:37.

story, that is how you would write it. Lots of questions, some still

:42:37.:42:42.

to be answered. But with the spring come final trials, when everything

:42:42.:42:49.

becomes a bit clearer. The season is about to start. The four is

:42:49.:42:54.

still undecided. Reid and Hodge are in, along with Alex Gregory. Alex

:42:55.:42:58.

Partridge and Tom James will battle for the last place. New and old

:42:59.:43:05.

faces across the whole squad. With just over 100 faces -- days to go,

:43:05.:43:13.

the pressure is now on. In the past, you had just one leading boat. This

:43:13.:43:19.

time, it is very tight. The team as a whole is rising to the occasion.

:43:19.:43:25.

We put the pressure on ourselves because we are so good. It is about

:43:25.:43:29.

performing on the water in that one-off opportunity. We want to

:43:29.:43:35.

deliver. A good illustration of the dead the

:43:35.:43:39.

British rowing right now. Now we welcome viewers of BBC World News

:43:39.:43:44.

and BBC America. You join us here on the banks of the river Thames.

:43:44.:43:48.

We will be watching the 2012 Xchanging Boat Race on fold shortly.

:43:48.:43:52.

The crews are out on the water and going through their warm-up routine.

:43:52.:43:56.

I enjoyed by Katherine Grainger, Britain's most successful female

:43:56.:44:00.

role, with six world titles and three Olympic silver medals. You

:44:00.:44:06.

were talking about how obviously, the perfect end to the story is a

:44:06.:44:10.

gold in London. What do you feel about competing at a home games?

:44:10.:44:14.

Genuinely looking forward to it. A lot of people talk about the

:44:14.:44:19.

expectation and pressure. It can become paralysing, the thought of

:44:19.:44:27.

the scale of it. But it is just a fantastic opportunity that so many

:44:27.:44:30.

athletes I know who have retired would give anything to come back

:44:30.:44:34.

and do. You have teamed up with Anna Watkins. You have so far been

:44:34.:44:43.

unbeatable. So far. It is one of those partnerships that is so

:44:43.:44:50.

special. It comes around once every now and again. It just works. It

:44:50.:44:54.

has been successful, and we look forward to the next four months.

:44:54.:44:58.

How much has the set-up change in the 15 years you have been involved

:44:58.:45:03.

in British rowing? Has it become more professional? Without a doubt.

:45:03.:45:07.

It has transformed. When I came in, there was not the level of lottery

:45:07.:45:11.

funding that there is now. People on the team were in massive amounts

:45:11.:45:15.

of debt. They could not afford petrol to go to training. There

:45:15.:45:19.

were not many abroad training camps, the facilities, the level of

:45:19.:45:23.

coaching and support staff. Everything was at a much lower

:45:23.:45:27.

level. Across the board, the whole thing has stepped up every year.

:45:27.:45:31.

And we are seeing better results. suspect it is no coincidence that

:45:31.:45:35.

we are seeing more women want to take up rowing because of what you

:45:35.:45:38.

have done. The most exciting development in the recent history

:45:38.:45:43.

of the Boat Race is that from 2015, the women's Boat Race will also

:45:43.:45:47.

take place here on the Tideway. For now, it remains in Henley. This

:45:47.:45:57.
:45:57.:46:00.

Conditions were perfect for this year's race. Both crews started

:46:00.:46:04.

well, with Cambridge, who had not won for five years, taking an early

:46:05.:46:09.

lead. They looked to be claiming a dominant victory, but there was

:46:09.:46:15.

drama to come. The number two seat was thrown backwards, and the boat

:46:15.:46:20.

almost ground to a halt. Cambridge were fighting to stay ahead. It was

:46:20.:46:25.

tight. But eventually, the Light Blues heard the news that they had

:46:25.:46:31.

won, just. The traditional celebration followed, before

:46:31.:46:39.

thoughts turned to the Tideway, in three years' time. It is a big plus

:46:39.:46:44.

for the women, bringing it in line with other sports, where or the

:46:44.:46:49.

women are on an equal footing. have come on so much in the last

:46:49.:46:57.

few years, we are as good as the men, and we're going to show it.

:46:57.:47:02.

How different a challenge will it be, moving from Henley, to having

:47:02.:47:08.

the race here? It will be a completely different event. The

:47:08.:47:12.

Boat Race at Henley has been a wonderful experience, it is very

:47:12.:47:17.

much a protected atmosphere. It is a much smaller deal, in terms of

:47:17.:47:23.

numbers. And much shorter. Yes, it is a third of the distance, even

:47:23.:47:29.

less than that. So, the training regime, the tactics in the race,

:47:29.:47:33.

everything will be very different when the women come here. Is that

:47:33.:47:37.

why it is taking a while, they want to get the women to a certain level

:47:37.:47:41.

to be convinced that they can do it? It is not that they need to

:47:41.:47:45.

step up, they will easily manage the racing here, that's not the

:47:45.:47:50.

problem. It is just almost about tradition, it has been the Henley

:47:50.:47:57.

Boat Race. I think it is very good that the women's Boat Race and the

:47:57.:48:00.

men's Boat Race will now take place over the same distance, with the

:48:00.:48:04.

same crowd, and the same excitement. Is it something you would like to

:48:04.:48:09.

get a piece of yourself, either taking part or coaching? I don't

:48:09.:48:15.

know if I could do any more degrees! I spoke to someone from

:48:15.:48:21.

Oxford who has been studying for 10 years! Yes, but the oldest one is

:48:21.:48:27.

29, and I am a little bit past that now. Of course, it is part of our

:48:27.:48:30.

competitive nature. When these events happen in your own sport,

:48:30.:48:35.

you want to have a piece of it. What will be great is that it will

:48:35.:48:41.

involve more women in the sport of rowing than ever before. We have

:48:41.:48:48.

got to let you go to Radio 5 Live now, so, many thanks to Katherine

:48:48.:48:52.

Grainger. There is one woman taking part today, that's the Oxford cox,

:48:52.:48:57.

Zoe de Toledo. It is a very tricky course to negotiate, because

:48:57.:49:01.

beneath the waterline all sorts of problems, as Matthew Pinsent can

:49:01.:49:07.

explain. The most important seat, especially for the Boat Race, is

:49:08.:49:12.

the coxing seat. They have a couple of weapons at their disposal. First,

:49:12.:49:17.

the rudder wires, and secondly, as you will see on Boat Race day, they

:49:17.:49:22.

have all got these microphones, so that everybody in the boat can hear

:49:22.:49:27.

exactly what they are as saying. But for all the technical wizardry,

:49:27.:49:31.

the most important decision they have is the line on the river,

:49:31.:49:41.
:49:41.:49:42.

which, for them, is all about that view out there. What does it every

:49:42.:49:45.

eight-year-old learned at school? That the shortest distance between

:49:46.:49:52.

two points is a straight line. So, here we are, at the start, and

:49:52.:49:56.

there's Hammersmith Bridge. So, why don't the coxes take the shortest

:49:56.:50:02.

line between these two points? I will show you why not. Every Coxon

:50:02.:50:06.

knows that the straightest line is seldom the quickest here on the

:50:06.:50:10.

Boat Race course. The fastest water is the deepest, and it is only as

:50:10.:50:14.

the tide drops that you get a proper indication of where that

:50:14.:50:20.

deep, fast water is. Here we are on the inside of the first bend, at

:50:20.:50:24.

Fulham, and look how far these famous flats sweep out into the

:50:24.:50:34.

river. In the Boat Race, the crews will be coming past way over my

:50:34.:50:38.

head. The fastest water is the deepest. The quintessential

:50:38.:50:42.

challenge for the coxes is not just to find the quickest water on the

:50:42.:50:49.

first bend, at Fulham, but to keep their crew sitting in it for the

:50:49.:50:57.

full race. As the huge Surrey bend unwinds, the cox will be making

:50:57.:51:00.

sure that their growers on the inside line, and holding their

:51:00.:51:06.

position. If the race is still close at Barnes Railway Bridge,

:51:06.:51:08.

close at Barnes Railway Bridge, then it is going to be a classic.

:51:09.:51:13.

The last bend on the course is the sharpest, and the Middlesex crew is

:51:13.:51:17.

going to feel that it is definitely going to win from here. There is

:51:17.:51:21.

not anything in the last five minutes of the race which favours

:51:21.:51:25.

the Surrey station. All of that looks good in theory. But here's

:51:25.:51:31.

the challenge for real. The river is full, and the deepest, fastest

:51:31.:51:38.

water is completely invisible. The river is probably 150 metres wide,

:51:38.:51:42.

and the coxes have got to pick the fastest line with no visual

:51:42.:51:49.

references. They know that within 20 seconds after steering off the

:51:49.:51:56.

tide, that could cost them the race. What a nightmare job. And if you

:51:56.:52:00.

get it right, your reward is to be chucked in the river. It does not

:52:00.:52:06.

seem to be fair. Still to come, Oz and James continue their vintage

:52:06.:52:12.

odyssey up the River Thames. You're taking me to visit a brewery which

:52:12.:52:21.

makes foreign lager on our beloved Tideway?! We will join them again

:52:21.:52:25.

later, and you can see how many people are piling in, trying to get

:52:25.:52:31.

a decent view among the banks of the river. This big sign, who is

:52:31.:52:37.

this for? It is for Alex Davidson, our old school friend, we have

:52:37.:52:43.

known him for the last 12 years. Absolutely ages, yes. Tell us some

:52:43.:52:52.

secrets about him. He is a very loud chap, he is very strong, he

:52:52.:53:00.

has been doing rowing for ages. is probably the most focused and

:53:00.:53:06.

ambitious person that we know. he will need to be. I hope he saw

:53:06.:53:14.

your banner earlier. Also, we have the girlfriend of Moritz Schramm

:53:14.:53:18.

the girlfriend of Moritz Schramm with us here, and you do this

:53:18.:53:23.

yourself, don't you? A Yes, it is a very different feeling, when you're

:53:23.:53:32.

doing it yourself. When you're rowing, once you take the first

:53:32.:53:37.

stroke, you can feel the boat, you can feel your crew, you can feel

:53:37.:53:41.

the race, but on the other hand, for me, it will just be more and

:53:41.:53:45.

more nervousness. He texted me this morning, saying, baby, don't worry,

:53:45.:53:51.

we have got this. He knew that I would be the nervous one. Where we

:53:51.:53:55.

you position yourself? I'm going to a friend's house who lives on

:53:55.:53:59.

Putney Bridge. We have been watching it there for years. Thank

:53:59.:54:04.

you so much for coming down to speak to us. For all of the rowers,

:54:04.:54:08.

all of that training, it is not just about winning the race today,

:54:08.:54:13.

it is about actually making it into the boat in the first place. Early

:54:13.:54:17.

mornings on the river are not the romantic ideal. It is hard work and

:54:17.:54:23.

it is hugely time-consuming. Knowing that if you lose, you have

:54:23.:54:28.

basically thrown away six months of your life is a really good reason

:54:28.:54:34.

not to lose! Time is ticking by, and Steve Trapmore needs to pick

:54:34.:54:40.

his final eight. Last year we had some really good guys, but the

:54:40.:54:43.

internal competition was not as good at it is this year. The coach

:54:43.:54:48.

also has to contend with the vagaries of fate. Just days before

:54:48.:54:53.

the final announcement, a virtual certainty, Jack Lindeman, has

:54:53.:54:58.

aggravated a tendon injury. amount of mileage we do, it is

:54:58.:55:03.

natural for our bodies to break down a bit. One man's injury is

:55:03.:55:07.

sometimes another man's opportunity. That is the nature of a brutal

:55:07.:55:12.

selection policy. It can be really cut throat and difficult at times.

:55:12.:55:17.

There are setbacks obviously for everyone involved. Oxford returned

:55:17.:55:20.

from their French training camp with the selection process drawing

:55:20.:55:25.

to a conclusion. If everybody is fit and healthy, I could put the

:55:25.:55:31.

boat out tomorrow. But there's definitely one or two seats with

:55:31.:55:36.

some guys in the Isis boat who could perhaps make a bit of a

:55:36.:55:43.

challenge. One of those, staking a late claim, was Geordie Macleod.

:55:43.:55:48.

Alex Davidson had impressed greatly, but at a price. Sean Bowden

:55:48.:55:55.

demanded total commitment. He has broken down my stroke from start to

:55:55.:55:59.

finish, since we arrived. I had to spend a lot of time thinking about

:55:59.:56:05.

exactly what he wanted. Hopefully I am getting there. Elsewhere, one of

:56:05.:56:15.

the stars of the trials, Oskar Zorrilla, had found himself out of

:56:15.:56:21.

favour. I will want to know that whoever is coxing Isis will be able

:56:21.:56:25.

to challenge me, because that is when I will be able to get my

:56:25.:56:31.

practice. One thing the Boat Race has shown over the years is that

:56:31.:56:37.

anything can happen between now and the day. 5th March 2012, and, in

:56:37.:56:43.

the shadow of the Olympic Stadium, the two crews were finally unveiled.

:56:43.:56:47.

For the Dark Blues, Alex Davidson had proved his worth to claim the

:56:47.:56:57.

sixth seat. And William Zeng, despite his injury, made it. It is

:56:57.:56:59.

the opportunity for real achievement, as opposed to watching

:56:59.:57:07.

the other guys do it. There would be no fairy-tale for James Ditzell.

:57:08.:57:12.

And Katherine Apfelbaum would have to be content with the Cox seat in

:57:12.:57:18.

the Isis boat. I decided the best bet was to come in, thinking, I am

:57:18.:57:22.

coxing the boat, what do I do to make it as fast as possible? That

:57:22.:57:26.

has been my mindset since the middle of September. Zoe de

:57:26.:57:31.

Toledo's opposite number of would- be Ed Bosson, who turned 19 just

:57:31.:57:35.

yesterday. Jack Lindeman had proved his fitness in the face of

:57:35.:57:41.

competition, and Mike Thorp was back for another assault. We know

:57:41.:57:47.

what we need to do, we cannot let last year happen again. So, for all

:57:48.:57:51.

of them, the hard work is about to begin, they cannot drink any

:57:51.:57:55.

alcohol for days before the race, they need to eat plenty of

:57:55.:58:00.

carbohydrates, but for everybody here watching, it is just a big day

:58:00.:58:07.

out. When last we saw Oz and James, they were on the raised balcony

:58:07.:58:10.

outside the Dove, near Hammersmith Bridge, where they would have

:58:10.:58:15.

stayed, given the choice. But the good thing about being slightly

:58:15.:58:19.

tipsy is, you can become more easy to persuade to carry on your

:58:19.:58:27.

adventure. Do you fancy, because I know you believe everything was

:58:27.:58:37.

better in the past, to go to a pub for a traditional bar game? I will

:58:37.:58:42.

put you out of your misery, the game is skittles. Isn't that a

:58:42.:58:51.

little bit old-fashioned? It is, compared with Space invaders.

:58:51.:58:59.

they play with cheese? No, they play with a ball, I think. You need

:58:59.:59:06.

a bit more spin, James. Here we go. You throw it down and it went

:59:07.:59:13.

bouncing, like Barnes Wallis. It is quite interesting, actually, there

:59:13.:59:17.

is a long tradition of beer making on the river, for obvious reasons,

:59:17.:59:22.

I suppose, stuff could come in by boat. There is actually a brewery

:59:22.:59:30.

which makes lager. Foreign lager. Foreign lager? You're taking me to

:59:30.:59:34.

visit a brewery on our beloved Tideway which makes foreign lager?

:59:34.:59:38.

I thought it would give you a chance to have a good rant about

:59:38.:59:48.
:59:48.:59:56.

the decline of England. I will give You are amused by the most childish

:59:56.:00:02.

dreams. It is quite funny. Seriously, look at it closely, you

:00:02.:00:12.
:00:12.:00:15.

will see what I mean. It should be slightly fruity, a little bit?

:00:15.:00:22.

think there is a textural quality of the skin of a baked mackerel.

:00:22.:00:31.

slightly mineral feel to it. Is it bottled here or tank here? It goes

:00:31.:00:36.

off to going cans, I asked that earlier. Please pay attention. You

:00:36.:00:39.

thought because I was asking the question, it was irrelevant. But

:00:39.:00:49.
:00:49.:01:01.

actually, it was pertinent. Now, So is that the finishing post?

:01:01.:01:08.

is it. Well, they queue for enhancing my appreciation of the

:01:08.:01:14.

Boat Race, but where would you watch it? This is the end, and you

:01:14.:01:17.

can watch the rest on TV. Putney is the beginning and you can watch the

:01:17.:01:26.

rest on TV, or you can watch an enormous chunk of it at the Dove.

:01:26.:01:30.

Well, it is safe to say that they had fun with that. James May well

:01:30.:01:35.

be joining me next week at Aintree for his man and a programme, which

:01:35.:01:40.

makes me think about perfect physique for a rower. Andrew

:01:40.:01:44.

Triggs-Hodge and Tom James are with me again. What is the perfect shape

:01:44.:01:48.

for a road? It seems that you can be small and delicate, or you can

:01:48.:01:54.

be a beast of a man. There are lots of different routes. If you have

:01:54.:01:59.

long limbs, it helps, and big lungs. Genetics are certainly part of it.

:02:00.:02:05.

But being athletic and dynamic, the sport is about applying the power

:02:05.:02:11.

you have got and timing. You see all shapes and sizes. But generally,

:02:11.:02:14.

longer leavers and bigger lungs helps. And you have to stay

:02:14.:02:18.

motivated. You have been training this morning? Were were up bright

:02:18.:02:23.

and early this morning. It is a seven day job. But it is the same

:02:23.:02:28.

for the guys in the Boat Race. They are training every day for the Boat

:02:28.:02:35.

Race. But the motivation spills out into their dedication. And the

:02:35.:02:39.

coaches were combat. As everybody at homes finishes their lunch, how

:02:40.:02:44.

much do rowers eat in a given day, and what do they eat? For someone

:02:44.:02:50.

like me, it is about 6000 calories. You try and get more in when

:02:50.:02:55.

training, because I find my weight drops a bit. It is not the same for

:02:55.:03:00.

everyone, but it becomes a bit like a chore. You have to see it as

:03:00.:03:03.

another training session, which is the opposite of what a lot of

:03:03.:03:09.

people find. 6000 calories is typical. Enjoy watching the race. A

:03:09.:03:13.

brief word about weight - Cambridge are 7.9 kilograms per man on

:03:13.:03:17.

average heavier than Oxford. In the past, the heavier crew has seemed

:03:17.:03:23.

to have the advantage. Oxford are the favourites today, though. We

:03:23.:03:26.

have near-perfect conditions. I hand you over to our commentary

:03:26.:03:36.
:03:36.:04:03.

team. Let's look at total wins of For the last two years, the

:04:03.:04:07.

favourites have been beaten in this race. I will hop in a boat and head

:04:07.:04:13.

to the finish. Our commentary team will now take over, Dan Topolski

:04:13.:04:23.
:04:23.:04:24.

Cambridge are a stone heavier. But Oxford are odds-on favourites to

:04:24.:04:31.

win. This sporting fixture has been here well before the Moscow

:04:31.:04:36.

Olympics. But over the last 20 years, it has been equal between

:04:36.:04:41.

heavier and lighter crews. The big boys do not necessarily win. As Tom

:04:41.:04:48.

James was saying, more significant is that priceless ability to make

:04:48.:04:52.

the boat go faster on a course weather conditions are constantly

:04:52.:04:56.

changing. Down, there is plenty of driftwood, some of the worst

:04:56.:05:02.

conditions we have ever seen? through the week, the dredgers was

:05:02.:05:06.

supposed to be cleaning the river and getting rid of some of the

:05:06.:05:13.

rubbish that tipped into the river earlier in the week. Oxford had

:05:13.:05:16.

their fines knocked off by a submerged drifting log on Monday.

:05:16.:05:22.

We have seen that all this week, and it will be a serious problem

:05:22.:05:27.

for the coxes. It is below the surface of the water. The umpire

:05:27.:05:31.

has stated that if there are any problems, he will pick it up. This

:05:32.:05:38.

is the reserve crew we are watching. The crew for Oxford have come well

:05:38.:05:48.
:05:48.:05:56.

clear. They have won again. The Cambridge crew won the toss. And

:05:56.:06:04.

And yet again, Isis have won. was a big margin of victory. A

:06:04.:06:07.

great success to come off the Middlesex side, round the

:06:07.:06:13.

Hammersmith bend. A very good performance, and it bodes well for

:06:13.:06:19.

Oxford in the main race coming up now. There is a big weight

:06:19.:06:23.

difference, and that is really considerable. The heavier crews

:06:23.:06:28.

have longer legs, longer answer. That power, if Cambridge can

:06:28.:06:33.

harness it well and really put on in the middle of the race with that

:06:33.:06:38.

power and role efficiently, they will be a very big challenge. But

:06:38.:06:43.

Oxford are very racy. They have three lightweights in the boat, my

:06:43.:06:51.

size, 77 kilos or about 12 stone. That is a big difference. The coach

:06:51.:06:57.

has been working on that. It is very much his programme after the

:06:57.:07:00.

disappointment in 2010 to ensure that his chosen crew do themselves

:07:00.:07:06.

justice and turn potential into high performance. I am the

:07:06.:07:11.

president of the CBC, and this is my crew. I am studying medicine

:07:11.:07:19.

with a PhD in behavioural neuroscience. I am studying Anglo-

:07:19.:07:24.

Saxon, Norse and Celtic literature. Jack provides a lot of positivity

:07:24.:07:29.

and enthusiasm. I am reading history at Homerton College. I

:07:29.:07:37.

bring fight. I am studying law at St Edmund's. He provides a lot of

:07:37.:07:43.

hunger and technical leadership. am studying land economy. He is a

:07:43.:07:53.
:07:53.:07:53.

real workhorse. I am studying economic Research. He is a fellow

:07:53.:08:01.

Aussie, bringing a lot of experience. I am studying history.

:08:01.:08:07.

He sets up a solid rhythm, and the rest follow his lead. I am studying

:08:07.:08:17.
:08:17.:08:24.

natural sciences. He is the will be fielding as his Oxford crew,

:08:24.:08:28.

the dark Blues, are chasing their ninth victory as Oxford coach since

:08:28.:08:34.

he was given the job in 1998. He is an unflappable man. And there is a

:08:34.:08:41.

quiet intensity to his Crow. There is no hiding their ambition to rule

:08:41.:08:50.

the Tideway once more. I am Karl Hudspith, President of the Oxford

:08:50.:08:55.

University Boat Club. This is my crew. I am reading graduate entry

:08:55.:09:04.

medicine. He won last year's Isis race. Quantum computation. Yale

:09:04.:09:09.

graduate William Zeng is as quick with mental arithmetic as he is

:09:09.:09:15.

with an oar. I am reading water science policy management. Another

:09:15.:09:22.

vocal American. I am reading for an MSc in research and geography

:09:22.:09:29.

environment. He is one of the toughest in the crew. I am studying

:09:29.:09:34.

chromosome and developmental Biology. He has a constantly chirpy

:09:34.:09:40.

and upbeat personality. I am studying computational biology at

:09:40.:09:45.

Mansfield College. The third of our former lightweights in the boat, he

:09:45.:09:51.

also rowed in last year's Isis race. I am doing a masters in Surgical

:09:51.:09:56.

Sciences. The second of our senior internationals in the crew, a true

:09:56.:10:01.

Dutch master. I am reading for an MSc in Criminology and Criminal

:10:01.:10:06.

Justice. A former under 23 world champion who learned to cox on the

:10:06.:10:15.

Tideway. Her experience is valuable. When you see the Cambridge crew, in

:10:15.:10:19.

the middle of the boat, there is a tandem rig, one in front of the

:10:19.:10:27.

other, with their blades on the first side. They became the first

:10:27.:10:31.

crew to win with such a set-up. bring your weight into the middle

:10:31.:10:36.

of the boat. That is one reason for doing it. If your boat is not going

:10:36.:10:40.

straight in the normal set-up, you want to change that so that your

:10:40.:10:46.

bow man does not have the same leverage. You are trying to get a

:10:46.:10:49.

straight to running boat. That must be one of the problems they were

:10:49.:10:59.
:10:59.:11:05.

having. Two boats waiting. John Garrett is in the umpire's launch.

:11:05.:11:10.

Let's see where Clare Balding has got too, towards Hammersmith? You

:11:10.:11:15.

are going well? When you get to come down the river

:11:15.:11:19.

on a boat, I am excited because you get a real sense of all of the

:11:19.:11:23.

crowds. You can imagine the noise that will be here as the crews

:11:23.:11:27.

reached Hammersmith Bridge. They still have the large part of the

:11:27.:11:31.

race to go and the big left-handed curve. The water is slightly choppy,

:11:31.:11:39.

with a bit of a headwind, but we have to speed up. Bye-bye.

:11:39.:11:47.

Clare is churning up the water for the race! So she is happy. We are

:11:47.:11:55.

now by Putney Bridge. You can see the two boats on their stations.

:11:55.:11:59.

Oxford are on the North Bank, the Middlesex bank. And Cambridge are

:11:59.:12:07.

on the southern bank, the Surrey station. Dan will take you through.

:12:07.:12:16.

Please acknowledge that you can hear this. Testing for volume. Zoe,

:12:16.:12:25.

can you hear that? At the start, we come off Putney Bridge. The forced

:12:25.:12:33.

corner they come to is Fulham Football Club. Then they go to

:12:33.:12:36.

Middlesex, then up to Hammersmith Bridge, seven minutes gone. Then

:12:36.:12:45.

round the big spend on the Surrey side. Straighter long Chiswick Eyot,

:12:45.:12:49.

round and then the last seven minutes, you are coming up through

:12:49.:12:53.

the Bandstand, with four minutes to go. Three minutes from Barnes

:12:53.:12:57.

Bridge. A big curve in favour of Oxford for the last few minutes of

:12:57.:13:03.

the race, through to the finish at Chiswick.

:13:03.:13:06.

That is the cause which is laid out ahead, a course already conquered

:13:07.:13:11.

by the Oxford reserve crew, Isis. They started from the same station

:13:11.:13:17.

the blue boat will start on. advantage of being on the Middlesex

:13:17.:13:21.

here is that they will not hit the headwind until they get round the

:13:21.:13:27.

corner. The Surrey side will hit it first. They will get the rougher

:13:27.:13:32.

water along the first mile through to Hammersmith Bridge. Oxford will

:13:32.:13:37.

be trying to get as much as they can in this first part of the race.

:13:37.:13:45.

We are waiting. The umpire is controlled. The crews are waiting.

:13:45.:13:53.

This means so much to both crews. It is one race, one day, and

:13:53.:13:58.

everything builds up to that. The effect of losing, we can't let last

:13:58.:14:06.

year happen again. You spent seven months, and at the end you either

:14:06.:14:16.
:14:16.:14:16.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds

:14:16.:15:01.

have just had one British rower in their boat. You can see the two

:15:01.:15:10.

coxes. Ed Bosson, 19 just yesterday. For Oxford, Zoe de Toledo, a winner

:15:10.:15:16.

last year for Isis. There's Matthew Pinsent, who will be Assistant

:15:16.:15:22.

umpire. And there's John Garrett, never a winner as a Cambridge

:15:22.:15:27.

oarsmen. Three times an umpire of the Boat Race, and returns in

:15:27.:15:37.
:15:37.:15:39.

charge of the reserve race. Arms aloft, so, neither crew ready just

:15:39.:15:49.
:15:49.:16:05.

way. At the start is crucial. As expected, Oxford are away.

:16:05.:16:11.

Cambridge, with the greater weight. But look at Oxford, charging clear.

:16:11.:16:15.

Cambridge very slow on those first few strokes, we saw that in

:16:15.:16:18.

practice earlier in the week, they were very slow getting going.

:16:18.:16:22.

Oxford have got about a third of a length already. They are

:16:22.:16:30.

approaching the first corner. If they can just push this on, and not

:16:30.:16:35.

allow Cambridge to get into their stride... Cambridge know that

:16:35.:16:39.

Oxford are good starters. They are prepared for that, they say. They

:16:39.:16:45.

are hoping that they will be able to make their weight tell. They are

:16:45.:16:49.

more than a stone a man heavier, and that is their big calling-card.

:16:49.:16:53.

They have to get into position to make sure they can make the most of

:16:53.:16:59.

this Surrey bank. Fulham football ground coming up on the right-hand

:16:59.:17:05.

side, the Middlesex station. Both crews are at 35 strokes a minute at

:17:05.:17:09.

the moment, they have settled into their race pace. They are just

:17:09.:17:19.
:17:19.:17:20.

passing Noel our commentating box. Oxford have half a length. You can

:17:20.:17:24.

hear the umpire, John Garrett, warning the boats. He is saying to

:17:24.:17:30.

Oxford, you're pushing further towards the Surrey station. Again,

:17:30.:17:37.

they're being warned. Zoe de Toledo, a very impressive Cox in all the

:17:37.:17:40.

previous matches on the Tideway in the build-up to this race.

:17:40.:17:44.

Cambridge have done a very good job here, they have checked Oxford's

:17:44.:17:49.

progress, and they are getting into their rhythm, moving up into

:17:49.:17:54.

contention. Oxford still trying to get away. They need to get as much

:17:54.:17:59.

of an advantage in this first part of the race as they can, before

:17:59.:18:06.

they hit the big Hammersmith bend. That is worth three quarters of a

:18:06.:18:10.

length to the inside crew, which is Cambridge. As they come into the

:18:10.:18:14.

rest of the race, into this head wind, the Cambridge extra weight

:18:14.:18:22.

will really come to their advantage. John Garrett has been to see both

:18:22.:18:27.

crews, insisting that he wants at least four or five metres between

:18:27.:18:32.

the two boats. They're quite close together at the moment. The umpire

:18:32.:18:36.

has said he wants that gap, but they are getting quite close. He

:18:36.:18:40.

wants them to move apart. He thinks they're both encroaching against

:18:40.:18:46.

each other, so no-one is at fault, but he wants them further apart.

:18:46.:18:52.

Both crews, move apart! They're coming on to the straight, and

:18:52.:18:55.

Oxford have got about a quarter of a length. Cambridge have settled

:18:55.:19:02.

into a very good, strong, 35 strokes a minute. Expect Cambridge,

:19:02.:19:05.

as they approached the Harrod's Repository, to make a big, big push.

:19:05.:19:09.

That's what they have been practising, that's where they think

:19:09.:19:14.

they can really score. Middlesex bend, were something like

:19:14.:19:20.

a quarter of a length to the crew on that side. But then, it really

:19:20.:19:24.

starts to tell, as the river starts to bend around. Underneath

:19:24.:19:30.

Hammersmith Bridge, down towards Chiswick Steps, and that advantage

:19:30.:19:33.

could be as much as three-quarters of a length to a length. So,

:19:33.:19:41.

Cambridge are still in touch, as they come up to the former Harrod's

:19:41.:19:47.

Repository, now, luxury flats. Cambridge have come back, as we can

:19:47.:19:52.

see. Oxford on the outside of his corner, this is where they really

:19:52.:19:56.

have to push. They will try to make a big push, they have got to push

:19:56.:19:59.

before they get to the Harrod's Repository. Cambridge have settled

:19:59.:20:05.

into a very strong rhythm, looking very good. Remember, a stone a man

:20:05.:20:11.

extra, it is like having an extra man in the boat. Eight kilos,

:20:11.:20:15.

nearly 10 stone, of extra power in that Cambridge boat, and into this

:20:15.:20:21.

head wind, it is having a big effect. Oxford, entirely aware of

:20:21.:20:25.

Cambridge's weight advantage, conscious that their technical

:20:25.:20:28.

skill, the ability to move the boat efficiently and effectively as a

:20:28.:20:37.

unit, not necessarily being clunky, that could be their advantage.

:20:37.:20:41.

Still about a quarter of a length of clear, as Cambridge start to dig

:20:41.:20:46.

in. With the sunglasses and the pony tail, at number five, Mike

:20:46.:20:51.

Thorp, hurting so deeply following that defeat last year, having won

:20:52.:20:57.

the year before that. Here they go again, Oxford getting quite close.

:20:57.:21:01.

They have straightened up again, but they are making a very big push,

:21:01.:21:06.

to try to get as much of an advantage as possible, as you can

:21:06.:21:09.

see the Harrod's Repository on the left. They are trying to get away a

:21:09.:21:16.

bit, so they have an advantage going into this big, big corner.

:21:16.:21:20.

The coxes are driving this aggressive, racing line, looking

:21:20.:21:26.

for the fastest water, the deepest water is the fastest stream, which

:21:26.:21:34.

is what both crews are searching for. But only if one crew moves

:21:34.:21:37.

actually -- moves at least one length clear, can they then move

:21:37.:21:47.

across. Something like 2000 metres, which is the usual length for the

:21:47.:21:51.

World Championships or the Olympics. As they come up to Hammersmith

:21:51.:21:56.

Bridge, they have got an advantage of three-quarters of a length,

:21:56.:22:00.

going around his corner. Oxford will have to hold on now, they have

:22:01.:22:05.

not got enough of an advantage to move ahead. You can see now,

:22:05.:22:08.

Cambridge beginning to move, they have moved up to 37 strokes a

:22:08.:22:18.
:22:18.:22:21.

minute, and they are pushing fast. At stroke, a very cool man, calm

:22:21.:22:27.

man, Niles Garratt, but women can be relied upon for great rhythm.

:22:27.:22:37.
:22:37.:22:53.

And for Oxford, in the bow seat, to the left, towards Chiswick Reach.

:22:53.:22:58.

This is where the Surrey bend could count for Cambridge. Then now,

:22:58.:23:02.

they're starting to make it count. Oxford have been warned, they have

:23:02.:23:06.

had to move out towards the outside of that corner. It is very

:23:06.:23:10.

dangerous for them, they have got to dig in and hold all the way

:23:10.:23:14.

around the outside of his corner. Remember, Cambridge, big weight,

:23:14.:23:19.

big power in their boat, harnessing it well. They have got to make this

:23:19.:23:23.

work, they have got to move away, it is worth three quarters of a

:23:23.:23:27.

length, and try and get clear of Oxford. Because Oxford will have

:23:27.:23:35.

the advantage over the last bend. So, how do you think it is looking?

:23:35.:23:40.

We have got a fantastic race on her hands, better than anybody expected,

:23:40.:23:44.

better than the book is expected. Cambridge have done an amazing job

:23:44.:23:48.

in the first eight or nine minutes, they have made their weight tell.

:23:48.:23:51.

They have got another three or four minutes on this big Surrey bend,

:23:51.:23:56.

they have to get away from Oxford, because after this, the next bend

:23:56.:24:03.

will be in Oxford's favour. Cambridge have to get away. This is

:24:03.:24:09.

some contest. So many sages on the towpaths were saying that Oxford

:24:09.:24:19.
:24:19.:24:21.

would run away with this. But here we are, coming up to the 9th minute,

:24:21.:24:27.

by Chiswick Reach, just on the left, back upstream, and we are pretty

:24:27.:24:32.

much level. Oxford holding on very well around the outside of his

:24:32.:24:37.

corner. Oxford are still in this race. Cambridge's advantage is

:24:37.:24:41.

beginning to run out, but they are making the most of it, really

:24:41.:24:44.

having a big push now, because they know that the advantage is going to

:24:44.:24:49.

turn to the other side of the River once they get around his corner.

:24:49.:24:53.

They have got a straight coming up alongside Chiswick Eyot. Cambridge

:24:53.:24:58.

Ian ward, they're trying to push out, but Oxford holding on, and now,

:24:58.:25:02.

they will try to push on and feel that they have got the advantage.

:25:02.:25:07.

Now, they're beginning to move, Oxford, back alongside again. And

:25:07.:25:10.

this straight is where the advantage will start to favour

:25:10.:25:20.
:25:20.:25:25.

Oxford. Now, it is down to real guts and determination. This is

:25:25.:25:29.

down to where or the real Boat Race work is done. They have got about

:25:29.:25:34.

seven minutes to go. Cambridge will be warned, they are coming across.

:25:34.:25:38.

But the coxes are reacting well. It is big man's work for the last

:25:38.:25:43.

eight minutes of his race. Oxford have just got the edge. Trust is a

:25:43.:25:50.

word you hear so much for rowing crews, trust in the Cox, trusting

:25:50.:25:55.

each other, as a unit, to dig deep and do everything you can to take

:25:55.:26:00.

your boat to the finishing line first. And Oxford have dug deep,

:26:00.:26:05.

held their own around that crucial Surrey bend, and now, look as if

:26:05.:26:15.
:26:15.:26:15.

they are pulling clear possibly. As they come up towards Dukes Meadow

:26:15.:26:19.

on the Middlesex side. Still something like eight minutes to go,

:26:19.:26:28.

and nothing to choose between them. Seven minutes to go now. Once they

:26:28.:26:33.

get around this corner. What has happened? Cambridge have stopped.

:26:33.:26:36.

They have stopped growing, there is a man swimming a cross between the

:26:37.:26:46.
:26:47.:26:50.

boats. All the boats have stopped. What a shock. This is unprecedented.

:26:50.:26:56.

Well, this could well be a restart for John Garrett. He will start the

:26:56.:27:01.

race, with the crews pretty well even. Oxford just had the edge. He

:27:01.:27:06.

will have to start the race again from this point. This is going to

:27:06.:27:11.

be an advantage for Cambridge, because the weight will get them

:27:11.:27:15.

going much faster, they will be much quicker on a winning start.

:27:15.:27:20.

They will start where they are on the water, as they work, in the

:27:20.:27:25.

sense that Oxford were just possibly a quarter length ahead. It

:27:25.:27:29.

will take some time for this to be arranged. Have you ever seen

:27:29.:27:34.

anything like this before? Never seen anything like it. The race was

:27:34.:27:41.

stopped once seven or eight years ago. But a swimmer in the river?

:27:41.:27:45.

It was a demonstration, clearly, to draw attention to himself. We will

:27:46.:27:55.
:27:56.:27:56.

find out why he did it later on. We're going to spin round, we are

:27:56.:28:00.

going to start the race from the bottom of Chiswick Eyot, it is a

:28:00.:28:08.

restart. That's what we're going to do. So, the umpire, John Garrett,

:28:08.:28:18.

saying that they're going to turn around and go back to Chiswick Eyot.

:28:18.:28:21.

This is a shock. Remember, they have worked, emotionally and

:28:21.:28:26.

physically, extremely hard. The advantage is going to become a

:28:26.:28:32.

really, apart from the little band which will favour Cambridge,

:28:32.:28:35.

they're starting at the bottom of the island, they will go for one

:28:35.:28:38.

minute along the island, they will hit that corner, which will favour

:28:38.:28:42.

Cambridge, and then the advantage will turn to Oxford for the last

:28:42.:28:46.

part of the race. So, the advantage is going to be a little bit with

:28:46.:28:51.

Oxford. Whether the umpire starts the crews level, or whether he

:28:51.:28:56.

starts them as they were at that point in the race, we do not know.

:28:56.:29:00.

But the important thing here is, the lactate which has built up in

:29:00.:29:06.

the muscles of these two crews, it will be extremely important. And

:29:06.:29:10.

there you can see the swimmer in the water, that was very quick-

:29:10.:29:16.

thinking, from the Oxford cox, Zoe de Toledo, because that could have

:29:16.:29:20.

been quite frightening. You can see his head bobbing in the water, that

:29:20.:29:24.

could have been quite horrific. could have had his head cut off by

:29:24.:29:29.

the blades. But then launches that were falling cannot stop, he would

:29:29.:29:35.

have been subsumed by them. remember in the Formula 1 at

:29:35.:29:38.

Hockenheim a few years ago, something similar, but I was not

:29:38.:29:45.

expecting that. The amount of lactate which has built up in the

:29:45.:29:49.

muscles of these athletes, very, very difficult. There has got to be

:29:49.:29:53.

a lot of very, very focused thinking in the boats as they think

:29:53.:30:00.

about what they're going to do. It is going to be a rolling start. The

:30:00.:30:04.

umpire is going to have to judge the distance between them, as they

:30:04.:30:11.

start off. He will have to judge how he starts them. But look at the

:30:11.:30:14.

waves which have been kicked up by the following launches. All of

:30:14.:30:18.

those following launches are having to turn around, to get back behind

:30:18.:30:24.

the crews, so the water is appalling. Whether the umpire will

:30:24.:30:28.

give this water time to settle down, we do not know. What are conditions

:30:28.:30:38.
:30:38.:30:46.

launches have come to a screeching halt. We are sitting next to the

:30:46.:30:49.

police boat which has picked up this protester who was swimming

:30:49.:30:53.

across. He has a big smile on his face. He has achieved his aims, but

:30:53.:30:59.

the whole race today has been disrupted. There had been all sorts

:30:59.:31:06.

of preparations and pre-race planning and visualisation. Surely

:31:06.:31:15.

this could not have been part of anyone's visualisation. No. But how

:31:15.:31:23.

to take off again from a stop, that will have been thought about. But

:31:23.:31:28.

it is how quickly they can recover. See how what cities. The boats are

:31:28.:31:33.

bouncing around. The launches are churning it out -- about as they go

:31:33.:31:37.

back to the start. This is very difficult for the crews. Their

:31:37.:31:42.

adrenalin will be right up now. This is going to be an

:31:42.:31:45.

extraordinary last seven minutes. They are starting eight minutes

:31:45.:31:51.

from the finish. They have stopped just past halfway. But the umpire

:31:51.:31:58.

is taking them back to start at the halfway point. You can see how the

:31:58.:32:05.

boats are still making their way back towards the Hammersmith Bridge.

:32:05.:32:10.

I wonder if we can talk to Matthew Pinsent, who is on the umpire's the

:32:10.:32:19.

launch. Matthew, how is this going to work? John Garratt obviously

:32:19.:32:23.

stopped at the race for the swimmer in the water. The rules allow him

:32:23.:32:28.

to stop the race and restart it from any position he sees fit. At

:32:29.:32:34.

the moment, we are taking Cambridge and Oxford back up the river,

:32:34.:32:37.

because the tide is constantly taking us towards the finish line.

:32:37.:32:41.

We will align them again so that they are level, and rowed the last

:32:41.:32:46.

bit of the course. It is not ideal. But given those circumstances, what

:32:46.:32:52.

could we do? It is a safety issue. If you have someone in the water,

:32:52.:32:56.

it could be a very serious injury if someone was hit by a rowing boat.

:32:56.:32:59.

Fortunately, we spotted him and stopped the race. How easy will it

:33:00.:33:04.

be to get these crews level and how easy is it to get some sort of

:33:04.:33:09.

level surface, too? It will be so churned up because of the boats.

:33:09.:33:15.

Absolutely. We are bobbing about now. It is not ideal. But we could

:33:15.:33:21.

not possibly have carried on. The rules do not allow the umpire to

:33:21.:33:25.

designate a winner if you stop at that point. They have to cross the

:33:25.:33:30.

finishing line. So now we are left with this position that we will

:33:30.:33:34.

have a four or five-minute race now from here to the finish line.

:33:34.:33:38.

wonder how long it will take for you to get in position and for the

:33:38.:33:45.

crews themselves to be ready? Cambridge are ahead of us. Oxford

:33:45.:33:50.

are level with us. So we probably have another three or four minutes

:33:50.:33:53.

before the crews are back towards the position where John Garrett

:33:53.:33:57.

wants to turn them on to the tide. This has never happened before in

:33:57.:34:02.

the Boat Race. We have never had a swimmer before. As anything ever

:34:02.:34:05.

happened like this team in all your experience, Olympics, training,

:34:05.:34:09.

whatever? We have had plenty of swimmers, but always after the

:34:09.:34:14.

finish line, swimming out to say well done or commiserations. This

:34:14.:34:22.

is a new one. Dan, I was out watching Cambridge in their last

:34:22.:34:27.

race on the Tideway against Molesey. And in their second race, they

:34:28.:34:32.

almost had a collision with a cruiser which was coming down the

:34:32.:34:36.

river and only noticed the two crews racing flat out at the last

:34:36.:34:39.

minute and veered straight across to avoid them, but completely

:34:39.:34:44.

disrupted the race. Cambridge, at one stage, in their boat, which is

:34:44.:34:50.

a slightly more delicate boat than the one used by Oxford, there were

:34:50.:34:54.

concerns that it would snap, because there was an enormous wash,

:34:54.:34:59.

and it was going up and down alarmingly and the race was ruined.

:34:59.:35:05.

Well, the race has been ruined here. The key thing to think about now is

:35:05.:35:11.

how this disruption is affecting the two crews. You have three very

:35:11.:35:15.

small people in this Oxford boat. The amount of work they will have

:35:15.:35:20.

done to be in the race around the outside of the corner, they will be

:35:20.:35:27.

feeling that. They have less resilience than bigger people. The

:35:27.:35:34.

advantage of the extra weight that Cambridge have, that will help them

:35:34.:35:38.

to dispel the tiredness in the Lakes. They will be able to move

:35:38.:35:48.

off more quickly on a running start. They will not be held back. Their

:35:48.:35:50.

first few shroud will be much stronger and sharper. But Oxford

:35:51.:35:57.

have the advantage of the last corner, and that will help. But now

:35:57.:36:02.

they are trying to get their legs moving and get themselves back.

:36:02.:36:06.

Having built themselves up to go towards the finish, they now have

:36:06.:36:11.

to come back up again. They are not doing much work, they are just

:36:11.:36:18.

paddling back. They need to keep moving. But they have done races in

:36:18.:36:23.

other fixtures where they have had to race two seven minute pieces or

:36:23.:36:30.

two nine-minute pieces, so they have done this in training. But in

:36:30.:36:34.

the actual main race, they will have expended everything to get to

:36:34.:36:38.

that point. Wayne Pommen, have you ever experienced anything like this,

:36:38.:36:43.

and if so how did you manage to reset your mind to race again?

:36:43.:36:46.

have not seen anything like this. The last time this happened in a

:36:46.:36:51.

Boat Race was 2001, when there was a collision and a restart. The

:36:51.:36:56.

biggest question will be whether the umpire will start the crews

:36:56.:37:00.

level, or whether he will estimate who was leading at the time of the

:37:00.:37:05.

incident. In 2001, Oxford were leading when it was stopped. But

:37:05.:37:08.

they were have restarted roughly level, and the umpire was severely

:37:08.:37:14.

criticised. So the question is, what will happen this time? Having

:37:14.:37:17.

talked to John Garratt earlier in the week, I understood that in the

:37:17.:37:21.

event of any driftwood getting in the way, as we discussed earlier,

:37:21.:37:28.

when Oxford lost their fear and and there but had to come back, if they

:37:28.:37:34.

were to have repaired it, he would have restarted the race in the

:37:34.:37:36.

order and the ranking that the boats were at the time of the

:37:36.:37:40.

incident. So which of the crew was in the lead, he would set it up as

:37:40.:37:45.

near as possible to that advantage to the crew who were leading. So by

:37:45.:37:50.

my reckoning, it was very close. There was about a quarter of a

:37:50.:37:58.

length in it. Imagine how much work they have to do now to come back up.

:37:58.:38:02.

Also, you talked about the lactic acid and how they get themselves

:38:02.:38:11.

ready again. And what about the start? It was crucial when we saw

:38:11.:38:21.

it originally, with Oxford starting so powerfully. Looking at the

:38:21.:38:25.

course here, the stoppage of the race happened just on this corner

:38:25.:38:32.

here. They had seven minutes to go from the point where they had to

:38:32.:38:38.

stop. There are now working back down the river towards this end of

:38:38.:38:43.

the island. They will line up at the bottom end, which is pretty

:38:43.:38:47.

well exactly halfway over the Boat Race course. They will have raced

:38:47.:38:57.
:38:57.:38:57.

eight minutes, and they now have nine-and-a-half minutes to go.

:38:57.:39:01.

There is a short corner in favour of Cambridge on the Surrey side.

:39:01.:39:05.

And as they come round to the crossing, the advantage then starts

:39:06.:39:12.

for the Middlesex side, which is Oxford. It takes us under Barnes

:39:12.:39:17.

Bridge. Both crews go through the centre arch and then round towards

:39:17.:39:23.

the finish, just before Chiswick Bridge. The crews still have some

:39:23.:39:27.

work to do. It was optimistic of Matthew Pinsent to say there were

:39:27.:39:37.
:39:37.:39:43.

five minutes to go. Extraordinary. Canada geese serenely in front of

:39:43.:39:50.

us, near Putney! And mayhem further downstream. I suppose it is also

:39:50.:39:56.

fair to say that the spectators will be waiting at Mortlake,

:39:56.:40:00.

thinking, what has happened? Has there been a sinking? Have they

:40:00.:40:05.

suddenly disappeared?! I am sure the word will have got out on

:40:05.:40:11.

portable radios and mobile phones. They are probably aware of what

:40:11.:40:18.

happened. And those watching it in cider on TV and in the pubs will

:40:18.:40:23.

see what is going on. You can see people checking their mobile phones.

:40:23.:40:33.
:40:33.:40:35.

The power of Twitter. I am sure they will be filing furiously. But

:40:35.:40:41.

there is still some time before this race will resume. Still

:40:41.:40:51.
:40:51.:40:56.

waiting to confirm exactly how far... I wonder who was in front.

:40:56.:41:01.

John Garrett has been the centre of controversy before, when he was

:41:01.:41:07.

umpire in the Isis race in 1990, when he disqualified Isis when the

:41:07.:41:17.
:41:17.:41:18.

two crews came too close together. That was quite a controversy.

:41:18.:41:28.
:41:28.:41:29.

are going to restart at the bottom of the eight. So this is the replay

:41:29.:41:34.

of where they were. You can just see the man in the water. Who was

:41:34.:41:41.

ahead? It looks to be Oxford, a quarter of a length ahead. If they

:41:41.:41:45.

start a quarter of a length ahead, that will eliminate the advantage

:41:45.:41:51.

that Cambridge will have on the first corner. It seems that that

:41:51.:41:55.

launch has an extra passenger, heading down towards Putney Bridge,

:41:55.:41:59.

namely the man who was in the water. You hope there is no one planning

:41:59.:42:03.

to do something similar, because this was brewing up to be a really

:42:03.:42:07.

close, tight-knit contest, much against all predictions. So many

:42:07.:42:13.

were saying Oxford looked so good in the water, Cambridge unable to

:42:13.:42:17.

nip their power properly as a flowing unit, which is so important

:42:17.:42:21.

on this stretch of water. It is not like 2000 metres in a straight line,

:42:21.:42:27.

as at the World Championships and on the Olympic rowing course in 16

:42:27.:42:34.

weeks' time. This is a river all of its own, with its own special,

:42:34.:42:38.

capricious conditions, which have caught out many a crew in the past

:42:38.:42:43.

and will do so in the future. But the problem now is entirely man-

:42:43.:42:48.

made and has thankfully been removed. You can see how bouncy

:42:48.:42:58.
:42:58.:43:06.

that water is. Very uncomfortable for them. They are just sitting,

:43:06.:43:16.

waiting for the... The umpire will be wanting to try and let the water

:43:16.:43:22.

settle down. In all your experience, have you ever had anything like

:43:22.:43:32.

this? Either as an oarsman or a coach? My Bowman collapsed in 1980,

:43:32.:43:37.

when I was with Oxford. Six years ago, the Cambridge four man

:43:37.:43:43.

collapsed. But no disruption like this? No. Not actually in the race.

:43:43.:43:50.

A clash and a stoppage by the umpire and then maybe start. So we

:43:50.:43:55.

have had a restart. Matthew Pinsent, I gather you can hear us again.

:43:55.:44:03.

What is your schedule now? We are just talking to Oxford now. John

:44:03.:44:08.

Garrett is telling them the exact start line for the restart, which

:44:08.:44:12.

will be down Chiswick Eyot. You obviously want to get going again

:44:12.:44:16.

as quickly as you can, but the balance is the water. The flotilla

:44:16.:44:21.

that follows the race churns up the river to a great extent, so they

:44:21.:44:25.

will have to race in some bumpy conditions which are completely

:44:25.:44:35.
:44:35.:44:35.

unlike what they just had. We are going to restart the race. Please

:44:35.:44:43.

get off the course. That is the lifeboat, being asked to leave the

:44:43.:44:52.

premises because of the Wash. This is the problem. You can see, he is

:44:52.:44:56.

churning it up again. That means the water bounces between the banks

:44:56.:45:01.

and creates a rolling, difficult piece of water to roll on. It was

:45:01.:45:05.

some feat for Cambridge last month in that race against Molesey to

:45:05.:45:11.

gather themselves. At one stage, the cox it said, just stop running,

:45:11.:45:16.

because they were pitching and it was a very close thing. Let's see

:45:16.:45:26.
:45:26.:45:34.

last year. Yes, and you can give us a flavour of this and what it must

:45:34.:45:39.

be like for the coxes. It is something completely unexpected. It

:45:39.:45:43.

is something which gets bandied about in a joking way, what if

:45:43.:45:47.

somebody jumped into the river? You talk about debris and things like

:45:47.:45:50.

that, but actually somebody being in the river, that has never

:45:50.:45:54.

happened before. Already, the coxes have shown great maturity in

:45:54.:46:00.

stopping, getting their crews back together, spinning, and getting

:46:00.:46:04.

ready for the restart. It now becomes a completely different race.

:46:04.:46:08.

Yes, it was developing into one of the most exciting races we have

:46:08.:46:13.

seen for a while. They were both still right there. But they will be

:46:13.:46:16.

getting back into the zone, they will be refocusing themselves, and

:46:16.:46:22.

I'm sure we will see a great end to this race. Let's hope so, we would

:46:22.:46:32.
:46:32.:46:36.

have been well into the to get into some kind of station.

:46:36.:46:40.

And you may have heard how John Garrett was still unhappy with

:46:40.:46:50.
:46:50.:47:10.

boat's there are all part of the Boat Race flotilla. Now, waiting

:47:10.:47:15.

for John Garrett to be happy, for the crews to be ready, and on their

:47:15.:47:21.

respective stations. Currently, both crews are on the Surrey bank,

:47:21.:47:25.

and we know that Oxford have got to be on the other side, to satisfy

:47:25.:47:32.

this man here. We're still not really yet quite sure whether they

:47:32.:47:35.

going to start level, or whether they're going to start with Oxford

:47:35.:47:40.

slightly ahead, as they were when they came round the corner. When

:47:41.:47:47.

they got to the point of the swimmer, at the top of Chiswick

:47:47.:47:54.

Eyot, it was pretty close. Let's go to Sonali. You have a man with you

:47:54.:48:02.

who knows all about rowing. Yes, with me now, Andrew Triggs-Hodge.

:48:02.:48:07.

We have been watching events unfold from Putney. What will be going

:48:07.:48:13.

through the mind of the rowers? This is a complete game-changer.

:48:13.:48:19.

These guys have been preparing for a race which will last 18 minutes,

:48:19.:48:23.

and the physiological demand is very precise. They have now had to

:48:23.:48:29.

stop the race because of a stupid swimmer, and not only do they then

:48:29.:48:33.

have to come down from that race, put it to bed, get their heads

:48:33.:48:38.

screwed back on, but now, they have got to start the process of getting

:48:38.:48:42.

their bodies could back up to start racing again. The demands of

:48:42.:48:47.

physical as well as mental. As soon as they finished that first piece,

:48:47.:48:52.

their body would have been going, OK, fine, I can start to slow down,

:48:52.:48:58.

start to recover. However, they have now got to be kick-started

:48:58.:49:03.

again, to get it going again, for the last seven minutes. That is a

:49:03.:49:07.

short race in these terms, and it is going to be a whole new demand

:49:07.:49:12.

for them. It changes everything they have been preparing for.

:49:12.:49:17.

their plans completely thrown out of the window. Exactly, they

:49:17.:49:22.

prepare for one start. Now they have got to restart. They were side

:49:22.:49:25.

by side for the majority of the race, it has been a fantastic race.

:49:25.:49:28.

Oxford would have been confident, going into the next phase of the

:49:28.:49:32.

race, on the inside of the bend, mentally, they would have been in a

:49:32.:49:37.

very strong position. Cambridge had been trying really hard around the

:49:37.:49:42.

inside of their bend, that was the part where they had to win the race.

:49:42.:49:46.

And now, we have a situation where everybody is back to the start, but

:49:46.:49:50.

they have moved it back, so they have given Cambridge their bent

:49:50.:49:57.

back, which I find a bit crazy. If you have a streaker coming on in

:49:57.:50:03.

tennis, you do not then go back a few sets. So, they have given

:50:03.:50:08.

Cambridge another chance at their inside bend. It merely changes

:50:08.:50:12.

everything. It is hard to know what is going to happen. The athletes

:50:12.:50:17.

have to get their head switched back on. They have to find a new

:50:18.:50:21.

side of their training, because they will not have practised this,

:50:21.:50:24.

they have just got to believe that they can push on hard and get back

:50:24.:50:28.

into the race. Who do you think will have the psychological

:50:28.:50:35.

advantage, with the race having been moved back? Well, it would

:50:35.:50:39.

have been Oxford, but now, Cambridge can think that they have

:50:39.:50:45.

got a second chance, which can do some good things to a crew, they

:50:45.:50:49.

can get their heads up again and they can really kick on. They know

:50:49.:50:54.

how Oxford started at the beginning of the race, I think they can make

:50:54.:50:58.

amends and really do some damage. But Oxford really had a good,

:50:58.:51:02.

strong rhythm, they need to get straight back into that, commit to

:51:02.:51:07.

what they were doing, what looked like a good, strong position, and

:51:07.:51:17.
:51:17.:51:30.

then, it is anyone's race. It is bad. They lined up to go and then

:51:30.:51:37.

Cambridge decided to turn around and paddle back down again. It

:51:37.:51:41.

could be that the Cambridge cox decided that the water was too

:51:41.:51:45.

bouncy, too unpleasant, and he wanted a bit more time, and he took

:51:45.:51:48.

that decision on his own, because there was no instruction coming

:51:48.:51:53.

from the umpire. Otherwise both crews would have turned at the same

:51:53.:51:56.

time. I think Cambridge made that decision to turn ahead of anybody

:51:56.:52:02.

else. That will be another four minutes, I would say, before we are

:52:02.:52:07.

ready, Cambridge going back up. And I have to say, it is not warm.

:52:07.:52:11.

There is also the concern about the tide. The tide is coming in, it is

:52:11.:52:21.
:52:21.:52:23.

beginning to slow down now. Those launches have got to be careful,

:52:23.:52:28.

they are just sitting there now. Usually they have a clear approach

:52:28.:52:33.

to the start. But now they have got those floating launches. They have

:52:33.:52:37.

got to come back through those floating launches, to get back to

:52:37.:52:41.

the point where the umpire wants to start the race, at the bottom of

:52:42.:52:50.

Chiswick Eyot. This is the finish, where they are waiting, some people

:52:50.:52:57.

may be keeping in touch with friends who are at the start. Some

:52:57.:53:02.

people have gone, it is all too much, or maybe they are looking for

:53:02.:53:10.

another bottle. But for the crews, what did you make of what Andrew

:53:10.:53:14.

Triggs-Hodge was saying, in terms of, the advantage was with Oxford,

:53:14.:53:17.

but now, Cambridge have got another chance? Yes, they have got that

:53:17.:53:22.

little bit of a corner, at the top of Chiswick Eyot, so they can take

:53:22.:53:27.

some heart from that. But on the other hand, they know that the Big

:53:27.:53:33.

bend is going to be against them, further down the course. Watching

:53:33.:53:37.

the crews, Cambridge did get into a good rhythm. They were rather

:53:37.:53:45.

ragged, the tandem that they have on that bow side, they were showing

:53:45.:53:49.

a bit of ragged blade work, but overall, they had quite a good,

:53:49.:53:53.

solid rhythm, which is what helped them to recover when Oxford had

:53:53.:54:01.

that fast start. Oxford had leapt out to about half a length from the

:54:01.:54:05.

start, but Cambridge held them, came round the first corner, and

:54:05.:54:11.

then got back into the game, all the weigh, in the head wind, which

:54:11.:54:15.

is to their advantage, because they have got a big crew, which is a

:54:15.:54:21.

very big advantage, going into a headwind. Oxford, round the outside,

:54:21.:54:25.

good steering from Zoe de Toledo, and Oxford held all the way around

:54:25.:54:29.

the corner, and they were in a good position to steam on, they were

:54:29.:54:34.

really in that winning position. As Andrew Triggs-Hodge has said, this

:54:34.:54:44.
:54:44.:54:46.

is a game-changer. I'm sure if Mike Thorp and Dave Nelson have anything

:54:46.:54:51.

to do with the words being said in the Light Blues boat, they will

:54:51.:55:01.
:55:01.:55:05.

just say, 2011. This has been their goal, and they have been focused on

:55:05.:55:15.
:55:15.:55:15.

nothing else. I think you're going to see that Oxford's fast start,

:55:15.:55:18.

from a standing start, at the beginning, will not be repeated

:55:18.:55:23.

quite so easily, because the boats are floating now. They are moving,

:55:23.:55:27.

it is a moving start, and the first stroke will not be so effective for

:55:27.:55:36.

Oxford. So, I think it will be closer at the start, but they are

:55:36.:55:44.

pretty close. But the water is bouncy, and my hunch is that the

:55:44.:55:49.

boat which Cambridge have chosen to use, this boat, I think it is quite

:55:49.:55:53.

vulnerable in difficult water. That's why Cambridge turned around,

:55:53.:56:01.

because they would prefer to have flatter water. Can you make sure

:56:01.:56:11.

you leave enough room between the blades, please, before the start?

:56:11.:56:15.

The coach, Steve Trapmore, was a winner with the Men's Eight in

:56:15.:56:25.
:56:25.:56:43.

movement on the water. Ready - Oxford, Cambridge... The crews

:56:43.:56:47.

themselves do not want to be starting at a disadvantage.

:56:47.:56:53.

your hand down when you're straight. Cambridge are happier at the moment,

:56:53.:57:03.

on the Surrey bank. So, we had a restart in 2001. I'm going to start

:57:03.:57:13.
:57:13.:57:15.

you... Easy, both crews. Easy! Go! Away we go, the Boat Race has been

:57:15.:57:21.

restarted! Once again, Oxford have already taken about a quarter of a

:57:21.:57:27.

length. They moved out very fast. They're very determined here. You

:57:27.:57:32.

have got about three-quarters of a minute until they get to this small

:57:32.:57:35.

bend in Cambridge's favour. Cambridge know that they have got

:57:35.:57:42.

to make an impression. Oxford did really well there. Their blade work

:57:42.:57:48.

is very good, they're very good in rough water, Oxford. But they now

:57:48.:57:51.

see this as a sprint, because they know that in a few minutes, they

:57:51.:57:56.

will have the advantage of this big corner in their favour. They have

:57:56.:58:01.

taken out almost half a length, and they will have the corner...

:58:01.:58:07.

there has been a big clash! And there is a broken oar. This is

:58:07.:58:16.

terrible. She is waving, Zoe de Toledo, they have lost an oar.

:58:16.:58:23.

Absolute chaos. This is a big decision. The umpire had this

:58:23.:58:28.

before in the Isis-Goldie race, and disqualified one crew. The umpire

:58:28.:58:33.

is allowing this! The umpire will have to make a decision, he must be

:58:33.:58:38.

assuming that it was Oxford's feud, and he is allowing Cambridge to win

:58:38.:58:44.

his boat race. Cambridge are going to win this Boat Race. There cannot

:58:44.:58:54.

row with only seven oars. What did you see, Wayne Pommen? What I saw

:58:54.:59:00.

was that the umpire was warning Oxford. John Garrett was warning

:59:00.:59:04.

Oxford, he did not like where they were on the river, and he is

:59:04.:59:08.

judging that that clash was Oxford's fault. He is letting

:59:08.:59:13.

Cambridge go on, he is saying, Oxford, it was your fault that this

:59:13.:59:21.

happened. Cambridge are going to win. One of the powerhouses for

:59:21.:59:28.

Oxford, Hanno Wienhausen, with no blade at the end of his oar, he is

:59:28.:59:30.

literally a passenger, going through the motions, because they

:59:31.:59:38.

need to maintain that the them. But this as a contest is now over. --

:59:38.:59:42.

that rhythm. Oxford are bravely trying to carry on, but there is

:59:42.:59:48.

nothing they can do. Cambridge will now win by probably eight or 10

:59:48.:59:54.

lengths. There is nothing they can do. And for Cambridge, they are now

:59:54.:59:59.

so far clear, they can move across from the Surrey station to the

:59:59.:00:04.

Middlesex station, to the north bank, they can take that line, and

:00:05.:00:10.

they are going to be leading past Dukes Meadow. This was where the

:00:10.:00:16.

clash happened. The umpire was warning. The blade broke and that

:00:16.:00:25.

was game over. Cambridge, the odds were against them, coming up to the

:00:25.:00:28.

point where that swimmer took over, that swimmer has had a huge effect

:00:28.:00:33.

on this race, because Oxford were moving into a leading position. But

:00:33.:00:37.

now, it is race over. Oxford bravely trying to do something, but

:00:37.:00:47.
:00:47.:00:48.

there is nothing they can do. umpire was warning Oxford. That is

:00:48.:00:53.

how the umpire will see it. This was a boat race full of incident.

:00:53.:00:56.

Oxford will be hugely disappointed that they have not been able to

:00:56.:01:01.

race to their full extent, to carry out their plan. And Cambridge,

:01:02.:01:07.

really, fortunate that all of this has happened, and they can row as

:01:07.:01:12.

they like, all the way home. They are just doing exactly what they

:01:12.:01:22.
:01:22.:01:29.

aware of what has happened. They will now know that the 158 number

:01:29.:01:33.

arete -- the 158th race is theirs for the taking. This is now an

:01:34.:01:43.

exhibition. There is nothing Oxford can do with seven blades. There was

:01:43.:01:49.

a disruption by a swimmer, and then the commission. The only thing

:01:49.:01:53.

Oxford should be, if I was in that boat, I would be staying -- saying

:01:53.:02:00.

stop rowing. There is nothing you can do. The result would be race

:02:00.:02:05.

not finished, and that would show that something had happened. Race

:02:05.:02:10.

not completed would mean there was clearly an incident. But at the

:02:10.:02:14.

moment, Oxford are trying to finish the race, and they will finish many

:02:14.:02:19.

lengths behind. So we have had an intruder disrupting the race just

:02:19.:02:23.

as it was boiling up to be one of the closest contests, certainly

:02:23.:02:29.

much more than last year's. In 2003, there was just a foot between the

:02:29.:02:34.

two crews, and that is what it may have shaped up to be. On that day,

:02:34.:02:39.

Oxford, who won, where a stone lighter than Cambridge. It was the

:02:40.:02:43.

same today. The ingredients were in place for a classic contest until

:02:43.:02:49.

the finish. Then we had the restart, then the Clash, and now the contest

:02:49.:02:54.

is academic. Nonetheless, it has been the same for both crews. They

:02:54.:02:59.

have all gone through those six months of early mornings, long

:02:59.:03:05.

hours in the gym, long hours on the water in all weather, sometimes the

:03:05.:03:10.

Mercury down as low as minus 40 not one particular weekend. Now a

:03:10.:03:15.

Cambridge are pushing on. This is very sad to see from Oxford's point

:03:15.:03:20.

of view. Sad to see them battling on with only seven men. It is very

:03:20.:03:25.

different to football. If you are down to ten men, you can still win.

:03:25.:03:30.

But here, you have no chance unless it happened within half a minute of

:03:30.:03:33.

the race and they were leading, then there might have been a chance

:03:33.:03:38.

of getting across the line. But here, no chance. The umpire will

:03:38.:03:43.

say he warned them not once, but twice. They continued to steer

:03:43.:03:48.

their course, Zoe De Toledo, and that is the price for what he made

:03:48.:03:54.

term aggressive steering, attacking Cambridge to closely, too fiercely.

:03:54.:03:57.

That is why, as Cambridge University approach the finishing

:03:57.:04:03.

line at the end of this 158th Boat Race, it is victory for Cambridge

:04:03.:04:07.

and victory for their coach in his second year in charge. Controversy

:04:07.:04:12.

will dog this raised about the intruder, about the restart, about

:04:12.:04:20.

the Commission and the broker oar. But the Cambridge, it is all about

:04:20.:04:25.

celebration. Droxford, the winners last year so decisively, -- for

:04:25.:04:30.

Oxford, it is all about what might have been. The against all the odds,

:04:30.:04:35.

Cambridge come home winners, but what incident. What an

:04:35.:04:39.

extraordinary series of events which left Oxford unable to finish

:04:39.:04:49.
:04:49.:04:50.

their race. It will be good to look back and see how that steering was

:04:50.:04:54.

and where those warnings came. It happened within half a minute of

:04:54.:05:00.

the retake. Oxford were well up and moving up to three-quarters of a

:05:00.:05:05.

length lead. Five times, the race has been held on April 7th before

:05:05.:05:11.

today, and each time Cambridge have won. This is a 6 victory for

:05:11.:05:15.

Cambridge. True, controversial circumstances, but the record books

:05:15.:05:24.

will say this has been Cambridge's day. There was so much washed that

:05:24.:05:34.
:05:34.:05:42.

I could not move as fast as I said. She said, there was no way we

:05:42.:05:48.

could have a race like this. I was steering as I saw fit. I can't hear

:05:48.:05:52.

what John Garrett is saying. were been -- we were within the

:05:52.:06:02.
:06:02.:06:21.

Garratt, the white flag. Oxford have complained, but the umpire

:06:21.:06:29.

ruled that it is a clear decision. His decision. Bury controversial,

:06:29.:06:35.

but he has given the race to Cambridge. Oxford were coming over,

:06:35.:06:42.

they were warned, and the clash resulted in their sixth man, person,

:06:42.:06:48.

breaking his blade, allowing Cambridge to take the race -- Hanno

:06:48.:06:54.

Wienhausen broke his blade. Two big moments in this race. The result

:06:54.:07:00.

stands. You have won the Boat Race. This was the first key moment, a

:07:00.:07:04.

man in the water. That's when I was almost in real danger there. Could

:07:04.:07:10.

have lost his life -- that swimmer was in real trouble. Then this was

:07:10.:07:20.
:07:20.:07:20.

the second incident. He then there was the oar of Hanno Wienhausen.

:07:20.:07:24.

The blade comes off, and that was the contest over. Zoe De Toledo,

:07:24.:07:29.

the cox, argued that she was within her rights, within the first 100

:07:29.:07:37.

metres of the start. But the umpire was having none of it. Keep going,

:07:37.:07:44.

boys. From the winners' point of view, it doesn't matter. Whatever

:07:44.:07:50.

happens, they rowed like tigers in the race. For them, whatever

:07:51.:07:56.

happened, they were worthy winners in their book. The man standing in

:07:56.:08:00.

that launch in the grey top with the white hat is the gold medallist

:08:00.:08:06.

at Sydney and now winner of his first Boat Race as chief coach of

:08:06.:08:16.
:08:16.:08:20.

Cambridge University Boat Club. Alex Woods is still collapsed in

:08:20.:08:24.

the back of the boat. They are very worried about him. They are trying

:08:24.:08:31.

to call to get the safety launched over to get him to a doctor. He

:08:31.:08:38.

needs oxygen. They are finally getting him out of the boat.

:08:38.:08:45.

was William Zeng to his rescue. They were trying to help him. But I

:08:45.:08:48.

think they're only just noticed, because he has been lying flat for

:08:48.:08:56.

quite some time. He was at the back. This was a man who was training to

:08:56.:09:02.

be a doctor as well. He is a doctor. But he has been lying collapsed in

:09:02.:09:06.

the back of the boat there for some four or five minutes since they

:09:06.:09:14.

finished the race. That is serious. They have to get oxygen to him and

:09:14.:09:20.

get him to hospital. This has been a race of such incidents. You can

:09:20.:09:24.

see the launch is churning around. Cambridge will be unaware of all of

:09:24.:09:34.

this. They are victors, and they are coming into the bank. They will

:09:34.:09:42.

get ready for the presentation. Oxford were in a position twice

:09:42.:09:48.

where those incidents happened where they were winning. They came

:09:48.:09:52.

up to the island in a position to win. They were moving away when the

:09:52.:09:55.

swimmer hit the water. The advantage was all for them. The

:09:55.:09:59.

race was stopped when it was their advantage. They went back to the

:09:59.:10:03.

start, took off and had half a length before they came together

:10:03.:10:12.

and clashed. And again, broken oars, and the race went against them.

:10:12.:10:17.

From my point of view, Oxford were the faster crew over the whole

:10:17.:10:27.
:10:27.:10:27.

course. But we shall never know. There start was not good enough,

:10:27.:10:37.
:10:37.:10:38.

but they had the power. By the time they crossed the line, we had seen

:10:38.:10:41.

the end of but Oxford challenge because of that broken blade. The

:10:41.:10:48.

first man across the line, Dave Nelson, stroke in 2011, bow in 2012

:10:48.:10:57.

and President as well. And the president at the University. Moritz

:10:57.:11:02.

Schramm, back in the boat, having been 2010 winner. He took a year

:11:02.:11:12.
:11:12.:11:12.

out last year to concentrate on his studies. Jack Lindeman, Alex Ross.

:11:12.:11:19.

Kiwi, as he is known. And here is the man at the centre of the storm.

:11:19.:11:26.

John Garrett. Umpire, a former Cambridge University Boat Club

:11:26.:11:33.

president, losing oarsmen from 1983, 1984 and 1985. Went on to represent

:11:33.:11:36.

Britain in the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and the world

:11:36.:11:46.
:11:46.:11:49.

championships. What an extraordinary day. Goldie were

:11:49.:11:52.

beaten by Isis in the reserve crew half an hour earlier. Their race

:11:52.:11:59.

went by without incident, we understand. Cambridge are about to

:11:59.:12:08.

take their boat out of the water. Well, not too many visible signs of

:12:08.:12:12.

celebration from Cambridge, because they are shocked at what happened

:12:12.:12:17.

in that race. This is Dave Nelson, the Cambridge president.

:12:17.:12:24.

Congratulations. You have won. Thanks. It is a huge relief. But it

:12:24.:12:31.

is shocking to see Alex Woods in such a state. He is getting

:12:31.:12:37.

treatment as wispy. What an extraordinary race, with the man in

:12:38.:12:41.

the water and the broken blade for Oxford.

:12:41.:12:49.

Yeah. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing up until the island. And

:12:49.:12:53.

then suddenly, there was this yelling about an obstruction going

:12:53.:12:59.

on. Next thing you know, I see a guy's head in the middle of the two

:12:59.:13:05.

boats. And there must be 10 or 20 boats following us. So that guy was

:13:05.:13:14.

in serious strife. And then with all the hoo-ha around the restart

:13:14.:13:21.

and then the clash, pretty dramatic race. At what point, if at all,

:13:21.:13:29.

could you start to enjoy it and celebrate? By the Barnes Bridge,

:13:29.:13:37.

the gap was pretty clear. So it suddenly felt like we could relax

:13:37.:13:41.

into are with them a touch. But we are so exhausted. We were just

:13:41.:13:46.

trying to hang on. We will keep you updated on Alex and the rest of the

:13:46.:13:52.

Oxford crew. The Oxford president, Karl Hudspith, is virtually

:13:52.:13:57.

speechless, but congratulating Dave Nelson. John Garratt, the umpire,

:13:57.:14:02.

can I have a word? What on earth was going on out there? Totally

:14:02.:14:08.

unexpected. I am grateful to Matthew for having spotted the swim

:14:08.:14:13.

there. He said, there is something in the water. We thought it was

:14:13.:14:17.

some debris, and then we realised it was a swim there. We were not

:14:17.:14:21.

sure what would happen, whether he would get out of the way in time.

:14:21.:14:24.

Then it was clear that he was waiting for the post to come across

:14:24.:14:30.

him, so I had to stop the race and we start. In terms of the restart

:14:30.:14:34.

and the clash of oars and the damage to the Oxford blade, which

:14:34.:14:38.

was completely snapped off, how clear were you that the race would

:14:38.:14:43.

continue and that you would not call it void altogether? The rules

:14:43.:14:49.

state clearly that crews have to abide by their accidents. If

:14:49.:14:54.

something happens in the latter stages of the race and there is a

:14:54.:14:59.

breakage, they have to abide by their accident unless one of the

:14:59.:15:05.

crew's is of station and has caused that accident. In my judgment,

:15:05.:15:07.

Cambridge were not of their station. In the immediate run-up to the

:15:07.:15:13.

Clash, I was warning Oxford. In my view, Oxford were off their station.

:15:13.:15:18.

The collision took place and Oxford came off worse. But Cambridge were

:15:18.:15:24.

in the white position. So I allowed the race to continue. Zoe De Toledo

:15:24.:15:29.

has just walked past, inconsolable. A desperate moment for her, because

:15:29.:15:34.

there was nothing she could do. But she had to abide by your ruling,

:15:34.:15:38.

which is that the result will stand and Cambridge have won. I suspect

:15:38.:15:43.

that was not what you anticipated. You have played a major part.

:15:43.:15:46.

will be the suffragettes all over again. The rowers will now make

:15:46.:15:56.
:15:56.:15:58.

You have not cut your hair since this day last year, when you lost

:15:58.:16:04.

the Boat Race. Yes, pretty happy right now. Extraordinary race,

:16:04.:16:10.

great result for you. Yes, we have been going through it all week,

:16:10.:16:18.

saying what we would do in various situations, but I am still not sure

:16:18.:16:23.

exactly what happened. We really fired ourselves up to go again

:16:23.:16:29.

after the restart. And then something else happened, I still do

:16:29.:16:34.

not know what happened, we will have to see the replay. All we

:16:34.:16:38.

could do in that situation was to do what we have been trying to do,

:16:38.:16:43.

which was not to look around, and just keep going. I'm proud of the

:16:43.:16:49.

guys, that we did that. With us now, the youngest person on either crew,

:16:49.:16:54.

Ed Bosson, who kept his cool in incredibly difficult circumstances.

:16:54.:16:59.

I will let you guys make your way up to the presentation podium.

:16:59.:17:04.

Enjoy it. Oxford will have to go through the presentation as well.

:17:04.:17:11.

But what a race, Jonathan! Just a bit. A very muted atmosphere,

:17:11.:17:16.

understandably, I am sure there would have been celebration from

:17:16.:17:25.

Dave Nelson, but having seen the condition of Alexander Woods, and

:17:25.:17:33.

also how upset the rest of that crew is, understandably, because

:17:33.:17:37.

there is such a sense of trust, such a sense of togetherness, built

:17:37.:17:45.

up among the crew, you cannot avoid exactly why you're year, and to see

:17:45.:17:48.

one of your team players being taken away in such a state, it is

:17:48.:17:58.

deeply distressing. Yes, we have not had an update yet on the

:17:58.:18:06.

condition of Alexander Woods, the bow man from Oxford, who was

:18:06.:18:13.

carried out of the boat. For those watching on the world feet, thank

:18:13.:18:22.

you very much for watching. We are waiting now the presentation to the

:18:22.:18:26.

winning crew, and also to the winning crew, and also to the

:18:26.:18:28.

losing crew. You will understand that there will be some delay

:18:29.:18:34.

because, ideally, we would like to see all crew members there, but at

:18:34.:18:37.

the moment, that may not be possible, with Alexander Woods

:18:37.:18:42.

being attended to by medical staff. We wait to hear exactly how or he

:18:42.:18:47.

is. He is training to be a surgeon, he has been at Oxford for 10 years,

:18:47.:18:56.

thoroughly enjoying himself. He started rowing at Oxford, did he

:18:57.:19:02.

not? Yes, he started rowing at Oxford. He learned at his college,

:19:02.:19:09.

and then he graduated to the lightweight squad. He was one of

:19:09.:19:13.

the three lightweights in the Oxford boat. When you're a light

:19:13.:19:17.

weight, you have got to be so efficient and effective, you're

:19:17.:19:21.

working on the absolute edge of your possibility. So, he worked

:19:21.:19:24.

himself out, hopefully it is nothing more serious than

:19:24.:19:29.

exhaustion. He is 12 stone, the lightest man in the race, and you

:19:29.:19:36.

can contrast that with the 17 stone of someone like Steve Dudek. It is

:19:36.:19:41.

a huge difference. Absolutely. Alexander Woods has proved himself,

:19:41.:19:46.

he beat bigger people in the Oxford squad to win that place in the boat,

:19:46.:19:56.
:19:56.:19:57.

and that was his dream. I am praying that he is recovering.

:19:57.:20:03.

presentation delayed at the moment, but Clare Balding is in place at

:20:03.:20:07.

Mortlake. She is with someone who has been right at the heart of the

:20:07.:20:12.

action. Over to you. Yes, the news is that there will be no

:20:12.:20:15.

presentation, because of Alexander Woods being treated by the medical

:20:15.:20:20.

team. You have been to see him, Matthew. As close as I could get,

:20:20.:20:29.

he was at least sitting upright, he is having medical attention. What

:20:29.:20:36.

more can I say? I did not want to interrupt anything, he is receiving

:20:36.:20:41.

medical attention. But he is conscious and sitting up, and it

:20:41.:20:45.

has been decided that in those circumstances, we should not have a

:20:45.:20:49.

big celebration of Cambridge's win, while Alexander Woods is still

:20:49.:20:55.

being treated. Oxford are obviously very concerned. Extraordinary, I

:20:55.:21:00.

cannot think of enough adjectives to cover what happened out there.

:21:00.:21:07.

Busy. It is hard to imagine a Boat Race could contain so much to talk

:21:07.:21:16.

about. We had an accident, we had a broken blade, we had everything.

:21:16.:21:20.

Cambridge are over here, just trying to assimilate what actually

:21:20.:21:25.

happened in that race, and in some way, enjoy this celebration,

:21:25.:21:28.

without going over the top. I don't think we're going to get the cox

:21:28.:21:32.

being thrown in the river, any of the usual stuff, because it has

:21:32.:21:37.

been so difficult. It has been really so strange. When they have

:21:37.:21:41.

finished talking to each other, we will try to get a few more words

:21:41.:21:46.

from them. But Matthew, in terms of the difficulties out there for the

:21:46.:21:50.

rowers, we had the there's a in the river, then we had the clash of

:21:50.:22:00.
:22:00.:22:01.

oars. -- the swimmer. Really difficult to be stopped, and then

:22:01.:22:09.

having the restart. They had to try to get back into position. Then you

:22:09.:22:13.

had all the Wash, it was quite a cold day, lots of people getting

:22:13.:22:21.

cold. Then there was the confusion about when it was going to restart.

:22:21.:22:27.

How quickly the tide has come in, I am worried about your shoes. Here

:22:27.:22:32.

with me now, the biggest man of either crew, Steve Dudek.

:22:32.:22:36.

Congratulations - what have you said to each other? Just have a

:22:36.:22:42.

little bit of class, the best goes out to Alex, we hope he is or right.

:22:42.:22:46.

We have basically just established that it is a little bit more low-

:22:46.:22:50.

key, our thoughts are with him. are hearing much better things

:22:50.:22:57.

about him now. Steve Trapmore, you have won the race, your second year

:22:57.:23:01.

of coaching the team, but it is a bit flat. Yes, I guess it is not

:23:01.:23:08.

the ideal way that anybody wants to win. We are more worried about the

:23:09.:23:12.

state of Alexander Woods at the moment. We will reflect more on the

:23:12.:23:18.

race later on. How proud were you of your guys, and your young cox,

:23:18.:23:23.

Ed Bosson, for keeping their heads? Very, actually. We have been doing

:23:23.:23:27.

a lot of preparation for this race, looking through past races where

:23:27.:23:32.

there have been restarts and stuff. So we were totally prepared. The

:23:32.:23:41.

guys did themselves proud today. Well done. A very, very strange

:23:41.:23:47.

atmosphere. As Steve Dudek was saying, none of the Cambridge crew

:23:47.:23:51.

are wanting to jump up and down, because Alexander Woods is still

:23:51.:23:55.

being treated, and because it was such an extraordinary race. They

:23:55.:23:59.

had to restart, and then they had to go through the second half of

:23:59.:24:07.

the race, during which there was a clash of blades are, and Hanno

:24:07.:24:10.

Wienhausen's blade snapped off completely, after which Cambridge

:24:10.:24:16.

went on to win convincingly. And after the finish, Oxford's

:24:16.:24:19.

Alexander Woods collapsed. However he is now sitting up, and he is

:24:19.:24:26.

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