The 163rd Boat Race

:00:16. > :00:22.They can't remember a day like this for the race, ever. A marvellous

:00:23. > :00:30.race. A marvellous moment in their life. To go all out to the Fulham

:00:31. > :00:39.football ground. And Cambridge are sinking. Oh, wow. This is it. He's

:00:40. > :00:48.lost his oar. Oxford are coming to the finishing post. This is going to

:00:49. > :00:49.be unbelievable. Oh. Oxford won! This jeer going to belong to

:00:50. > :01:00.Cambridge. COMMENTATOR: The Boat Race is under

:01:01. > :01:44.way. Make it happen. It's a contest covered in 240

:01:45. > :01:50.countries, reaching 350 million people. Part of the reason is its

:01:51. > :01:55.history and interest digs and part is the simplicity. It requires no

:01:56. > :02:10.translation of complicated rules, just two boats, Dark Blue and Light

:02:11. > :02:15.Blue. They are packing the river banks for the races. The men's race,

:02:16. > :02:20.the oldest continuous amateur sporting event in the world but the

:02:21. > :02:24.build-up to this year's race has been rather unusual. Yesterday we

:02:25. > :02:28.saw the lowest tides in years and that meant that parts of the river

:02:29. > :02:33.bank had been exposed that hadn't been seen for decades and a sailor

:02:34. > :02:37.discovered a very unusual looking object, called in the local police.

:02:38. > :02:42.They had a look. This morning it was confirmed by the marine police unit

:02:43. > :02:44.and specialist officers that it was a World War Two ordnance, an

:02:45. > :02:49.explosive device dropped from an aeroplane. Clearly hit the water and

:02:50. > :02:52.didn't explode. There are probably hundreds of them in the River

:02:53. > :02:57.Thames. This is what it looks like but it has meant alarming headlines

:02:58. > :03:03.and a stressful build-up to the race for the new Boat Race director in

:03:04. > :03:08.her first year, Michelle Deet. Welcome to the Boat Race. What has

:03:09. > :03:11.it been like? Well this wasn't in my job description. We inherited an

:03:12. > :03:16.ongoing situation this morning and we have had superb support from the

:03:17. > :03:19.Metropolitan Police and Marine Police Unit. Everyone's intent was

:03:20. > :03:25.for the Boat Race to go ahead. I'm delighted to say the green light is

:03:26. > :03:29.go. Will it have any impact on the race, on the warm-up of where the

:03:30. > :03:34.crews can go? Absolutely no impact whatsoever. We have the full open

:03:35. > :03:42.course and the crews are ready to G the build-up is fantastic. -- ready

:03:43. > :03:50.to go. We have a festival atmosphere here and in Putney. There is nothing

:03:51. > :03:57.inhibiting us today. There was talk that the flotilla behind might be

:03:58. > :04:02.reduced. Any word on that? We put in place a robust contingency. Wep

:04:03. > :04:06.wanted it to go ahead. It meant the start would've gone to the same

:04:07. > :04:10.position and we've been restricted by bridges. But we had a plan on

:04:11. > :04:16.place that the crews can warm-up on the course. We have tal enned

:04:17. > :04:22.umpires who know this class back to front. We had a plan B but plan A is

:04:23. > :04:26.in place. We can all relax? We can all relax and smile and ease

:04:27. > :04:30.ourselves into a wonderful afternoon of sport for the spectators and the

:04:31. > :04:35.millions watching at home around the UK and around the world. Thank you.

:04:36. > :04:43.Good luck with the rest of the day. Let's hope it goes increedably

:04:44. > :04:47.smoothly from now, the cox in 2012 and scam George Gnash, you won it

:04:48. > :04:51.with Cambridge. What disruption will this cause Zoe, to the heads of the

:04:52. > :04:55.crews, and what they were planning for their warm-up? I think the main

:04:56. > :05:00.difference would have been where they would have been warming up. If

:05:01. > :05:04.they'd closed the river below Fulham bridge, the crews would've had to

:05:05. > :05:08.warm up on the course, and there is a lot more people, it is busier and

:05:09. > :05:11.you would have to time things differently. I'm sure in the grand

:05:12. > :05:15.scheme of things you can factor in that. They had yesterday to think

:05:16. > :05:21.about t and hopefully will have had a plan B. Where it was discovered

:05:22. > :05:25.was beyond Putney Bridge, way back before the start but that's where

:05:26. > :05:28.the crews traditional do their warm-up pieces. George s there any

:05:29. > :05:32.advantage in having something else for the crews to talk about and

:05:33. > :05:35.think about and something to occupy everybody's mind? They'll certainly

:05:36. > :05:41.be telling themselves there is. Usually in igs swas like this - in

:05:42. > :05:45.situations like this, you spin it into a positive. It is a highly

:05:46. > :05:49.pressurised occasion, these guys have been thinking about it every

:05:50. > :05:56.day for the last six months at least. Sometimes it can wind you up

:05:57. > :06:01.and stress you out. A thing like an old Second World War bomb can put a

:06:02. > :06:06.smile on your Is fa. You know Michelle and their team have done a

:06:07. > :06:11.great job sorting it out and we have all confidence the race will go

:06:12. > :06:17.well. I haven't seen a crowd this big and busy for years. The women's

:06:18. > :06:30.Boat Race is due off at 4.35. The Boat Race for the men at 5. -- 4. --

:06:31. > :06:32.5. 58. This is what we have coming um.

:06:33. > :06:39.! We'll have to try harder. Cambridge women are hoping to remain

:06:40. > :06:45.high and dry after last year when they were low and very, very wet.

:06:46. > :06:48.Giving up was not really an option. Dark Blue but all-black, a new

:06:49. > :06:54.experience for New Zealander, Harriet Austin. This is one of the

:06:55. > :06:57.most amazing years of my wife. The women's race starts in just over

:06:58. > :06:59.half an hour, Cambridge haven't won on this course and Oxford are going

:07:00. > :07:16.for five in a row. Last year they split honours.

:07:17. > :07:22.Today's men's race is predicted to be close indeed. Cambridge favourite

:07:23. > :07:28.for women's, but men's race, people who are predicting the result, in

:07:29. > :07:32.this atmosphere down here. Plenty of entertainment on offer and good

:07:33. > :07:43.picnics. The crowds enjoying everything on offer, including the

:07:44. > :07:47.glorious sight of Gloriana. Built for the Queen's jubilee. When the

:07:48. > :07:50.crowds are this deep, it is a difficult thing for the minibuses to

:07:51. > :07:57.be negotiate their way through. They managed to and the Cambridge men

:07:58. > :08:10.arriving. Their average weight is 14.10. Their average height 66'5".

:08:11. > :08:32.The Cook brothers will be influential and we've seen Jamie

:08:33. > :08:37.Cook and Olie there. And William Warr, only the third man to switch

:08:38. > :08:48.sides, having rowed for Cambridge in 2015. Now in the bow seat for

:08:49. > :08:59.Oxford. There is the women's crew. None of them have rowed in a Boat

:09:00. > :09:02.Race before. An experienced can Aidan woman rower going through

:09:03. > :09:07.there. Flo Pickles there. Ashton Brown is the President for the

:09:08. > :09:19.Cambridge women. She contracted pneumonia after last year's race

:09:20. > :09:34.having taken the full brunt of the waves in the bow seat. Melissa

:09:35. > :09:39.Williams there. It is a magnificent sight. It has been a long build-up

:09:40. > :09:46.combining the training with their studies but it is a sign, Zoe Dell

:09:47. > :09:49.Toleda and Dame Katherine Grainger of the depth and talent in women's

:09:50. > :09:54.rowing. How much improvement have you seen in the three years, the

:09:55. > :09:57.third time we have seen them here? Well, the crews are definitely

:09:58. > :10:02.improving. I think that was going to build on itself, you know once it

:10:03. > :10:05.started being seen more and hopefully people would be more

:10:06. > :10:08.interested in coming and getting involved in the race and hopefully

:10:09. > :10:11.it'll have a knock-on effect on university rowing all around the

:10:12. > :10:18.country, not just Oxford and Cambridge. Zoe, in terms of how the

:10:19. > :10:33.Boat Race feeds into Olympicer if formance, you coxed the women's

:10:34. > :10:39.eight who -- Olympic performance. You coxed the women's eight. . It is

:10:40. > :10:51.more stressful for a spectator than it did at the time. It felt in kroe.

:10:52. > :10:54.Disappointing at first. We wanted to win but we obviously realised we'd

:10:55. > :10:56.done something different and getting on the podium with something

:10:57. > :10:58.historic, it was great to be involved. And Katherine granger is

:10:59. > :11:01.back with us here. For the first time, not as a full-time rower,

:11:02. > :11:05.having announced your retirement after a magnificent performance in

:11:06. > :11:08.Rio. I know. Like Zoe I think we had a fantastic time in Rio and great

:11:09. > :11:12.success in the men's and women's side. It is hard, hard being back in

:11:13. > :11:17.this environment and in the being in lycra and in a boat. It is an

:11:18. > :11:29.adatingive and obsessive wonderful world of sport. -- addictive. Rio

:11:30. > :11:37.was special. A hugely special part in your life. A short time ago you

:11:38. > :11:41.went to meet the Queen. Well in an Olympic final, it is practice for

:11:42. > :11:47.meeting the Queen and getting your gong. You get to share it with your

:11:48. > :11:54.family. It is a celebration. Not many times during your career do you

:11:55. > :11:58.acknowledge what you have done and what you have achieved with your

:11:59. > :12:03.team-mates and the amazing results. A day like that, you get to stop and

:12:04. > :12:08.think - that went well. Everyone in rowing agrees, given your 20-year

:12:09. > :12:22.commitment to the sport but the one person that can say - well you won't

:12:23. > :12:29.but we will say it for you, you helped women an one, Helen Glover is

:12:30. > :12:32.with Lima Kenzie now in Hammersmith Bridge -- Lee Mackenzie Well, what a

:12:33. > :12:35.good excuse this is to be out here, this is the rowing clubbing serving

:12:36. > :12:37.alcohol, not these people. You mentioned Helen Glover and I'm

:12:38. > :12:43.delighted to say she's with me. Let's talk about Rio. You defended

:12:44. > :12:49.your Olympic crown. . Did you think you could do it again Well, we had

:12:50. > :12:54.targets on our back and people were going to strive to beat us, we knew

:12:55. > :12:58.that and we had to have respect for the people they were racing. We were

:12:59. > :13:03.never complacent Describe the moments? Very surreal. Crossing the

:13:04. > :13:10.line and managing to defend the title we had in lob -- in London.

:13:11. > :13:16.That was our goal for the two years. To wake up and achieve it in front

:13:17. > :13:20.of the statue in front of us, it couldn't have been more picturesque.

:13:21. > :13:23.You have been involved in interesting projects since but in

:13:24. > :13:30.terms of rowing, what can you tell us? I'm undecided. I decided to take

:13:31. > :13:34.a year out. I knew I was going to do that. I thought I would have this

:13:35. > :13:39.moment when I knew what I wanted but as yet I haven't decided. You are

:13:40. > :13:43.not leaving home without your medals? No, I still have them, this

:13:44. > :13:47.is the one from Rio, I'm proud of that. I know you have been involved

:13:48. > :13:49.in the celebrity race, we'll talk to those guys in a minute. For the

:13:50. > :14:05.moment, thank you very much. Well, the coin toss, Kezia Denne,

:14:06. > :14:10.12, and who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, was there for

:14:11. > :14:22.the coin toss. It was won by Cambridge. They've chosen Surrey.

:14:23. > :14:27.Oxford both times have chosen Surrey and have been victorious. To talk

:14:28. > :14:30.you through the douse and explain why the bends can be more

:14:31. > :14:45.advantageous than the other, here is Andrew could thor. -- Andrew Cotter.

:14:46. > :14:50.It is a four mile course of the Thames. After three and a half

:14:51. > :14:55.minutes, the mile marker is reached and the landmark of the former

:14:56. > :15:01.Harrods furnished depository. The majority of crews leading here go on

:15:02. > :15:05.to win. Then a large, sweeping turn past halfway into the straight of

:15:06. > :15:09.Chiswick Reach and passed the island was the often into a headwind, this

:15:10. > :15:13.can be exposed in rougher water. Then it turns back to favour the

:15:14. > :15:16.north bank, under Barnes Bridge, into the final 1000 metres and

:15:17. > :15:26.towards the finished just before Chiswick Bridge. The women have been

:15:27. > :15:33.carrying their boats because it is a very unglamorous sport. You have to

:15:34. > :15:41.do your own carrying. The Oxford crew are similarly well supported.

:15:42. > :15:50.There doesn't seem to be the animosity. The Cambridge crew are

:15:51. > :15:54.very strong, very experienced. The Oxford crew are all Boat Race

:15:55. > :15:58.debutants. We will have some great shots for you as well as good sound,

:15:59. > :16:01.which is always entertaining, particularly when coxes are

:16:02. > :16:04.involved, because they can say things they probably don't mean to

:16:05. > :16:09.say. Our stellar Reverend line-up here has been added to by the

:16:10. > :16:15.presence of Constantine Louloudis, a magnificent Boat Race. How many

:16:16. > :16:24.wins, four? I think so. Olympic gold medallist as well, joining George,

:16:25. > :16:31.Katherine, Zoe and myself. Zoe, you coxed yesterday in the veterans'

:16:32. > :16:35.race. And you are a punchy cox. And Matthew Pinsent, who will be

:16:36. > :16:38.umpiring today's Boat Race, was umpiring you yesterday and he had

:16:39. > :16:47.quite a lot to say to you. Have a look at this. You must leave room,

:16:48. > :16:50.Zoe! This was approaching Hammersmith Bridge. You were on the

:16:51. > :16:56.right in the Oxford boat. What are you doing wrong? Good question. What

:16:57. > :17:01.I am doing wrong is that I am in Cambridge's water as they were

:17:02. > :17:07.rowing back to us. I am not sure what went wrong, but they caught us

:17:08. > :17:11.up. My thinking was that if I moved out of the way, they would just win,

:17:12. > :17:17.so you have to do something in that situation. The umpire's decision was

:17:18. > :17:20.that you were disqualified. Which was a fair decision. I did tell

:17:21. > :17:26.Matthew I was going to make sure he had a good warm up before today.

:17:27. > :17:32.Stam, in terms of rowing discourse, can you pace yourself and how do you

:17:33. > :17:36.do that? Well, you have to pace yourself, otherwise it will catch up

:17:37. > :17:41.with you quickly. It is a real trade-off because you don't want to

:17:42. > :17:46.let the other crew get clear water. Then you will be on the

:17:47. > :17:52.psychological back foot. But it is a long way. Exactly, and you have to

:17:53. > :17:56.maintain that effort. Sometimes, even the support doesn't make it

:17:57. > :17:59.feel less painful. When you are watching experienced rowers, it can

:18:00. > :18:03.look easy as if it is all about power in the legs and a bit of work

:18:04. > :18:07.with the arms and good technique. But to show you how difficult it is,

:18:08. > :18:11.it is best to look at people who don't have a clue what they are

:18:12. > :18:14.doing. So we assembled a group of some ex-Olympians and Boat Race

:18:15. > :18:19.aficionados, but also some complete novices to the sport of rowing,

:18:20. > :18:22.captained by Sir Steve Redgrave and James Cracknell. This is the

:18:23. > :18:29.build-up to the celebrity Boat Race 2017.

:18:30. > :18:35.Morning! Lovely day to be doing some punting on the river. On a pleasant

:18:36. > :18:39.late winter morning, representatives from the most important section of

:18:40. > :18:44.society, celebrities, gather on the banks of the River Thames to begin a

:18:45. > :18:51.journey. I have heard rumours of Olympians. That has got me excited.

:18:52. > :18:55.I want to win it. I am not here to come second. These stars have been

:18:56. > :18:57.summoned by a night of the realm and one of his former lieutenants to

:18:58. > :19:06.enter uncharted water in a charity race from Putney to Hammersmith in

:19:07. > :19:11.aid of Cancer Research UK. What are your tactics as a coach? Pick the

:19:12. > :19:14.best rowers. But you know it is not about how good your best rowers are

:19:15. > :19:21.in the crew, it is how good the worst one is. You only go as fast as

:19:22. > :19:27.the slowest person. Going first? Rock, paper, scissors. For Redgrave,

:19:28. > :19:33.the selection strategy was. A good cox, followed by some who were just

:19:34. > :19:38.quite tall. As well as the odd pic simply for crew morale. But

:19:39. > :19:45.Cracknell decided on comedy in the driving seat, and then put his faith

:19:46. > :19:53.in with, coordination and some serious Olympic and Paralympic

:19:54. > :19:56.pedigree. So with those crews of varying degrees of ability selected,

:19:57. > :20:02.time to get down to some hard rowing, on dry land for now. Is

:20:03. > :20:12.expected, Sophie Raworth has her terminator face on. He is rowing

:20:13. > :20:25.with one hand. It is in the bag already. Dan Walker is trying to

:20:26. > :20:29.take us out one by one. Rivalry firmly established, a session on the

:20:30. > :20:33.water was calling. But first, some complex technical advice from James.

:20:34. > :20:45.That is the front there. But if the back. -- that is the back. And there

:20:46. > :20:50.were early problems for Team Cracknell. Zoe Lyons is funny. But a

:20:51. > :20:54.lack of experience was putting the pink crew in trouble, and

:20:55. > :20:58.Hammersmith Bridge just came out of nowhere. So Cracknell played his

:20:59. > :21:05.ace, swapping Zoe for Great Britain cox Henry Fieldman. At the moment,

:21:06. > :21:12.we are not floating, we are sitting. In terms of rowing, racing and

:21:13. > :21:15.sitting, work in progress. While in Team Redgrave, another comic was

:21:16. > :21:23.finding the move from stand up to sitting down and rowing rather

:21:24. > :21:28.difficult. He feels he is holding everyone else back. He is, but he

:21:29. > :21:30.needs to relax as that is the only way forward. He will get there, he

:21:31. > :21:51.just needs another couple of years. I think we are going to smash Team

:21:52. > :22:00.Redgrave out of the park. Both boats are full of competitive people. We

:22:01. > :22:08.are going to be unstoppable. We are not putting a unitard on! Sun that

:22:09. > :22:14.is the only reason I came! The biggest problem is the rowing side

:22:15. > :22:18.of it. I can't really do it. This is what happens to me a lot in my life.

:22:19. > :22:24.I was able to take the instructions, but not replicate them like a human

:22:25. > :22:27.man normally would. They are all enthusiastic. If they can stay

:22:28. > :22:31.relaxed and we get conditions like this, they have a chance of

:22:32. > :22:33.surviving. But one member have to do a lot more work even to get to the

:22:34. > :22:53.start line. # you're the best! Nothing's can

:22:54. > :23:15.keep you down. To sum that up, running is

:23:16. > :23:20.difficult? That is a fair summary. If you had to sum up my experience,

:23:21. > :23:23.it was that bit where it said there was a caption that said, he feels he

:23:24. > :23:28.is holding everybody back them with a picture of my crestfallen figure.

:23:29. > :23:31.I am not sure what was more uncomfortable for you, the rowing or

:23:32. > :23:35.the unitard. Ore, I remember when you use to talk about sport. You

:23:36. > :23:42.have been in some form of Lycra since September. I asked everybody

:23:43. > :23:46.before today, we are all wearing the Lycra, right? But nobody had the

:23:47. > :23:49.confidence to pull that back out. But whether it was wearing the Lycra

:23:50. > :23:52.or getting in a boat and rowing for the first time ever, we all wanted

:23:53. > :23:56.to make sure we commit to this because we just wanted to raise

:23:57. > :24:04.awareness and money for Cancer research. It was such a great cause.

:24:05. > :24:13.Lycra aside, we had a really good time. Mark will tell you

:24:14. > :24:15.differently, but we did have fun. Becky, did your sporting

:24:16. > :24:22.determination come back to you even though it was for a good cause? No.

:24:23. > :24:27.I was so bad! He was hitting me in the back and we kept fighting. We

:24:28. > :24:31.couldn't get the synchronisation right. You are a dance and I am a

:24:32. > :24:38.swimmer and we couldn't do it. We were trying to use our feet in the

:24:39. > :24:44.boat and we found that we shouldn't, because that doesn't work. James,

:24:45. > :24:49.what were you thinking? You competed in Rio Annapurna pigs, and you got

:24:50. > :24:54.involved with this bunch. -- you competed in Rio and the Olympics. It

:24:55. > :24:58.was really good fun. They picked it up really well. They sell themselves

:24:59. > :25:04.short, but awesome job. You will see in a minute in the BT. -- VVT.

:25:05. > :25:06.And Harry Judd from McFly, who was part of Team Redgrave,

:25:07. > :25:10.If you access the BBC Sport Facebook page,

:25:11. > :25:12.Harry will answer your questions live from The Thames from 4.30.

:25:13. > :25:17.He'll be following the women's race and then he'll be

:25:18. > :25:20.up with us to watch the men's race here at Hammersmith.

:25:21. > :25:22.But for now, back to Clare at Putney.

:25:23. > :25:25.We'll see how the two teams get on just before the men's

:25:26. > :25:27.race in about an hour, but now it's time to concentrate

:25:28. > :25:36.This time last year, we were talking about the weather. It affected the

:25:37. > :25:38.outcome for the women's race. For Cambridge, it became more about

:25:39. > :25:39.trying to survive than beating Oxford, as they were fighting that

:25:40. > :25:49.sinking feeling. There are plenty of different

:25:50. > :25:56.emotions on the day of the Boat Race. Lots of excitement, a bit of

:25:57. > :26:01.nerves as well. On the morning of the race, we did notice it was

:26:02. > :26:05.raining. It is sunshine right now, but we have had four seasons in a

:26:06. > :26:11.day. We are used to rowing through different conditions and

:26:12. > :26:14.experiencing pretty much anything that British weather can chuck at

:26:15. > :26:21.us. But there was no way to expect quite how severe the weather would

:26:22. > :26:24.be. We knew it was bad. We perhaps didn't appreciate that the swell

:26:25. > :26:30.would hit exactly at the wrong place at the wrong time. There was never a

:26:31. > :26:37.thought that this was something drastically out of the ordinary.

:26:38. > :26:41.Guys, get ready. Shoulders down. The first stroke is my favourite part of

:26:42. > :26:52.the race, because it is the moment when anything is possible. We had a

:26:53. > :26:58.pretty good start. We managed to keep an overlap and were pushing

:26:59. > :27:03.back later on. COMMENTATOR: Cambridge are hanging

:27:04. > :27:13.in there. 30 seconds after Hammersmith Bridge, it just looked

:27:14. > :27:23.like the sea. It is brutal down here. You can see the water, and

:27:24. > :27:28.Cambridge are in real difficulty. You realise about is getting deeper

:27:29. > :27:36.and deeper and the pumps are working, but not enough. Cambridge

:27:37. > :27:42.are sinking. When the umpire flagged us, I didn't see him doing it. My

:27:43. > :27:49.first thought was, she had better put her hand up. It is about pride

:27:50. > :27:53.to finish the rate at this point. Giving up was not really an option.

:27:54. > :27:58.The sense for us was disappointment at not being able to race the race

:27:59. > :28:03.we thought we could race. They have been beaten by the river. After,

:28:04. > :28:08.some people said we were brave for continuing. I had a hard time with

:28:09. > :28:11.that, because I don't think I did anything different than most rowers

:28:12. > :28:17.would do. You finish what you have started.

:28:18. > :28:26.And she is in the Boe seat again, president of the Cambridge women's

:28:27. > :28:32.crew for 2017. There is the line-up. It is a very strong looking side.

:28:33. > :28:36.Cath Bishop has joined me. Hannah was president last year. Quite

:28:37. > :28:40.difficult for you, watching those shots back? It is very difficult,

:28:41. > :28:43.especially knowing that I am not racing this year. When you race,

:28:44. > :28:48.there is a feeling that you have the opportunity to right a wrong. So I

:28:49. > :28:53.know that Ashton and Miriam feel that this year, but I did not have

:28:54. > :28:56.the opportunity to do that. Cath, how have things changed for

:28:57. > :29:01.Cambridge's women? There has been a lot of investment. I feel as if we

:29:02. > :29:08.have suddenly turned a corner. We have a new boathouse where all the

:29:09. > :29:14.crews can train together. That feels like a professional training

:29:15. > :29:19.environment. It looks like you have built it with air, space and light

:29:20. > :29:31.in mind. You have a view of the outside. Beautiful views of Ely, for

:29:32. > :29:38.sure. Looking ahead to the race this year, what are your hopes for your

:29:39. > :29:41.team-mates and friends? Obviously, everyone supporting Cambridge hopes

:29:42. > :29:44.for a Light Blue victory not only in the women's race, but also in the

:29:45. > :29:55.men's and the reserve raises. Ikast, what is your view of the line-up?

:29:56. > :29:59.There is a lot of experience. . We have our strongest crew in the blue

:30:00. > :30:03.boat and the reserve crew. They are coming to aadvantage what happened

:30:04. > :30:10.last year where they weren't able it give their best but also the last

:30:11. > :30:12.few years where we have been building to create a tremendous

:30:13. > :30:23.training environment to support them. We hope that pays off today.

:30:24. > :30:27.Well, good luck. Oxford have none returning members of the crew. Their

:30:28. > :30:33.president not able to row because she's injured. Harriet Austin has

:30:34. > :30:37.taken over as the boat captain, alongside some really rigorous

:30:38. > :30:44.student work, she has an awful lot on her plate. I don't actually know

:30:45. > :30:55.what makes mep want to keep going through this. -- me want to keep

:30:56. > :31:00.going. We are students and we have a full academic schedule. On top of

:31:01. > :31:13.that we're training pretty full time, too.

:31:14. > :31:20.The team-mates in a rowing crew are unique to other ones. You see people

:31:21. > :31:22.at their lowest point but you also get to experience the biggest highs

:31:23. > :31:36.as well. I think it's really important to be

:31:37. > :31:42.part of a team. You can't sleep in five minutes later in the morning.

:31:43. > :31:49.Your crew is there, going through the same things as you as well. As a

:31:50. > :31:54.crew, we're working towards giving the best race on the day. All the

:31:55. > :32:03.preparation will see us in good stead.

:32:04. > :32:09.The Boat Race is a pretty special race. It's not necessarily the best

:32:10. > :32:16.crew that wins but it's the best crew on the day that will win. I

:32:17. > :32:19.think there is nothing better than crossing the line in first place,

:32:20. > :32:27.knowing you've given it your best shot. Harriet Austin who is studying

:32:28. > :32:31.for an MBA and she's the boat captain at Oxford. At 28 she has

:32:32. > :32:41.been an international rower for New Zealand. And Emily Cameron there,

:32:42. > :32:46.she's 34, a Canadian international. We really do have perfect conditions

:32:47. > :32:50.here in London. We say welcome to viewers of BBC World News for

:32:51. > :32:54.coverage of the Cancer Research UK Boat Race. The women's Boat Race is

:32:55. > :32:57.four or five minutes away and an hour and five minutes to the Boat

:32:58. > :33:02.Race. And as you can see, the countdown

:33:03. > :33:06.clock is ticking down. The tide has turned or is turning at the moment.

:33:07. > :33:12.They come in on the flood tide from Putney to Mortlake. Four and a

:33:13. > :33:17.quarter miles. Last year's Oxford President joins us now. There has

:33:18. > :33:21.been talk about the illness, the injuries your crew have suffered.

:33:22. > :33:25.How is the mood in the camp and how are you feeling today? At this point

:33:26. > :33:30.before the race, everyone is incredibly nervous. But, really you

:33:31. > :33:35.just have to deal with those feelings, put them in a box and lock

:33:36. > :33:38.it away and get on with the job, really. No matter what the situation

:33:39. > :33:42.is in the background, really. When you look at that crew and you look

:33:43. > :33:45.at the line-up. Where do you see the strengths in the boat and how well

:33:46. > :33:49.do you think they are gelling together? I think the power in the

:33:50. > :33:52.boat at this stage, from a combination of the different ages.

:33:53. > :33:56.There is a big spread of ages, some freshers and really experienced

:33:57. > :34:00.athletes. That's one of the unique things about the Boat Race crews,

:34:01. > :34:04.such a spread. I think the power is in building on these differences and

:34:05. > :34:10.really building it into a cohesive crew. You can see the Oxford cox

:34:11. > :34:13.there, Eleanor Shearer. You have been in this position. What is the

:34:14. > :34:17.cox doing now with their crews? What are they saying and how much can

:34:18. > :34:20.they plan for what is to come? The main thing you are trying to do now

:34:21. > :34:24.is make sure your crew is staying calm and focussed on what is coming

:34:25. > :34:27.up. That might be telling them to remember the good rhythm, to row in

:34:28. > :34:31.the middle. It might be saying focus on the first stroke, you will be

:34:32. > :34:35.making sure you are pointed in the right direction, when the race goes

:34:36. > :34:37.off, you go the way you want to go. Conditions out there look so

:34:38. > :34:43.different from last year, aren't they? You must be really jealous

:34:44. > :34:47.Incredibly jealous, yeah. I mean the thing is when you've got the Boat

:34:48. > :34:52.Race you say anything can happen but when it is water like this, it is

:34:53. > :34:57.really every athlete's dream. Maddy, for the rowers, you have done a warm

:34:58. > :35:02.of had up of how long so far? How are your muscles feeling? Normally a

:35:03. > :35:07.warm-up would be around 40 minutes, you gradually build it up and

:35:08. > :35:11.they'll have done pieces at race pace, so they'll have a taste of

:35:12. > :35:15.what it is going to feel like and they'll be willing and raring to go.

:35:16. > :35:20.Would you rather be in the boat or watching? I'd love to be in the boat

:35:21. > :35:25.right now. I've always hated this bit at the start where you wait but

:35:26. > :35:28.as soon as the buzzer goes, it is an incredible feeling. Well, it is

:35:29. > :35:33.nearly time for the women's Boat Race, can Cambridge win it for the

:35:34. > :35:39.first time on The Tideway or will Oxford be victorious once again?

:35:40. > :35:45.Very shortly you will be hearing our full commentary team. Kath Bishop

:35:46. > :35:47.and Zoe and Wayne is on the course and leading the way is Andrew could

:35:48. > :35:52.thor. #

:35:53. > :35:57.-- Andrew Cotter. Thank you very much, and what a day

:35:58. > :36:00.it is. The two crews sit there for what

:36:01. > :36:04.must seem like an age. They have been sitting there for a good few

:36:05. > :36:08.minutes before we first look at them. These are the moments of real

:36:09. > :36:12.tension where they wait and wait and try and gather their thoughts. The

:36:13. > :36:17.chatter comes from the two quokss and we are moments away from the

:36:18. > :36:29.72nd edition of the women's Boat Race. It doesn't have vted hisry of

:36:30. > :36:33.the men's evetted but here they line up and get ready. -- have the

:36:34. > :36:36.history of the men's event. The coxes will make sure they are

:36:37. > :36:40.showing they are ready or not. Hand up if they are not ready which you

:36:41. > :36:44.see from the cox of Cambridge. Matthew Holland. So he is ready now.

:36:45. > :36:54.So too, Oxford. Eleanor Shearer's arm is down.

:36:55. > :37:03.Attention. Go. A simple instruction to begin the 72nd women's Boat Race.

:37:04. > :37:07.You can see on the middle set station there, a dreadful start. A

:37:08. > :37:12.dreadful start. It looks like someone has caught a crab in the

:37:13. > :37:23.Oxford boat. That could be... At the beginning of the

:37:24. > :37:29.of the race, Oxford could have' lost it. Cambridge the favourites. Nobody

:37:30. > :37:35.expecting that, in the opening moments a lead of three or four

:37:36. > :37:39.lengths. Is there anyway back now? It is hard staerting on The Tideway

:37:40. > :37:43.they have to sit with their blades facing the wrong way round. It is

:37:44. > :37:47.much trickier. They'll have a surge of adrenaline. The Oxford crew.

:37:48. > :37:51.They'll be trying to resurge, start back up. Heart will be pumping. But

:37:52. > :37:56.for Cambridge, very comfortable. This is, in temples how you expect

:37:57. > :37:59.and plan for the start of a race to go, this is the stuff of nightmares

:38:00. > :38:06.for Oxford, on Middlesex. They mustn't be complacent. They

:38:07. > :38:17.know they still have to shall push on. But Oxford, they have all to do.

:38:18. > :38:21.Far more. Look at the leaders. They come back Putney boat houses. Such a

:38:22. > :38:27.shame. Cambridge the favourite but not the way they want to start.

:38:28. > :38:33.They'll given themselves a lot to do. Wayne is down on the river

:38:34. > :38:40.watching. You will be as shocked as the rest of us. Incredibly

:38:41. > :38:43.disappointing, the Oxford fore seat starting a crab. And they were

:38:44. > :38:48.underdogs to begin with. It was horrible. Being here behind the

:38:49. > :38:53.boats, I wish they started it over, so we have a clean race. Sadly it is

:38:54. > :38:57.not to be. They have a heck of a lot of work to do to get back in the

:38:58. > :39:00.race, this is going to be very disappointing for them and Cambridge

:39:01. > :39:06.who wanted to see a good, clean race. A huge test for Oxford. And I

:39:07. > :39:11.think in particular for their cox, Eleanor Shearer, like so many in the

:39:12. > :39:15.Oxford boat A little bit inexperienced in Boat Races, racing

:39:16. > :39:19.in the tied way but she has to try somehow to lift the crew. -- in the

:39:20. > :39:22.tideway. It'll be tough, they'll have lost focus. People will have

:39:23. > :39:26.thought - what the hell happened? They have to put that behind them.

:39:27. > :39:29.They have to focus in. A head race now. From a cox's point of view.

:39:30. > :39:34.Such a difficult thing to do. Obviously you can see the crew in

:39:35. > :39:37.front. You need to keep your crew motivated but at the same time you

:39:38. > :39:42.can't tell them they are right next to them because they will know they

:39:43. > :39:46.aren't. Let's lack at the start. -- look at the start. A huge lead for

:39:47. > :39:53.Cambridge. This is where it went wrong for Oxford.

:39:54. > :40:06.Yes, you can see the four seat there, Rebecca went deep on the

:40:07. > :40:11.first stroke. Easy to do. It is difficult to start with the stream

:40:12. > :40:16.rushing past you and the adronely. You will be really stressed and

:40:17. > :40:21.tense -- the adrenaline. I have never seen that. The oar, the blade

:40:22. > :40:25.went in so, so deep. The lead, if anything is extending. Oxford a

:40:26. > :40:30.sense of desperation. They mustn't chase it too much in the early

:40:31. > :40:33.stages and spend all their fuel. Hopefully Eleanor can take control

:40:34. > :40:38.and say the start didn't work. The thing is, this is a long race, they

:40:39. > :40:42.have to get into their rhythm and go hunting after Cambridge. It is a

:40:43. > :40:47.different mentality now. They have to get their speed, maximum,

:40:48. > :40:51.relentless rhythm, going stroke-by-stroke to hunt Cambridge

:40:52. > :40:55.down. It is tougher. For Cambridge they have an opportunity to relax.

:40:56. > :41:05.Look at the rhythm. They are such a strong crew. You can hear the coxes

:41:06. > :41:16.giving the instructions. And looking through the Cambridge crew, Melissa

:41:17. > :41:20.Wilson racing in her fourth race, and holly Hill, Ashton Brown, Imogen

:41:21. > :41:23.Grant. It has that experience. It is difficult to see anyway back.

:41:24. > :41:30.Cambridge have a ten-second lead. They have immense experience. It is

:41:31. > :41:36.a classy crew. It is a shame they weren't given that test. But they

:41:37. > :41:39.will want it get a great time and increase the distance every stroke

:41:40. > :41:43.because they've had a tough few years. They have not won since 2012.

:41:44. > :41:49.They'll want to show what they can do. The crowd, we caught a glimpse

:41:50. > :41:52.of them waiting near Hammersmith Bridge and they will all be stunned

:41:53. > :41:56.to see the lead that Cambridge have. They won't know what happened near

:41:57. > :41:59.the start. But they'll look down and there Ashton Brown, how different to

:42:00. > :42:03.last year for her when the waves were crashing over her in the second

:42:04. > :42:09.half the rest and the president leading her crew at the moment and

:42:10. > :42:11.through actual and metaphorical calmer waters this year, but in

:42:12. > :42:20.total control at the moment. Matthew Holland, just driving them

:42:21. > :42:34.on. I don't want you to drop it. Hold

:42:35. > :42:38.it. They are racing themselves out here. They will want to show what

:42:39. > :42:42.they can do and set the standard. This is one of the best crews we

:42:43. > :42:45.have seen in the Boat Race. They are out there. Trying to hold their

:42:46. > :42:48.split. They know how fast they are going and they don't want to let

:42:49. > :42:54.that come off at all. Even though they don't have a crew beside them.

:42:55. > :42:59.That's the standed a they will want to set. We were looking at the

:43:00. > :43:03.trophy. You see engraved not just who wins but the winning margin, 25

:43:04. > :43:06.lengths for last year, which was rather inflated for the conditions.

:43:07. > :43:12.That will be in the back of the mind of the Cambridge rowers to make

:43:13. > :43:18.amends and get as big a margin of strike as they can? Yes they'll want

:43:19. > :43:31.to avenge that, that Oxford's name has been on it for the last few

:43:32. > :43:36.years. They named their boat the Light's Up. Yes, they have been in

:43:37. > :43:42.the dark, struggling, they have been trying to rebuild and they'll have

:43:43. > :43:47.that feeling they are coming out of the dark and the run of losses, but

:43:48. > :43:51.the light is coming. The size of the crowd for this rains the men's race

:43:52. > :43:55.to come, they are draped over Hammersmith Bridge, which is only

:43:56. > :43:59.open to spectators for a few years ago again, it used to be closed off

:44:00. > :44:04.but this is one of the noisiest parts of the course. Because of the

:44:05. > :44:08.spectators, above them. They try to shoot through the Second lamp post.

:44:09. > :44:14.That's the line of the quickest water. The deepest water. The tide

:44:15. > :44:18.comes in and Cambridge so, so far clear they all watch and we can see

:44:19. > :44:23.Oxford in the far distance still to come under the bridge. The lead is

:44:24. > :44:32.stretched We have a boat here with future Olympians in it. Girls who

:44:33. > :44:42.learned to row at Cambridge and who are doing well at QB trials. Wayne

:44:43. > :44:45.continues to watch a -- GB trials. Wayne continues to watch. Yesk

:44:46. > :44:51.looking like the crew everyone said they were. It is not hard to do

:44:52. > :44:54.that, looking strong, when they have the lead that they do. Think they

:44:55. > :44:58.would have won anyway but it is a shame they zrnt a closer race for

:44:59. > :45:03.longer. The bend plays around to the left as we look at t around to the

:45:04. > :45:06.south-west and it'll favour - I was going to say it would favour Oxford

:45:07. > :45:11.t would if they were racing side-by-side but Cambridge can

:45:12. > :45:15.choose twharts, so no advantage -- choose their waters. So no advantage

:45:16. > :45:19.for Oxford. It is so calm compared to last year. Sometimes you get

:45:20. > :45:23.through Hammersmith Bridge and it turns around different direction and

:45:24. > :45:26.the wind splits up the water but a beautiful shot as we look down on

:45:27. > :45:32.Cambridge, so far clear in this Boat Race.

:45:33. > :45:41.You can see how supreme they are. This is a quality crew. Melissa

:45:42. > :45:46.Wilson, who is stroking it, learned to row at Cambridge. She has lost

:45:47. > :45:51.three Boat Races, so how sweet this must feel for her. She is leading

:45:52. > :45:54.the way. She is going to be a bright star for Great Britain in the rowing

:45:55. > :45:59.team. She has been in the under 23 team and he has so much talent. It

:46:00. > :46:06.will be a great feeling for her, fourth time lucky, hopefully. She

:46:07. > :46:13.teams up with Holly Hill, who raced last year in the Blue Boat, and

:46:14. > :46:17.Miriam Ude. Those are the returning Blues, those who have experienced

:46:18. > :46:24.the defeat last year, the painful defeat. Again, a stunning shot of

:46:25. > :46:29.this sweep of the Thames as we look down, Cambridge are so very clear of

:46:30. > :46:34.Oxford, who must try and find something. Your cox will try and lie

:46:35. > :46:38.to you and said we are hanging in there, but they will know how far

:46:39. > :46:42.behind they are. You have to be positive. You can't just sit there

:46:43. > :46:47.and say you are getting obliterated by the other group. But at the same

:46:48. > :46:53.time, you have to be realistic. She will probably be saying, let's keep

:46:54. > :46:59.working and chipping away. At the end of the day, anything can happen.

:47:00. > :47:07.Last year is a prime example of what can be thrown at you. So you can't

:47:08. > :47:18.give up until you get to the line. More great shots of the crew. Imogen

:47:19. > :47:23.for Cambridge is a fantastic lightweight rower who again is

:47:24. > :47:29.coming up in the under 23 trials. We are seeing many faces here that I

:47:30. > :47:32.think we will be seeing again. It is painful work for Oxford at the

:47:33. > :47:37.moment. Painful for both crews, but at least there which have the salve

:47:38. > :47:40.of knowing they are clear and heading for victory. We are well

:47:41. > :47:44.past halfway now and there is still some distance to go, but Cambridge

:47:45. > :47:48.know that victory is coming. The last four years have been wins for

:47:49. > :47:53.Oxford. Last year in particular was horrible for those in the Cambridge

:47:54. > :47:58.boat, but look at that. Such a different tale. The Oxford crew knew

:47:59. > :48:02.they were underdogs. They had a strong team atmosphere within them

:48:03. > :48:05.and they want to make sure that no matter what the media were saying

:48:06. > :48:08.and no matter what the odds were, they were going to put in their best

:48:09. > :48:12.performance. So as you said, such a shame to see that start. But there

:48:13. > :48:18.is no way these girls are going to give up. They are tough. They have

:48:19. > :48:24.got pride and dignity. They will want to show how well they can row

:48:25. > :48:33.bomber regardless of the start. -- regardless. The cox tries to drive

:48:34. > :48:43.them on. A very placid waters, and the bend continues to sweep around

:48:44. > :48:48.towards the south-west. The gap is not opening up further. I am looking

:48:49. > :48:51.for some crumbs of comfort for Oxford, but it is a dominant

:48:52. > :48:55.performance for Cambridge. How different it might have been of

:48:56. > :48:59.Oxford had had a decent start, we just don't know. It is a shame,

:49:00. > :49:04.because Oxford also had the benefit of that first bend, which would have

:49:05. > :49:07.given them a quarter to a third of a length on Cambridge and hopefully

:49:08. > :49:12.would have given them a bit of impetus at the start. The American

:49:13. > :49:18.in the fourth seed got into all sorts of trouble in the start. She

:49:19. > :49:27.is the least experienced rower out there. That was an extreme example,

:49:28. > :49:33.but she got really caught out at the start. It is a team event, and these

:49:34. > :49:36.things happen as a team. The whole crew is responsible for that. It

:49:37. > :49:41.happened to be her blade, but it could have been another. The balance

:49:42. > :49:46.was off at the start and it seemed that they suddenly lurched. And they

:49:47. > :49:50.do seem to be holding now. They are not going to let Cambridge get more

:49:51. > :49:56.distance. They are going to try and keep on it. It is testament to their

:49:57. > :50:03.strength and passion that they are trying to stay with this. It is a

:50:04. > :50:07.fairly new thing for Cambridge to be rating on the Tiber in the Boat

:50:08. > :50:11.Race, but they are on course for a course record as well -- rating on

:50:12. > :50:15.the Tideway. The bandstand will appear on the north bank to the left

:50:16. > :50:19.of your picture. From there, there is about a mile to go and they will

:50:20. > :50:24.continue to put their foot down and try and achieve as big a victory as

:50:25. > :50:29.possible, perhaps in a record time. What a great site to see a strong

:50:30. > :50:34.demonstration of women's rowing. They are a fantastic crew with good

:50:35. > :50:36.timing. It is great for our sport to see that, and such a shame that the

:50:37. > :50:47.Oxford girls didn't get that opportunity. But they are going to

:50:48. > :50:50.dig in all the way, no question. I am trying to estimate the length of

:50:51. > :51:01.the lead that Cambridge are going to succeed by the.

:51:02. > :51:13.They have one man, that cox. Cambridge are heading for a huge

:51:14. > :51:19.victory, with Oxford left trailing, getting the muddy water of the

:51:20. > :51:22.leaders, Cambridge. It all goes back to the start. Cambridge came into

:51:23. > :51:26.this race as strong favourites, so I suspect they might have had too much

:51:27. > :51:31.for the Oxford crew in any case, but we will never know. What a great day

:51:32. > :51:43.for Matthew Holland. He is 19. This is the biggest stage he has been on.

:51:44. > :51:50.He has one mega- national schools races. And let's not forget Eleanor

:51:51. > :51:53.Shearer, the coxswain of Oxford, was at school with him, a couple of

:51:54. > :51:58.years older. It will be strange for him to have looked across and seen

:51:59. > :52:03.her on the start line. Getting closer now to Barnes Bridge as we

:52:04. > :52:07.look down on this Cambridge crew, who have led by some distance from

:52:08. > :52:13.the earliest moments of this race. And a psychological test for Oxford

:52:14. > :52:20.to try and make sure that gap doesn't open up any more. Cambridge

:52:21. > :52:29.are heading towards the huge numbers of spectators. The course is 4.2

:52:30. > :52:34.miles. The Thames is lined by spectators looking forward to the

:52:35. > :52:37.men's race to come and enjoying this dominant performance by Cambridge.

:52:38. > :52:43.Whatever happened at the start, this has been an impressive performance.

:52:44. > :52:56.Undoubtedly. You could hear the Oxford cox saying, brave and strong.

:52:57. > :53:04.But this day is all about Cambridge. Getting closer now to Chiswick

:53:05. > :53:07.Bridge and to victory. The Cambridge crew are just a distant speck on the

:53:08. > :53:14.horizon to Oxford, who continue to try and produce something. But this

:53:15. > :53:19.victory is going to be not quite the 25 lengths of Oxford last year, but

:53:20. > :53:24.not too far away from it, and in perfect waters. No excuses for

:53:25. > :53:28.either crew, no hiding place. Cambridge continue on their

:53:29. > :53:32.relentless march towards victory. They have been building something

:53:33. > :53:40.special. Rob Baker has done a special job. This crew is full of

:53:41. > :53:47.talent, with future Olympians. They hope they are starting an era for

:53:48. > :53:51.Cambridge, kicking off today. As you said, there are faces to watch in

:53:52. > :53:58.that boat, particularly Melissa Wilson and Holly Hill, potential

:53:59. > :54:07.future GB senior athletes, I am sure. As well as Alice White and

:54:08. > :54:09.Imogen Grant. It is exciting to see this standard and a celebration of

:54:10. > :54:16.what Oxford and Cambridge can do with women rowers. The flotilla

:54:17. > :54:22.behind turns up the water and Oxford are not too far in front of that

:54:23. > :54:33.flotilla and a long way distant, Cambridge. Ashton Brown and Imogen

:54:34. > :54:37.Grant, Holly Hill, Alice White and Melissa Wilson and Matthew Holland,

:54:38. > :54:42.the cox, are getting closer to victory. Last year, Cambridge were

:54:43. > :54:51.overwhelmed by Oxford and the Thames itself. So different this year on

:54:52. > :54:56.the, waters. The Dark Blue run is going to win for the first time

:54:57. > :55:01.since 2012. And for the very first time on this famous stretch of the

:55:02. > :55:11.River Thames, it is going to be, with the final few pools of the oar,

:55:12. > :55:16.a likely win, a calm Thames today as the cox cries out. It is going to be

:55:17. > :55:32.a record time. And the finish line calls... It is

:55:33. > :55:37.victory for Cambridge in the Women's Boat Race, and what a victory. A

:55:38. > :55:43.record time and a huge margin and relief for those who tasted defeat

:55:44. > :55:49.before. And my, how they have made amends. Their opposition had such a

:55:50. > :55:56.dreadful start, but this crew, I think, would have beaten most today.

:55:57. > :56:00.Oxford, tired and totally dejected, come home a distant second in the

:56:01. > :56:13.72nd edition of the Women's Boat Race. So difficult for them.

:56:14. > :56:19.Sometimes, it is a good race and the contrast between the two crews is

:56:20. > :56:24.clear. But today for Oxford, it will be doubly painful. That doesn't take

:56:25. > :56:28.away from the joy and celebration is richly deserved for Cambridge. A lot

:56:29. > :56:31.of hard work has gone on in Cambridge to turn things around from

:56:32. > :56:35.where they have been. They probably didn't expect to turn it around in

:56:36. > :56:40.that spectacular style, but they have. Rob Baker has done a strong

:56:41. > :56:47.job and they are building something. They have a new boathouse. They have

:56:48. > :56:50.had things go the right way. And what it means to Melissa Wilson.

:56:51. > :56:57.Three times, she has lost and now she is a winner in the Boat Race.

:56:58. > :57:04.Behind her, Myriam Goudet, also a returning blue who lost last year.

:57:05. > :57:09.This is humbling for Oxford, because it has been a dreadful day. All the

:57:10. > :57:21.planning and practice that goes into it, and wrong from the start. The

:57:22. > :57:26.dejection is total and obvious. We are not singling out people because

:57:27. > :57:31.the crew will lose as a crew. Rebecca will get comfort from the

:57:32. > :57:35.rest. But if you sit under Chiswick Bridge and think of how wrong it

:57:36. > :57:43.went at Putney Bridge, it was awful. But again, we stress how strong the

:57:44. > :57:50.Cambridge crew was. It was a very big win for Cambridge. Undoubtedly a

:57:51. > :57:56.really classy Cambridge crew. They have some great talent. Really hard

:57:57. > :58:16.to see a race go that way. You never see in other sporting

:58:17. > :58:20.events, the difference so starkly highlighted between winning and

:58:21. > :58:28.losing. In a Boat Race, it is nothing at all. This end they run of

:58:29. > :58:34.four Oxford victories and it might be the start of something for

:58:35. > :58:38.Cambridge. As you said, they have the new boathouse and some good

:58:39. > :58:43.funding, as Oxford do, but they have a good programme going forward. They

:58:44. > :58:46.won in 2012, but there was a long gap before that, so it has been the

:58:47. > :58:50.least successful period in that club's history and that is always

:58:51. > :58:54.painful for any side. So there is a sense of relief that they have

:58:55. > :58:59.things in place. The boathouse makes a big difference and with talent

:59:00. > :59:07.like this, it is so exciting to put it together. All those who support

:59:08. > :59:13.the Light Blues will be celebrating. Will the celebrations continue with

:59:14. > :59:18.the men's race? The pictures say everything. Sustenance is being

:59:19. > :59:24.taken on by Holly Hill and Alice White. And a record time. Sometimes

:59:25. > :59:28.that depends on a lack of water coming off the land, but that was

:59:29. > :59:35.such a strong performance by Cambridge. Oxford will have a

:59:36. > :59:44.postmortem and repercussions. We will hand to Clare.

:59:45. > :59:54.Well that stunning success for them is a new record. They beat the

:59:55. > :59:59.record by 2015 by well over a minute. Faster than Cambridge's men

:00:00. > :00:04.recorded last year and faster than Oxford's men in 2014. Conditions

:00:05. > :00:10.huge Lynne fluence but a significant marker to go under 19 minutes and

:00:11. > :00:15.for the returning blues, Ashton Brown, Holly Hill and Miriam Goudet

:00:16. > :00:19.the first French woman to win and for Melissa Wilson as well.

:00:20. > :00:23.Redemption from their disappointment last year when they barely made it

:00:24. > :00:28.to the finish. Water coming on board. They kept going, they were

:00:29. > :00:33.absolutely determined to finish the race last year and then the 12

:00:34. > :00:38.months in between, all those hours and hours of training, with one

:00:39. > :00:45.thing in mind and that was this - victory in the women's Boat Race and

:00:46. > :00:48.they deserve every second of the celebrations and disappointing,

:00:49. > :00:52.Katherine that it is that Oxford had such a poor start and it wasn't able

:00:53. > :00:58.to develop into a great race for Cambridge they've achieved what they

:00:59. > :01:01.set out to do. They have, as we have been hearing in the commentary, it

:01:02. > :01:09.is not the kind of start. You want to win in that style but you don't

:01:10. > :01:13.want to win in the problem that happened at the start for Oxford. It

:01:14. > :01:18.takes nothing away from the cage bridge crew. -- from the Cambridge

:01:19. > :01:22.crew. They should really be enjoying the celebrations, they are truly

:01:23. > :01:34.successful. Jason Mohammed is down there with the president, the woman

:01:35. > :01:41.who contracted contract pneumonia after last year's race, Ashton Brown

:01:42. > :01:46.She's barely out of the boat. The celebrations mean so much to you,

:01:47. > :01:52.last year I remember the tears, what a different interview? A definitely

:01:53. > :01:55.different place this year. I couldn't have done it without the

:01:56. > :02:00.squad. I'm so proud of my squad and the emat that. You remember the

:02:01. > :02:04.scenario last year when we spoke about 20 m away, you were in tears,

:02:05. > :02:07.the crew were in tears with what happened and what an incredible

:02:08. > :02:11.achievement for you this year. We got the race we wanted to have. Last

:02:12. > :02:15.year we felt a bit robbed because we didn't get to race. This year I had

:02:16. > :02:21.an amazing team with me. We did t right to the end But what a story,

:02:22. > :02:25.after last year and the disaster, then you having pneumonia. You

:02:26. > :02:31.battled back and you are a Victoria president. I mean, it is team. --

:02:32. > :02:35.victorious. I couldn't have done it without them How do you retain the

:02:36. > :02:39.focus knowing Oxford were in all sort of disarray from the start? We

:02:40. > :02:43.talked about the scenarios we could have going in and we wanted from

:02:44. > :02:48.that start, we were talking down the boat about as big a margin as

:02:49. > :02:52.possible t wasn't about crossing the line fist, it was about making it a

:02:53. > :02:55.real victory. I think we did it by a huge margin which was our goal. What

:02:56. > :03:00.about your crew. On the left-hand side. The massive roar they gave you

:03:01. > :03:05.when you came home? They are a great team. Supportive all year. I had a

:03:06. > :03:09.really tough go this year, but they helped me through it all. I'm really

:03:10. > :03:14.grateful. Very soon you will be spraying champagne around. How does

:03:15. > :03:21.it sound? Sounds good. My third Boat Race and I haven't had any champagne

:03:22. > :03:25.yet An incredible story. Matthew Holland the cox is with me, Clare,

:03:26. > :03:29.many congratulations. How did you maintain the rhythm and focus

:03:30. > :03:34.knowing Oxford were having such big problems at the start We set off at

:03:35. > :03:39.the start to have internal focus. We knew our rhythm was strong, I had to

:03:40. > :03:42.reinforce that message. Make sure they didn't get too confident. They

:03:43. > :03:47.had to finish the race Take us into the camp. How much were you fired up

:03:48. > :03:53.by what happened last year and the devastation in the crew? I mean, it

:03:54. > :03:57.was, just watching the video back before, for that to happen, and

:03:58. > :04:00.having put in so much work must have been so horrible. I sort of felt

:04:01. > :04:04.like that I had to make sure the returners in the crew were able to

:04:05. > :04:08.forget that for the new experience, I wanted to make sure this made up

:04:09. > :04:16.for the fact that last year they had a horrible racial And Ashton --

:04:17. > :04:20.horrible race. And Ashton, a lot of modesty but how much has she helped

:04:21. > :04:24.the team Her fight has driven the squad on. She's leading us through

:04:25. > :04:28.this, it has been fantastic, especially when things have got

:04:29. > :04:36.tough. Well thank you very much, Clare back to you. Apologies, a few

:04:37. > :04:39.problems on the mic break up. But Matthew a classicically trained

:04:40. > :04:44.singer, he does a vocal warm-up before he starts coxing. Utter

:04:45. > :04:47.despair and you have to feel for Rebecca Esselstein but as Kath

:04:48. > :04:51.Bishop said in commentary, it is the whole crew that upset the balance of

:04:52. > :04:57.the boat and that's why things can happen but it was over almost before

:04:58. > :05:02.it began and Zoe and Katherine are with me. Let's look at the start and

:05:03. > :05:07.we'll hear the Oxford cox, Eleanor Shearer. So, Rebecca Esselstein is

:05:08. > :05:18.in the four seat but if we just listen in. You can see the boat is

:05:19. > :05:23.off balance. OK, Rebecca recover. Hold up, Rebecca get your blade

:05:24. > :05:30.back. That's t forward, and go. -- that's it. Forward and go. And those

:05:31. > :05:34.sort of five, ten seconds must feel like minutes, Zoe. Yeah, you could

:05:35. > :05:40.hear she actually stopped the boat. Easy there is the call we use to

:05:41. > :05:45.stop the boat. Becky was clearly struggling to get the blade out with

:05:46. > :05:55.the speed of the boat that was being carried with the other seven having

:05:56. > :06:01.to row. So all seven had to stop to allow her to get the blade out T

:06:02. > :06:06.happens, it happened with one of my crew mates at a Championship a few

:06:07. > :06:10.years ago. It happens. It is a shame it happened to soon. Victory is

:06:11. > :06:15.assured, it is unlikely they would get caught but they rowed on to try

:06:16. > :06:19.to set a record and they have done so. Absolutely. For both Oxford and

:06:20. > :06:23.Cambridge, they have one race to prepare for the whole year, it is

:06:24. > :06:26.one race so even if it is over in the first few metres, they are not

:06:27. > :06:31.going to stop there. For them, anything can happen. Four are

:06:32. > :06:35.returning from last year when the weather caused them to have an

:06:36. > :06:38.horrific experience. And they had a lot to prove. They had a lot to

:06:39. > :06:41.prove they were in the best Cambridge boat that had been put

:06:42. > :06:46.out. To be fair to Cambridge, they know what Oxford are feeling, it is

:06:47. > :06:51.utter despair and they will console them. Let's get a reaction from them

:06:52. > :06:56.and their captain, Harriet Austin is with Jason now? Clare and Harriet,

:06:57. > :07:00.this is obviously the last thing you want to do, doing an interview on

:07:01. > :07:05.live television but what happened at the start? Obviously the start

:07:06. > :07:11.didn't go as we planned. I think we got together really well. I'm really

:07:12. > :07:15.proud of the girls. We put in a good race but today was Cambridge's day.

:07:16. > :07:18.How did you manage to carry on digging, knowing you were so far

:07:19. > :07:25.behind and you had worked so hard for it? Well, we prepare for every

:07:26. > :07:30.situation, it is obviously not one that we'd want but Ellie did a great

:07:31. > :07:34.job at coxing. I'm pleased we found our rhythm again and got back on to

:07:35. > :07:38.something good Can you tell us what happened, what was your view? What

:07:39. > :07:42.happened? I mean, we had a minor upset on the start. Again it was

:07:43. > :07:47.something we had planned for, so we knew how to get back together. We

:07:48. > :07:53.got back on it and as Harriet said I'm managed that we had got a

:07:54. > :07:57.rhythm, and had a race to be proud of. Certainly not the race we

:07:58. > :08:01.planned but on the day our opponents did better. I know it must be very

:08:02. > :08:06.difficult for you. Thank you very much indeed. Well, very good of

:08:07. > :08:11.Eleanor and Harriet to talk, so eloquently, because it is just an

:08:12. > :08:15.utterly depressing, upsetting feeling and the contrast is

:08:16. > :08:19.enormous. As Andrew Cotter said, I don't think there is another

:08:20. > :08:24.sporting event where the difference between winning and losing is so

:08:25. > :08:31.great and here the celebrations of combradge. A huge moment for doer of

:08:32. > :08:37.Cambridge. A huge moment for them -- a huge moment for Cambridge. A

:08:38. > :08:42.triumph there and also of patience. Yes a lot goes into the race and as

:08:43. > :08:47.was said in the commentary, a long many years planning for Rob who

:08:48. > :08:52.coaches the crew and the set-up. So a tough few years. So lovely to see

:08:53. > :08:56.that level of celebration even if the race is quite simple and

:08:57. > :09:06.straightforward for them. It shows how much it means to win it. And

:09:07. > :09:12.such experience, like international rowers and Imogen Grant who signed

:09:13. > :09:20.up for a taster because she wanted to get two free drinks. And rowers

:09:21. > :09:24.who went to the Olympics. We'll rejoin them for the celebration but

:09:25. > :09:27.the coin toss for the men's boat took place. In the women's race it

:09:28. > :09:31.was irrelevant, it was over before they got to the first bend but

:09:32. > :09:35.Surrey has proved a popular choice and once again, it was the choice of

:09:36. > :09:40.the Oxford President. Michael DiSanto who won the toss and chose

:09:41. > :09:45.Surrey so. Oxford winning the toss, choosing Surrey. You see the two

:09:46. > :09:48.presidents there. It has been quite feisty, the build-up to the men's

:09:49. > :09:54.race. We'll be discussing that in more detail because we have lots of

:09:55. > :09:58.time. Well I say lots of time, we have 35 minutes, half an hour. They

:09:59. > :10:01.will be out in the water shortly but the presentation is about to take

:10:02. > :10:06.place for the women's Boat Race. And as I have been talking about the

:10:07. > :10:09.crowds here, the huge support, I think the women's Boat Race has

:10:10. > :10:13.added to the occasion, the interest, the stories that are written as well

:10:14. > :10:16.and also to the understanding that these are full-time students.

:10:17. > :10:20.You know they work all day long and they train for hours every day as

:10:21. > :10:23.well and for those that are successful, it is all worth it, for

:10:24. > :10:31.those that aren't, it is pretty painful. Here's Jason.

:10:32. > :10:36.Ladies and gentlemen, one of the great sporting events of the great

:10:37. > :10:41.British sporting calendar, ladies and gentlemen, will you please

:10:42. > :10:44.welcome your presentation party, the Cancer Research UK 2017 Boat Races,

:10:45. > :10:54.this is the 7 #27bd women's Boat Race. Would you please give a very

:10:55. > :11:00.warm welcome to Mitchell Harris, Chief Executive officer, BNY

:11:01. > :11:04.Investment management and Andrew Hodge who'll present the troey.

:11:05. > :11:08.First, ladies and gentlemen, the losing crew, Oxford University

:11:09. > :11:14.Women's Boat Club. Would you please welcome, Harriet Austin, the

:11:15. > :11:25.captain, in the absent of the injured president, Isabell von Loga.

:11:26. > :11:29.Please also give a very warm welcome to Alice, Flo Pickles, Rebecca Te

:11:30. > :11:40.Water Naude, Rebecca Esselstein, Chloe Laverack. Jenna Hebb Earth.

:11:41. > :11:44.Emily Cameron, cox, Eleanor Shearer and the coach for Oxford Ali

:11:45. > :11:48.Williams. Eight nation represent. Great Britain, Ireland, United

:11:49. > :11:51.States of America, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand

:11:52. > :12:01.and France. Commiserations to Oxford. But, ladies and gentlemen,

:12:02. > :12:13.on a fine sunny day here, such contrasting difference to last year,

:12:14. > :12:17.the winners of the 2017 women's Boat Race, Cambridge University Women's

:12:18. > :12:20.Boat Club, led by Imogen Grant. Claire Lambe. Put your hands

:12:21. > :12:33.together for Anna Dawson. For Holly Hill. Alice White. Miriam Goudet.

:12:34. > :12:43.Melissa Wilson, the ox, Matthew Holland. -- the cox Matthew Holland.

:12:44. > :12:56.And head coach Rob Baker. Here comes Rob. And what a story, after last

:12:57. > :13:01.year, the heartache, she then contracted pneumonia and here she

:13:02. > :13:04.is, about to lift the trophy, Cambridge University women's Boat

:13:05. > :13:12.Race President, Ashton Brown, ladies and gentlemen.

:13:13. > :13:35.And before the drink starts flowing, Ashton, do you want to take this

:13:36. > :13:40.moment to say thank you to the crew and thank you to the team and all

:13:41. > :13:44.the people who played such a massive role in bringing you here today.

:13:45. > :13:48.That thank you to everyone. This crew is amazing but this year we

:13:49. > :13:51.have had an amazing team and such great support from everyone. We

:13:52. > :13:54.couldn't have done it without everyone who turned up for trial

:13:55. > :13:59.this fall and all our supporters and friends and family. A giant team

:14:00. > :14:02.effort. I'm so privileged to lead this group. Your social media

:14:03. > :14:06.accounts have been saying how much you have been looking forward to

:14:07. > :14:11.this. Take it inside the camp the night before, what was it like? How

:14:12. > :14:17.confident were you We didn't want to be overconfident but all year we had

:14:18. > :14:21.a lot of laughs together. We were telling bad jokes, Rob cooked us a

:14:22. > :14:28.great dinner and we had a great time. It was a lot of fun Rob, how

:14:29. > :14:33.are you feeling? Pretty good. We have got an amazing - we have seen

:14:34. > :14:36.our second crew win. These guys are absolutely amazing, we knew how fast

:14:37. > :14:41.we were, it was about executing today. They were ruthless in the way

:14:42. > :14:45.they executed which is what we've been training for all year. Let the

:14:46. > :15:03.celebrations begin, Cambridge University, ladies and gentlemen.

:15:04. > :15:10.Coming up next, can our novice rowers learn from their Olympic

:15:11. > :15:14.team-mates? Jam thing has nothing on this. This will be the toughest

:15:15. > :15:19.competition of my life -- dancing has nothing on this. Cambridge's

:15:20. > :15:24.Lance Caddell is hoping again to work his magic spell. I'm very

:15:25. > :15:27.competitive. Losing is not an option.

:15:28. > :15:48.And in about 25 minutes, it's time for the 163rd Boat Race.

:15:49. > :15:54.And the man who will be taking each other on have been lifting their

:15:55. > :16:00.boats to the water. The Oxford crew, including William Warr, one of their

:16:01. > :16:05.five returning Blues, but when he last rowed in the Boat Race, it was

:16:06. > :16:10.for Cambridge in 2015. He has switched sides, only the third man

:16:11. > :16:14.ever to do so. So Oxford will get out there and do their warm-up

:16:15. > :16:25.routine. Cambridge are being led out by their cox. And Ben Ruble, an

:16:26. > :16:30.experienced bow. He is rowing in his third Boat Race. He has lost once

:16:31. > :16:35.and won it once. Their race will be an hour before high tide, so it is

:16:36. > :16:39.due off at 5.38, just as that tide becomes a flood tide. That will

:16:40. > :16:42.speed everything up. They are facing for the quarter miles, which seems a

:16:43. > :16:48.tough challenge until you realise that some people take on 3000 miles

:16:49. > :16:50.in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. It is the most

:16:51. > :16:52.extraordinary thing and shortly, I will be talking to the two man who

:16:53. > :17:08.won it. The latitude 35 team and their

:17:09. > :17:12.American team-mates battled tropical storms and sweltering heat to make

:17:13. > :17:17.the crossing in 35 days, 14 hours and three minutes, securing first

:17:18. > :17:29.place and beating the previous world record by two days. The course runs

:17:30. > :17:35.from the Canary Islands to Antigua. Half of the team join me now. How

:17:36. > :17:39.did you get together? I raced against Jason, our skipper, two

:17:40. > :17:42.years ago. I won them and Jason was desperate to win the race, so he

:17:43. > :17:48.approached me a year ago and said, let's put a winning team together.

:17:49. > :17:52.So you are the Ben Ainslie of Atlantic rowing, call you up and you

:17:53. > :17:59.win? The Americans always need a Brit to win, put it that way! Alex,

:18:00. > :18:02.what are the challenge is when you are rowing for that many days

:18:03. > :18:07.consecutively and sleeping and eating on the boat? What sort of

:18:08. > :18:11.things mentally do you go through? Generally, we try and break the

:18:12. > :18:16.entire thing into smaller chunks. Mentally, you can't take on 3000

:18:17. > :18:19.miles as an entire race. So you have sleep deprivation and you eat

:18:20. > :18:25.different foods, rowing for two hours at any one time. We broke the

:18:26. > :18:28.raced down into four hour chunks. Looking at your boat, I struggled to

:18:29. > :18:34.work out where on earth you have got room to sleep. We designed the boat

:18:35. > :18:39.so that you have just enough room to fit four big guys in there.

:18:40. > :18:41.Normally, you only have one person sleeping in each cabin, but

:18:42. > :18:45.occasionally if you have a storm, you have to clamber up into one

:18:46. > :18:50.cabin at the front and one cabin at the back. It is a bit horrible. It

:18:51. > :18:56.is much nicer to be rowing, believe it or not. But are you going to be

:18:57. > :19:05.doing this again? Has this become your thing? Alexander I have got a

:19:06. > :19:08.record on the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. The obvious thing is to

:19:09. > :19:10.try and do the Pacific. How many miles back? Over 9000 miles, a

:19:11. > :19:14.monstrous want to try and do. There is something wrong with you, but you

:19:15. > :19:19.are very good at what you do. Do you ever fancied doing the Boat Race? Or

:19:20. > :19:24.would it be too easy? I have never been on a traditional rowing boat. I

:19:25. > :19:30.used to row for Manchester university. But I am sticking to the

:19:31. > :19:34.oceans for now. I wish you well with all the challenges ahead of you.

:19:35. > :19:39.That crowd down there are now anticipating the Boat Race. It is

:19:40. > :19:44.not far away, and those men are experienced rowers. Many of them

:19:45. > :19:47.have been in the race before. But for our celebrities, it was an

:19:48. > :19:51.all-new experience. We have seen them in training and this is a

:19:52. > :19:55.mixture of presenters and sports people. There are some former

:19:56. > :20:00.Olympians and Boat Race rowers, but it is a real mishmash of the great,

:20:01. > :20:03.the good and the not sporty at all. Captain that coached by Sir Steve

:20:04. > :20:10.Redgrave up against James Cracknell, this was what happened on race day.

:20:11. > :20:17.Dancing has nothing on this. This will be the toughest competition of

:20:18. > :20:24.my life. I have rowed in a couple of Olympic Games, but it was all

:20:25. > :20:28.preparing she for today. I have not rowed on the stretch of water for 15

:20:29. > :20:37.years. I feel an immense sense of pressure. I am feeling excited, but

:20:38. > :20:42.slightly terrified. It is physically and mentally demanding. It is also

:20:43. > :20:47.painful in the backside area. I am going to do a lot of whooping and

:20:48. > :20:52.hollering. I have been told to give it 95%. When I started this process,

:20:53. > :20:57.I was a terrible row, and I have worked my way up to pretty bad. It

:20:58. > :21:07.has broken me physically and psychologically, but I am going to

:21:08. > :21:10.give everything. Come race day, there is a significant blow for the

:21:11. > :21:17.purple team, with Steve Redgrave unable to attend. And it gets worse.

:21:18. > :21:27.Team Cracknell win the pass and get their choice of station for the

:21:28. > :21:30.better racing line. Middlesex. Plenty of changes in seating

:21:31. > :21:33.positions for both teams, a couple of changes in personnel. Harry Judd

:21:34. > :21:44.has been ruled out with a back injury for the purples.

:21:45. > :22:02.Tense final moments on the start. And the pinks have gone early. But

:22:03. > :22:12.the starter says that is fine. Cheating, some might call it, but

:22:13. > :22:16.they have a lead of almost a length. A study in concentration, Mark

:22:17. > :22:24.Watson. The purples have fought their way back into this. Nothing

:22:25. > :22:31.between these two crews, and coming close together as well, blades in

:22:32. > :22:38.danger of clashing. Choppy waters of the Thames, Adlington now in

:22:39. > :22:50.trouble. That has given the purples an opportunity to move out to more

:22:51. > :22:54.than a length clear. And Michelle Ackerley, the latest to catch a

:22:55. > :23:02.crab. The pinks take their chance to come back. Almost side-by-side

:23:03. > :23:09.again, the two crews. Mark Watson is thumped by the chest and the pinks

:23:10. > :23:13.take advantage. Closing in on the finish, the final few strokes. So

:23:14. > :23:19.little between these two crews. Sophie Raworth is hit. Has the

:23:20. > :23:27.chance gone for the pinks? The pinks are coming back, the purples trying

:23:28. > :23:35.to hold on. So close. To the finish line! And it is a victory for purple

:23:36. > :23:40.crew for Steve Redgrave's boat. The purples smile and celebrate, Mark

:23:41. > :23:47.Watson in a world of pain, but he played his part. The purple crew has

:23:48. > :23:57.the official margin of victory in the 2017 Celebrity Boat Race. The

:23:58. > :24:10.winner of the inaugural Celebrity Boat Race is Team Redgrave. Whatever

:24:11. > :24:15.you did, Mark Watson, you did it right. I slid under my feet, but

:24:16. > :24:28.that was tactics. I may have seen that. One, two, three!

:24:29. > :24:37.finish to that race. I will always remember where I was. Mark, you are

:24:38. > :24:42.the only winner on this team. I feel like we are lucky to have you still

:24:43. > :24:48.with us. Me being on the winning side was never in doubt. It was the

:24:49. > :24:55.toss of a coin as to whether I would win or be decapitated by the oar. I

:24:56. > :25:00.thought I was going out of the boat. If anything, it was more painful

:25:01. > :25:04.than my face suggested. But when we went over the line, it was

:25:05. > :25:13.incredible. I loved that bit, but every other aspect was difficult.

:25:14. > :25:17.James, when you have competed in a Paralympics, how much are you having

:25:18. > :25:22.to alter your skills to be able to work alongside these guys? It is

:25:23. > :25:27.completely different. We jumped at the start, as you see in the VT.

:25:28. > :25:33.Race tactics are the same. Don't go off to hard and enjoy yourself. Is

:25:34. > :25:43.that what we were meant to do? Didn't you enjoy it? Part of it. It

:25:44. > :25:48.was good and relaxed. Rebecca, you had a nervous time. I know, I crab

:25:49. > :25:53.straightaway. Than I was panicking and thinking, I don't want to be the

:25:54. > :25:58.only one. Denmark had about four and Sophie had one, so it was not just

:25:59. > :26:03.me. I have a lot of credit for the rowers. So much goes into it. People

:26:04. > :26:09.were like, you are a swimmer, you will be fine. I thought, maybe if I

:26:10. > :26:15.fall out! It was amazing to be in this boat full of Olympians. But we

:26:16. > :26:18.wanted to deliver drama. And I was so distracted by Mark's drama that

:26:19. > :26:24.that may have been the reason why Team Cracknell when not have worked

:26:25. > :26:28.it out, but you were stunning. The more we talk about it, the more I

:26:29. > :26:32.emerge as the trump card. Brilliant tactics by Redgrave to pick me up

:26:33. > :26:38.and make out that I was not very good. He knows what he's doing. Kit

:26:39. > :26:47.Watson, is your daddy a good rower? No. I never knew he would be a

:26:48. > :26:51.famous rower anyway. Believe it or not, there are more highlights that

:26:52. > :26:55.you can find on the BBC iPlayer. Just look up Celebrity Boat Race.

:26:56. > :27:00.Harry Judd is also bobbing around behind us on the Thames, doing a

:27:01. > :27:06.Facebook live during the men's race. You can send any questions to him.

:27:07. > :27:11.Clare, back to you. And Harry double get the most

:27:12. > :27:18.fabulous view, travelling down the river -- Harry Judd. Cambridge last

:27:19. > :27:24.year celebrated their first win in four years. Today could be the first

:27:25. > :27:26.time back-to-back wins and their captain would dearly love to lead

:27:27. > :27:36.them to that landmark. I hate losing. I am very

:27:37. > :27:41.competitive. Losing is not an option. As a group going into the

:27:42. > :27:45.race, we had every reason to be confident. We commanded the race

:27:46. > :27:48.from the first stroke and that gives you the confidence to know that if

:27:49. > :27:55.you continue to do what you are doing, that will be enough. I never

:27:56. > :28:01.want to win a race as badly as I wanted to win that race. Three years

:28:02. > :28:06.of Dark Blue and it turns a lighter shade. Overjoyed to realise that

:28:07. > :28:13.goal you have been working towards for so long. We are the holders. I

:28:14. > :28:21.guess their approach is trying to take it from us. But for me, it

:28:22. > :28:26.hasn't changed my approach. It definitely gives us more confidence

:28:27. > :28:31.in the system, knowing we have been there. We are doing exactly the same

:28:32. > :28:34.things this year. We have some guys coming back to have won and that

:28:35. > :28:40.gives us confidence that we are building a crew that is stronger and

:28:41. > :28:43.faster. We have so many guys from such varied backgrounds, different

:28:44. > :28:48.rowing programmes, different nationalities. My role is to bring

:28:49. > :28:54.everybody together and form a tight-knit squad to work towards the

:28:55. > :29:02.ultimate aim, which is beating Oxford on the 2nd of April. There is

:29:03. > :29:06.a wide range of personalities. You have guys who are happy to sit there

:29:07. > :29:16.and just do their thing, and you have guys who are very vocal. We

:29:17. > :29:22.spend so much time in the minibus, joking around, playing stupid music.

:29:23. > :29:26.This year, it is apparent that we have a good mix between having a

:29:27. > :29:33.laugh with each other and then when we put the boat on the water, it is

:29:34. > :29:38.business time. The message to the team has been that losing is not an

:29:39. > :29:41.option. We are here to deliver back-to-back victories for Cambridge

:29:42. > :29:43.for the first time since the late 90s, and this is the squad that can

:29:44. > :29:52.achieve that. So Lance meeting his crew. Let's

:29:53. > :30:02.meet the rest of the Cambridge University Blue boat. -- leading his

:30:03. > :30:06.crew. I'm Hugo Ramambason the Cambridge cox. I steer the line,

:30:07. > :30:13.motivate the crew. In front of me I have Henry Meek. Im'stroke seat,

:30:14. > :30:19.setting up the rhythm. This is my Boat Race debut. Behind me is Lance

:30:20. > :30:29.Tredell. I'm the president and one of only two returning blues. I am

:30:30. > :30:34.ahead of Patrick Ed Miliband. - Patrick Eble.

:30:35. > :30:40.I'm joined by Aleksander Malowany. The only Canadian. I'm new to the

:30:41. > :30:45.Boat Race. With me I've go the Timothy tracy. I'm new to the blue

:30:46. > :30:48.boat but I want be holding back. In the middle of the boat it is about

:30:49. > :30:57.strength and power which brings me to the man sitting behind me. James

:30:58. > :31:03.Letten at 6 '0 I'm the biggest personal in the crew. I switched

:31:04. > :31:08.career after injury. I would love to row in the nationals. Behind me is

:31:09. > :31:15.Freddie Davidson. At 18 I am eight youngest member. I'm hoping for

:31:16. > :31:21.victory. Just in front of Ben Ruble. In bow. A strike today would be the

:31:22. > :31:30.first back-to-back victory since 1989. As the bow man I will be the

:31:31. > :31:34.first to cross the line. Tom James joins us now. Is it fair to say,

:31:35. > :31:40.Tom, that the rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford this year has

:31:41. > :31:47.felt especially intense? I think obviously every year, you know, it's

:31:48. > :31:52.-- given the history, given that it is a gladiatorial battle that comes

:31:53. > :31:55.around auns a year and the amount of time they train it is always tense.

:31:56. > :31:59.This year it is history and given there is history between one

:32:00. > :32:01.individual swapping sides, there's definitely history between the

:32:02. > :32:05.individuals and when you are rowing in the race for most it is unwith of

:32:06. > :32:12.the biggest things we will ever get to be a part of. And for most of us,

:32:13. > :32:16.it is the one of the biggest things we will be involved at. In the

:32:17. > :32:22.weigh-in it turned into the sort of thing you might expect at a boxes

:32:23. > :32:27.fight. Because the two strokes, here, Vassilis Ragoussis and Henry

:32:28. > :32:31.Meek held each other's hand and engaged in a prolonged stare-off. I

:32:32. > :32:36.don't know why or what it achieved but I guess it adds, gives us

:32:37. > :32:40.something to talk about. Absolutely. Weigh-in is a lot of fun, you are

:32:41. > :32:43.sizing them up. The funny thing s you are targeting these guys for

:32:44. > :32:47.seven months but you actually very rarely see them up close

:32:48. > :32:52.face-to-face like that. So there is a lot of kind of primal energy and

:32:53. > :32:56.animosity going on but you need to channel it in the right way when you

:32:57. > :33:00.get out on the water. Cambridge have the height and weight advantage as

:33:01. > :33:05.well, mainly due to one man, now Hugo Ramambason, the cox, he is

:33:06. > :33:09.fairly tall for a cox at 5'9" but nothing compared to James Letten,

:33:10. > :33:13.who is at 6'10" as he said in the piece, is the tallest man ever in a

:33:14. > :33:19.bet race. Does that mean, George, you have to make any adjustments to

:33:20. > :33:25.the boat itself? Yes, when you are over about 6'5", often you probably

:33:26. > :33:29.can't quite squeeze into a regular rowing boat in a conventional way.

:33:30. > :33:34.They may or may not have had to tweak things in their shell. We're

:33:35. > :33:39.used to having big lads in the came brick set-up. I think they would've

:33:40. > :33:42.managed it fine. Jim is the strongest man Cambridge have had on

:33:43. > :33:48.the team I'm very excited to see what he can do. It'll be a close

:33:49. > :33:53.race, featuring in the Oxford crew, brothers, the first brothers since

:33:54. > :34:00.the Facebook twins a couple of years ago, Jamie and Ollie Cook. I'm

:34:01. > :34:05.relieved that when we joined them for a very special family party,

:34:06. > :34:09.mine is the only family that celebrates dog birthdays Sunday voes

:34:10. > :34:14.a interest digs. But with the Boat Race, it is difficult to have to fit

:34:15. > :34:23.it in with the training sessions. Mum loves cooking, we love eating

:34:24. > :34:30.her food. Today is the fourther birthday. As a family we are close

:34:31. > :34:35.but when ol lane I because there is only two -- between Ollie and I,

:34:36. > :34:38.because there is only two years, we have had a competitiveness and that

:34:39. > :34:42.competitive edge we'll take into the Boat Race. I started rowing just

:34:43. > :34:49.around the corner and for me, I think when I first went out, it was

:34:50. > :34:52.all about sort of having fun. And but then very quickly it started to

:34:53. > :34:58.change to wanting to win and wanting to sort of better mayself. We never

:34:59. > :35:02.actually shall I don't I this we've competed against each other which

:35:03. > :35:06.has been a massive relief for me. OK, so we have a height war here,

:35:07. > :35:11.where people generally come through the kitchen and had some food and

:35:12. > :35:18.been measured up. We have Paul Bennett, ex-Blues rower, now an

:35:19. > :35:21.Olympic gold medallist. And Andrew Triggs-Hodge, three-time Olympic

:35:22. > :35:26.gold medallist. Are you going to leave some for your dad? No. I was

:35:27. > :35:31.there to watch Jamie's race last year. It's been great because Jamie

:35:32. > :35:34.has been able to sort of signpost all the various things that come up

:35:35. > :35:38.with preparing for the Boat Race and all the training and the trials. It

:35:39. > :35:42.has been roles reversed. Being the bigger brother, Jamie was the one

:35:43. > :35:45.who had done this, the old hand. He has been through the mill a couple

:35:46. > :35:49.of times, he has kind of been showing me the ropes a bit. I think

:35:50. > :35:53.as parent you stand there thinking each race is like a new race, it is

:35:54. > :36:01.like the first race, your heart is in your mouth. Yes. We know one mum

:36:02. > :36:06.who faints each time she watches her son race Really? A different mum? It

:36:07. > :36:10.is one of the best and worst feelings in my life I have felt was

:36:11. > :36:14.winning and losing the Boat Race. It took me a long time to get over the

:36:15. > :36:18.fact that I actually did lose it last year. And I was sort of really

:36:19. > :36:22.done with the sport, with rowing. In the Boat Race, you know, if you lose

:36:23. > :36:30.it is absolutely gutting. Banished from the house. Don't come in!

:36:31. > :36:36.Having Ollie here has added that competitive element which has been

:36:37. > :36:41.fantastic for me to push myself on. Really good luck for the Boat Race.

:36:42. > :36:45.Thanks. And the Cook family are here in force to offer their support.

:36:46. > :36:47.Jamie is rowing at seven and Ollie at three. Let's meet the full Oxford

:36:48. > :37:01.crew. I'm Sam Collier, the Oxford cox I'm

:37:02. > :37:05.right at the back. It's my job to give orders to the crew, all eyes

:37:06. > :37:10.are on me, in front of me is... Vassilis Ragoussis. I'm the stroke

:37:11. > :37:15.seat. The rest of the guys follow my timing. It's my debut. Behind me

:37:16. > :37:19.is... Jamie Cook. Seven seat. It is my third time in the Oxford blue

:37:20. > :37:24.wrote boat this year I get to row with my brother, Ollie. I'm ahead

:37:25. > :37:27.of... Michael DiSanto this year's president and six seat. I

:37:28. > :37:32.represented the United States at Rio in the Olympics and am looking for

:37:33. > :37:36.my third Boat Race win. I sit in front of... Olivier Siegelaar I won

:37:37. > :37:41.an Olympic medal in Rio for Holland. This is my first Boat Race I'm

:37:42. > :37:45.sitting in front of... Joshua Bugajski, part of the powerhouse. I

:37:46. > :37:50.rowed as part of last year's defeated boat. This year I'm going

:37:51. > :37:55.to win. Behind me is... Ollie Cook. My dad taught May to row when I was

:37:56. > :38:00.12. I wanted the compete in the Boat Race my younger brother sits at

:38:01. > :38:08.seven. I'm a new addition to this year's engine room. Sitting behind

:38:09. > :38:12.me is... Matt O'Leary at two. I'm a newcomer behind me is... William

:38:13. > :38:18.Warr in the bow seat I balance and power as hard as I can. In 2016 I

:38:19. > :38:24.raced with Cambridge, but this year with Oxford, I hope to cross the

:38:25. > :38:28.line first. William Warr only the third man to switch sides. This is

:38:29. > :38:32.what he had to say about it. It hasn't been this easy. Guys I was

:38:33. > :38:35.close with and I would speak to every week, who I rowed with at

:38:36. > :38:43.Cambridge, I barely speak to them any more. Some guys said - yeah,

:38:44. > :38:48.that makes sense. Other guys didn't respect the decision at all and said

:38:49. > :38:53.they really hope I lose for Oxford and they completely disagree with

:38:54. > :38:57.the decision. And it is nearly racetime. So all the talking and

:38:58. > :39:04.staring can stop. The race about to begin. Let's get the through of

:39:05. > :39:08.Constantine and George, who wins it? I'm always going to be true to

:39:09. > :39:11.Oxford. I think they looked strong in training yesterday. They have the

:39:12. > :39:15.form going in and personnel. But it could be a humdinger. George? I

:39:16. > :39:20.think it Stan is right. It is going to be a close race. Cambridge look

:39:21. > :39:23.to me like the sharper crew but Oxford's strength is difficult to

:39:24. > :39:27.avoid. I think if Cambridge are to win it'll go down to the wire. I

:39:28. > :39:30.certainly hope they do. Let's see what happens. I think we are both

:39:31. > :39:32.hoping for a good race. It will. It should be a competitive strong race.

:39:33. > :39:45.Over to our commentary team. Time for the 163rd Cancer Research

:39:46. > :39:48.UK Boat Race. COMMENTATOR: So they wait and I

:39:49. > :39:52.wonder if they saw the start of the women's race and what happened

:39:53. > :39:55.there? The dreadful start for Oxford but here they sit, Putney Bridge

:39:56. > :39:58.looming over them. Cries from the bank. There is a helicopter above

:39:59. > :40:04.them. It is an oppressive atmosphere. The skies have darkened.

:40:05. > :40:12.The temperature have dropped a bit. They know these two crews, in 17 or

:40:13. > :40:15.18 minutes, it might be quicker today, but those minutes, it is the

:40:16. > :40:26.culmination of all the days and months of training and for some

:40:27. > :40:33.years of ambition, and the next 17 minutes or so will be how the story

:40:34. > :40:38.ends. Now you know how nerve wrecking it can be as an oarsman,

:40:39. > :40:43.Tom, these moments? You can't train for this. You have to deal with it

:40:44. > :40:46.in the day. You do all the training, it has to come out naturally you

:40:47. > :40:54.have a two or three minute window, waiting, what do you think about? We

:40:55. > :40:59.have seen a bit of drift wood. Not a stray duck, not ordnance from the

:41:00. > :41:00.Second World War. They are waiting, and the umpire, Matthew Pinsent

:41:01. > :41:10.there he is. Get ready. He rowed in this three

:41:11. > :41:14.times. Twice a winner, once a loser. And there is Hugo Ramambason with

:41:15. > :41:22.his hand up, showing he is not happy yet. and Vassilis Ragoussis had that

:41:23. > :41:29.stare-off with his opposite number. Matthew Pinsent waits. The incoming

:41:30. > :41:33.tide is as strong as it gets. The boats will be sprawling around a bit

:41:34. > :41:39.A strong current. They are just about ready. You can see the arm of

:41:40. > :41:45.Sam Collier is up for Oxford. Again that first stroke, so, so important.

:41:46. > :41:52.Happy in the Cambridge boat, no, Ramambason's arm goes up. This is

:41:53. > :41:58.what happens. You wait for the moment when both coxes are happy.

:41:59. > :42:03.Go. Down goes the red flag away they go in the 163rd Boat Race. Short,

:42:04. > :42:07.quick strokes which take them out before they settle into a longer,

:42:08. > :42:12.steadier rhythm. But now, approaching 40 strokes a minute. And

:42:13. > :42:20.the adrenaline is released and so, so important, even in a 4.2 mile

:42:21. > :42:24.race, important to get a good picture and perhaps Surrey, with a

:42:25. > :42:28.slight edge Cleaner strokes off the start. Cambridge slightly longer off

:42:29. > :42:33.the start, slower to get going, the important thing for Cambridge is not

:42:34. > :42:39.to panic, overrace. But to come down into rhythm. They are the slightly

:42:40. > :42:44.lighter crew Oxford but combradge seem to have nibbled into that. The

:42:45. > :42:47.initial advantage in terms of bends in this river is for Cambridge.

:42:48. > :42:51.About a quarter of a length around Craven Cottage but no a quarter of a

:42:52. > :42:56.length perhaps to Oxford at the moment. It looks to me like the

:42:57. > :43:00.combradge crew went off pointed slightly wide out towards the right.

:43:01. > :43:05.-- Cambridge crew. And had to do a wiggle to come back in. Hugo

:43:06. > :43:11.Ramambason in that crew did a great job. He has been the blue boat cox

:43:12. > :43:17.for three years but he apparently was hungier on it, got into that

:43:18. > :43:23.seat, he got back on track. We know that Cambridge crew contains great

:43:24. > :43:26.power in the middle of the boat but the Oxford boat has great power in

:43:27. > :43:31.terms of Olivier Siegelaar the Olympian. And Michael DiSanto

:43:32. > :43:35.finished fourth in that race in Rio. It is a big lead early on for

:43:36. > :43:38.Oxford. I think it is. It is what we expected. Oxford were favourites

:43:39. > :43:42.coming into this. We have seen it time and time again, they are goo

:43:43. > :43:46.good at getting out off the start. We knew that. Cambridge have had a

:43:47. > :43:50.good season, the last couple of weeks they have been on top form and

:43:51. > :43:52.looking good. This is what we expected, a slightly less

:43:53. > :43:56.experienced crew. They come into advantage now and this is where they

:43:57. > :44:02.immediate to settle into a strong pattern and not being overwhelmed by

:44:03. > :44:06.being a length down. The bow seat needs to remind them of that, the

:44:07. > :44:09.distance, they are still there. Cambridge have the advantage of

:44:10. > :44:15.about a quarter to a third of a length on the bend. It'll be

:44:16. > :44:27.important for them to capitalise on that and equally important for

:44:28. > :44:31.Oxford that if Cambridge gain a couple of seats they don't panic.

:44:32. > :44:35.Out on the water there is Wayne. What do you make to the start An

:44:36. > :44:39.impressive start for Oxford. They went like a skalded cat out of the

:44:40. > :44:43.gates. They almost had a shoft breaking through before the first

:44:44. > :44:48.turn in Cambridge's favour. They couldn't quite do that, now Matthew

:44:49. > :44:51.Pinsent is making sure the crews are staying apart and making sure

:44:52. > :44:54.Cambridge have a chance it take their corner. This is where

:44:55. > :44:58.Cambridge needs to get into a rhythm and take their way back. They have a

:44:59. > :45:03.lot of work to do around the outside of the next bend.

:45:04. > :45:14.We can see how close the blades are coming, with the danger of clashing.

:45:15. > :45:21.Cambridge have put a push in and they are eating away into the Oxford

:45:22. > :45:25.lead. They have done a great job of capitalising on the bend, both coxes

:45:26. > :45:30.doing a lovely job of keeping their crews close, but not too close. I

:45:31. > :45:39.have zero Italy go alongside me, former Oxford cox -- Zoe de Toledo.

:45:40. > :45:43.We are waiting for the angle to tell us how big the Oxford lead is, but

:45:44. > :45:53.it looks no more than a quarter of a length. Cambridge have done well.

:45:54. > :45:58.Oxford's initial advantage is just giving them the chance to look

:45:59. > :46:02.solid. You can see they look strong. For Cambridge, the next couple of

:46:03. > :46:09.minutes are imperative. They need to keep working. As they go past the

:46:10. > :46:14.band 's wetland centre, you can see how close the blades are coming

:46:15. > :46:18.together once more. They are fighting for the narrow channel of

:46:19. > :46:24.water where the tide rushes in. There is a real danger of the blades

:46:25. > :46:30.clashing. There was a bit of touch there and Oxford came off better.

:46:31. > :46:37.But Cambridge are still hanging in. A good view of the tandem rigging in

:46:38. > :46:44.the setup. You can hear Matthew Pinsent just warning Oxford to move

:46:45. > :46:52.back into their waters. Oxford have to have a light touch on the rudder.

:46:53. > :47:00.Sam is calling for them to stay loose, stay relaxed in that Oxford

:47:01. > :47:06.boat. A little clash. Freddie Davidson's blade caught that of

:47:07. > :47:10.Jamie Cook's in the Oxford boat. This is what happens, they are

:47:11. > :47:14.fighting for that narrow channel of water which provides the quickest

:47:15. > :47:25.path. This is getting slightly dangerous for Cambridge. These next

:47:26. > :47:31.couple of minutes, it is imperative for Cambridge to stay in touch.

:47:32. > :47:41.Hugo, you have got to move, said Matthew Pinsent. Suddenly, Cambridge

:47:42. > :47:53.are a length down, Wayne Pommen. Yes, they missed a stroke. And that,

:47:54. > :47:57.combined with the steering, has really cost Cambridge. Now they are

:47:58. > :48:02.not in a good position. Oxford has the inside of this bend for the next

:48:03. > :48:05.six or seven minutes. So Cambridge need to produce something special

:48:06. > :48:10.right now if they are to stay in this race. The Cambridge cox was

:48:11. > :48:16.doing what he thought was best to keep his crew in the race, but it

:48:17. > :48:19.might have cost them as they had to steer out of it as they were being

:48:20. > :48:25.warned by the umpire, Matthew Pinsent. They are coming up to

:48:26. > :48:30.Hammersmith Bridge. This is where you will see Oxford term. Cambridge

:48:31. > :48:34.will have to keep pushing. This is turning into a short race for

:48:35. > :48:37.Cambridge. They have to treat the next couple of minutes as if they

:48:38. > :48:41.are coming up to the end of the race. It will have to be a huge

:48:42. > :48:46.effort from Cambridge now, because Oxford are beginning to stretch out

:48:47. > :48:50.under Hammersmith Bridge. Between 80% and 85% of the time, the boat

:48:51. > :48:55.which leads at Hammersmith Bridge goes on to win. Now Oxford will have

:48:56. > :48:58.that big bend around the South Bank and will have that advantage, so the

:48:59. > :49:02.next couple of minutes for Cambridge will have to be a huge effort to

:49:03. > :49:05.hang in there and give themselves a chance in the second half of the

:49:06. > :49:10.race. Cambridge are not letting go of this. If I was Oxford, I would

:49:11. > :49:16.want to be moving a bit more here with this advantage. Hopefully, we

:49:17. > :49:22.will see that start to happen for them as this bend continues.

:49:23. > :49:27.Cambridge are doing a fantastic job. If they can keep this overlap, it

:49:28. > :49:40.will be to their advantage. As long as they can still keep in touch.

:49:41. > :49:44.There is Hugo, the 20-year-old, French British student. He is moving

:49:45. > :49:49.a lot in his legs. You want to sit nice and still so as not to upset

:49:50. > :49:53.the boat, but that is what happens in the excitement. A bit of

:49:54. > :49:57.excitement around the water. Cambridge are trying to hang on, but

:49:58. > :50:05.Oxford are opening out the length and a half lead and looking strong.

:50:06. > :50:12.They have experience with the Cook brothers and Sam Collier urging them

:50:13. > :50:22.on. We just saw Oxford put in a big push. At this point, they want to

:50:23. > :50:25.make it count. This is a really important moment for Oxford to keep

:50:26. > :50:34.moving away. Cambridge are still in touch. Back down to Wayne Pommen, up

:50:35. > :50:38.on the river. It looks like Oxford might have done what they needed to

:50:39. > :50:43.do, which is push hard around Hammersmith, where you have got the

:50:44. > :50:47.bend, and get yourself at least a quarter length or half length and

:50:48. > :50:50.then you control the rest of the race. Cambridge have to produce

:50:51. > :50:54.something really quickly now to force Oxford back onto the side of

:50:55. > :50:58.the river if they want to stay in this race. Otherwise, Oxford can go

:50:59. > :51:06.wherever they like when the river turns back around the next bend.

:51:07. > :51:13.That is a good view of it. The bend will start to move to the right-hand

:51:14. > :51:17.side a while. We are still with the Surrey bend. If Oxford get that

:51:18. > :51:22.clear water ahead of Cambridge, they can choose their line, which they

:51:23. > :51:27.can't at the moment. Matthew Pinsent is in the umpire's launch, keeping

:51:28. > :51:31.control. The blades are close, but Cambridge are clear water behind at

:51:32. > :51:35.the moment. I don't think this is over yet. Cambridge are hanging in

:51:36. > :51:39.there and they might have taken back a couple of feet in the last ten

:51:40. > :51:44.strokes. In the Oxford boat, they have got to stay relaxed and make

:51:45. > :51:55.sure they use this advantage. Zoe is right. If Cambridge can keep hold

:51:56. > :52:00.for the next minute, it will start to come round to their advantage.

:52:01. > :52:05.Whichever crew is moving has the advantage. They have been level for

:52:06. > :52:15.the last few minutes and the advantage has come from Oxford's

:52:16. > :52:18.bend as opposed to their boat speed. They will soon come to the crossing

:52:19. > :52:22.and then favour the north bank of the river and under Barnes Bridge.

:52:23. > :52:29.All of the bend after that will favour... Well, Oxford can choose

:52:30. > :52:34.their line, of course. This is a huge moment for Cambridge. If they

:52:35. > :52:38.can hang on, perhaps Oxford will start to become demoralised. They

:52:39. > :52:43.have now done what is the umpire's worst nightmare, which is that they

:52:44. > :52:46.have crossed stations. The crews are not allowed to roam on the wrong

:52:47. > :52:51.station. Cambridge are coming back fast and they have to get back onto

:52:52. > :52:55.the right stations. Yes, if they were to get back into contact with

:52:56. > :53:05.the Oxford boat, they can't do that on that side because Cambridge

:53:06. > :53:11.started on Middlesex. Oxford started on Surrey. That gap is not moving.

:53:12. > :53:21.Not yet. Cambridge have been on the back foot for the last ten minutes.

:53:22. > :53:31.They have had a really tough race and they are doing well to stay in

:53:32. > :53:35.touch. Oxford still have composure. If Cambridge can just keep on for

:53:36. > :53:41.the next 30 seconds, then this last bend of Oxford will inch out and

:53:42. > :53:46.they will get into their last bend which gives them an advantage. There

:53:47. > :53:50.was just a mis-struck back near Hammersmith which cost Cambridge and

:53:51. > :53:56.they fell back at that point and it has remained like that since then.

:53:57. > :54:03.But Cambridge are still hanging on and hoping. Let's go back to Wayne

:54:04. > :54:08.Pommen. These crews are making Matthew Pinsent work hard.

:54:09. > :54:13.Cambridge, a minute ago, put in a huge push to try and get back into

:54:14. > :54:16.this race. You could see the additional effort they were putting

:54:17. > :54:21.down. They took a few feet back from Oxford. But after that, Oxford were

:54:22. > :54:24.able to withstand it and now they are back in control. I'm not sure

:54:25. > :54:35.how much came which have left to throw at them. It looks like Oxford

:54:36. > :54:39.are putting their puddles under the centre of the oar. Some of the

:54:40. > :54:43.supporters in the Cambridge launch were waving their arms. I think they

:54:44. > :54:47.thought Oxford were encroaching a bit too much on Cambridge's water,

:54:48. > :54:51.but it looks as if Oxford have withstood that push from Cambridge.

:54:52. > :54:54.Yes, we did see the giant arm outstretched by Matthew Pinsent with

:54:55. > :54:59.the white flag, telling Oxford to get back in their own water. Just

:55:00. > :55:05.over a mile to go from here. Perhaps that gap is now beginning to look

:55:06. > :55:09.more decisive. Very few boats come from behind at Barnes Bridge, which

:55:10. > :55:13.you can see in the distance. That is a significant lead for Oxford.

:55:14. > :55:18.Cambridge have been rowing in the Oxford wash for a long time now, a

:55:19. > :55:24.horrible way to row. It is bumpy. Oxford have nice, clear water on the

:55:25. > :55:31.other hand. They have got Cambridge and our sites and they can control

:55:32. > :55:40.what they are doing. Very solid. Cambridge are just a little bit

:55:41. > :55:45.tired. Past the houses of Barnes and the crowds which have come out in

:55:46. > :55:59.their hundreds of thousands today. There is the Oxford boat.

:56:00. > :56:07.Cambridge are hanging on, but this is too much to try and get back

:56:08. > :56:12.beyond Barnes Bridge. Umpire Matthew Pinsent is still not happy that

:56:13. > :56:18.Oxford have enough of a lead to be in Cambridge's water. He has warned

:56:19. > :56:23.them quite a few times. You can still hear the coxes asking.

:56:24. > :56:27.Cambridge are hanging in there. It would be a miracle comeback from

:56:28. > :56:39.here, but Cambridge seem to be getting closer once again.

:56:40. > :56:46.They are not going away. It is just that the river is going to run out.

:56:47. > :56:53.Steinegger this is Cambridge's bend now. So for Oxford again, really

:56:54. > :57:00.important to stay relaxed and keep doing what they are doing, trust and

:57:01. > :57:04.believe in their rhythm. Cambridge have nothing to lose now. Two and a

:57:05. > :57:08.half minutes of racing left. This is where they have to put everything

:57:09. > :57:22.in. They have done incredibly up to this point, rowing in Oxford's wash,

:57:23. > :57:26.which is not comfortable. Down to when Toulouse Wayne wants more. It

:57:27. > :57:31.has been interesting to watch. Oxford had the better start and they

:57:32. > :57:37.capitalised around the Surrey bend, but in the past ten minutes, the

:57:38. > :57:43.crews have been going at almost the same speed, so it has been a great

:57:44. > :57:47.race. That gap is not closing for Cambridge, Oxford maintaining their

:57:48. > :57:51.lead. Their bodies will be urging them to stop, but their minds are

:57:52. > :57:59.driving them on. Matthew Pinsent is still not happy. He is saying they

:58:00. > :58:04.have to move back to their side. It is a good lead, but not yet

:58:05. > :58:08.decisive. There has not yet been a point where Oxford feel like they

:58:09. > :58:18.have really broken away from Cambridge.

:58:19. > :58:26.It has been very equal speed. Undoubtedly, Cambridge have kept the

:58:27. > :58:29.pressure on right through this. As we saw in the women's race, they are

:58:30. > :58:39.not letting it go until the finish line. Sam Collier, the cox, asking

:58:40. > :58:44.for more. But there will be no back-to-back wins for Cambridge on

:58:45. > :58:48.this day. Huge flotilla behind the two crews, who are still close

:58:49. > :58:52.together. It goes back to that little bit around Hammersmith

:58:53. > :58:57.Bridge. Perhaps the brighter start for Oxford, but Oxford, in the 163rd

:58:58. > :59:02.Boat Race, will reclaim the Thames. They are champions once more.

:59:03. > :59:06.Cambridge were so close, but in the Boat Race, that is so far away

:59:07. > :59:13.still. Oxford have their celebrations. That was a very good

:59:14. > :59:17.race. All credit to Oxford, very clinical race. They got off the

:59:18. > :59:20.start cleanly. They got into their rhythm. Even when they came under

:59:21. > :59:27.pressure, they were able to hold onto the lead. Cambridge, what 1030.

:59:28. > :59:32.Even though they were in that horrible wash for such a long time,

:59:33. > :59:40.they showed tenacity. And the contract again -- the contrast

:59:41. > :59:44.again, because they gave so much in training. Sacrifice is an

:59:45. > :59:50.exaggerated word, but they do. They get up in the morning and have long

:59:51. > :59:56.winter sessions. And then it just doesn't happen on the day. This was

:59:57. > :59:59.an ambitious move. Was that Cook heading towards Cook? That was

:00:00. > :00:08.Jamie, no doubt heading back to embrace his brother. Too many cooks

:00:09. > :00:12.spoil the boat. What a sight. Remember the winkle Voss twins, they

:00:13. > :00:19.were the last brothers, the twins who lost for Oxford. But Damian

:00:20. > :00:23.Ollie Cook are winners as brothers -- Jamie and Ollie Cook. And the

:00:24. > :00:30.sad, muted cheers from Cambridge. Ble. Don't fall in now. But again,

:00:31. > :00:51.when you win, it doesn't matter. Siegelaar there, just getting his

:00:52. > :00:56.breath back. When you have given so much energy and you are broken, it

:00:57. > :01:01.doesn't seem to matter when you have won. There is always the first

:01:02. > :01:05.couple of minutes after racing is over and it is horrible. Oxford have

:01:06. > :01:07.shown their dominance. They have a big engine room and they have

:01:08. > :01:11.allowed the to work hard in the middle of the race. Cambridge,

:01:12. > :01:14.losing the race is horrible but they had a fantastic, a fantastic

:01:15. > :01:20.evident. I don't think they probably got off the start as well as they

:01:21. > :01:25.wanted and had to really work back in the race to deep in touch but a

:01:26. > :01:28.horrible race to have to race, just so close, never quite getting the

:01:29. > :01:32.chance when you are back on level. For the guys in the stern they've

:01:33. > :01:37.never seen the Oxford boat. So, it is a really hard row. All credit to

:01:38. > :01:47.them for keeping the margin to what it was by the end. # Well Vassilis

:01:48. > :01:52.Ragoussis has och sowsfully coughed up half his lung and he is

:01:53. > :01:57.recovering now and Oxford will head into the boat club where

:01:58. > :01:59.celebrations will continue. In the reserve races, Oxford beating

:02:00. > :02:07.Cambridge and in the women's, I think it was by a good distance as

:02:08. > :02:11.well. And Blondie, Cambridge, won in the women's. Over the day it is

:02:12. > :02:16.even. A win for the Cambridge women, a win for the Oxford men and the

:02:17. > :02:22.reserve races but there is Sean Bowden who has seen so much success

:02:23. > :02:27.in the Boat Race. A successful coach as well in the 90s, he had a spell

:02:28. > :02:32.with Cambridge, working there under Robin Williams and now with Oxford

:02:33. > :02:35.what success he has had. And for Cambridge, they have found shore

:02:36. > :02:39.already and Oxford now, weary but winners, they will head in a very

:02:40. > :02:43.good race and again, as you were saying, the start was so impressive

:02:44. > :02:47.for Oxford. Yes they had to pay for that later on but it was a building

:02:48. > :02:51.block because they decided that then they would look for clear water

:02:52. > :02:55.which they never actually found but it was the right plan. I think

:02:56. > :02:58.Cambridge never let Oxford get comfortable like Tom said. They

:02:59. > :03:02.pushed them the whole way. It is a difficult position to be in for both

:03:03. > :03:05.groups. Actually when you are up you want to keep moving and you want to

:03:06. > :03:09.see you are breaking away and you can see the opposition right there

:03:10. > :03:14.behind you. And you want to know you are still moving and moving faster

:03:15. > :03:18.but in this case Cambridge hung on and hung on, so great race from both

:03:19. > :03:23.groups. ! Souk see how valuable getting a good start can be. It is

:03:24. > :03:27.not necessarily well you lose half a length perhaps off start, it is what

:03:28. > :03:30.you do in the minute, minute-and-a-half, two minutes,

:03:31. > :03:36.while you settle into the rhythm. If you are behind it is difficult to

:03:37. > :03:47.relax and stride out to carry through the next 20 minutes. And

:03:48. > :03:50.those two men, Olivier Siegelaar they are Olympians, there is the

:03:51. > :03:57.super slow motion there. That's effort that goes into it. But a high

:03:58. > :04:04.quality book, Ollie Cook was a travelling spare for Rio but a high

:04:05. > :04:09.travelling boat for Oxford? It is and it pays when it comes to big

:04:10. > :04:12.occasions and I think for Oxford, it is a very powerful unit. If you get

:04:13. > :04:16.them all working together well, you get good results. We'll hear from

:04:17. > :04:21.the inwiners in a moment but let's hear first of all from the losing

:04:22. > :04:30.president, the Cambridge president, Lance Tredell. Well, Lance, a tough

:04:31. > :04:35.sport when you win but more painful when you don't. How are you

:04:36. > :04:40.emotions? Um, obviously getting to this point and not to get the win

:04:41. > :04:46.today, yeah, it was - you know, the guys, you know, we stuck together we

:04:47. > :04:48.fought it out. We never gave up. It just wasn't enough today

:04:49. > :04:52.unfortunately. What was the difference, you had to back off to

:04:53. > :05:00.regroup, was it necessary or was it costly in the end? There was no

:05:01. > :05:04.stage where we backed off. We were pushing all the way. The guys put up

:05:05. > :05:08.a great fight. Congratulations to Oxford on the win but, you know,

:05:09. > :05:12.Cambridge will be back. There is a lot of great people, great thenges

:05:13. > :05:16.going on in the club and we'll be back fighting next year, for sure.

:05:17. > :05:20.You have been on the winning side, now sadly for you, you are on this

:05:21. > :05:26.side. This is your last boat, race, though s it? Yes, this is my last

:05:27. > :05:30.one. The second of two. So, disappointing not to go out with a

:05:31. > :05:35.win, of course but I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for the

:05:36. > :05:41.team. We are one unit. All nine of us in the crew, with the coach and

:05:42. > :05:47.you know, so it is disappointing for me but, you know, it is about the

:05:48. > :05:59.club and you know we'll be back fighting, no doubt about that.

:06:00. > :06:11.Thanks very much. You can see there the faces of the crew. A tough race

:06:12. > :06:15.for them and for Oxford a magnificent victory, stronger,

:06:16. > :06:19.cleaner, nickically better. Back to Jason of -- technically better. More

:06:20. > :06:23.reaction from the victorious crew? Thank you very much. Victory for

:06:24. > :06:27.Oxford and I have the Cook boys with me. You know what they say, too many

:06:28. > :06:29.Cooks, fantastic performance, what a brilliant performance. Thank you

:06:30. > :06:34.very much. Thank you. It wasn't easy. We had a good race. It was a

:06:35. > :06:40.good row but we put everything out there. It was tough. Just trying to

:06:41. > :06:44.follow this guy. ! And how was it to be doing this as brothers, extra

:06:45. > :06:49.special? Extremely special. There is like a deeper bond, it goes back to

:06:50. > :06:55.when I was bond and Ollie was two and I kicked him out of my mum's bed

:06:56. > :06:59.because I wanted to go in there. And I still sleeps there.

:07:00. > :07:03.Well Cambridge put out a serious effort. They never gave up. I was

:07:04. > :07:06.terrified the whole way I was communicating with the cox to make

:07:07. > :07:12.sure we wouldn't incur a foul but we did the job, we were clinical but I

:07:13. > :07:17.think, thanks so much to Cambridge. And also, chaps our team in the

:07:18. > :07:21.studio were talking about the nerves and adrenaline before the race

:07:22. > :07:24.started. What was it like? It is huge, I have done international

:07:25. > :07:30.races but you can see a huge crowd, a couple of helicopters, the buzz, I

:07:31. > :07:32.mean, it is nothing like I have ever experienced Your president, Michael

:07:33. > :07:40.DiSanto scarpered off as San as he got out of the boat. I have no idea

:07:41. > :07:45.where he has gone. -- as soon as he got out. How crucial a has he been?

:07:46. > :07:48.I was been living him with a year. He has kept me on the straight and

:07:49. > :07:57.narrow which has improved my peformance. We were so well-prepared

:07:58. > :08:00.our coach, Sean Bowden did a phenomenal job. Here he is, Michael

:08:01. > :08:06.DiSanto condition greatlations. Where did you run off to, was there

:08:07. > :08:11.somebody you wanted to say hello to? My mum was on the launch, pretty

:08:12. > :08:15.special. How does this compare, you rowed for team USA at the Rio

:08:16. > :08:19.Olympics, winning here today alongside the Cook brothers and the

:08:20. > :08:23.crew, who have been fantastic, where does it rank? Into nothing like

:08:24. > :08:28.this. My three Boat Races, that's got to be my favourite. The harder

:08:29. > :08:34.it is, the more you can savour it tend of the hats off to Cambridge a

:08:35. > :08:38.good boat but we were better on the day. That's what it is about. Often

:08:39. > :08:43.you get people like me saying what has it been like in the run-up to

:08:44. > :08:48.the race but I know you have a remarkable crew and team spirit. You

:08:49. > :08:52.can see in the fall, it seemed like nothing was going our way. We had a

:08:53. > :08:57.poor result and training camp it turned around and we have been

:08:58. > :09:01.building, building, building, and it happened here today. We wanted That

:09:02. > :09:06.some celebration tonight, boys? A little bit Michael you have said you

:09:07. > :09:11.are not racing again on this Boat Race, on live television, would you

:09:12. > :09:15.like to say you will be back? No, I will not be back, but the president

:09:16. > :09:22.last year, was asked a tough question by Matthew who umpired and

:09:23. > :09:26.he asked is it the end of an era? I can say defintively it is not. As

:09:27. > :09:31.long as Sean is at the helm, Oxford will be a great place Have a good

:09:32. > :09:36.night tonight, many congratulations. Cheers, lads. Michael DiSanto

:09:37. > :09:44.mentioned Sean Bowden there. For Sean, his 12th win with Oxford and

:09:45. > :09:51.his 14th in total. Before he coached Oxford he won three out of four with

:09:52. > :09:56.Cambridge so. An amazingly successful koe. He has found the

:09:57. > :10:02.knack of inspiring and motivating men to train for as long as they

:10:03. > :10:06.have to, but it is the execution that matters on the day. Katherine

:10:07. > :10:09.Grainger, let's look through the race, the start not as influential

:10:10. > :10:14.as the women's but still really important and Oxford got the better

:10:15. > :10:16.start. Absolutely. At the start of the race, especially in two-Boat

:10:17. > :10:20.Race, it is crucial what can happen. Mentally as much as physically that

:10:21. > :10:24.race can transform in the first few strokes, Oxford were off to a flier

:10:25. > :10:28.and started to move off early but what was great, Cambridge with a

:10:29. > :10:31.higher stroke rate but kept the pressure on the whole way, even

:10:32. > :10:34.right up to Hammersmith Bridge, which is definitely in Oxford's

:10:35. > :10:39.favour. Now here you can see the boats came close together. Matthew

:10:40. > :10:42.Pinsent who was umpiring, he had to call them the whole way through,

:10:43. > :10:46.they were close together. What you actually see is the two seat of the

:10:47. > :10:49.Cambridge boat did lose for one stroke, missed a stroke completely,

:10:50. > :10:55.that can have a big influence. Because of that Oxford start to move

:10:56. > :10:58.away again and the water opened up and it looked like Oxford, it was

:10:59. > :11:06.going to be up to them. They actually moved to the other side of

:11:07. > :11:10.the river but had to separate again but once they got moving they were

:11:11. > :11:14.clear water and quite a comfortable win in the end. Well, you and George

:11:15. > :11:17.both know how much this race starts, Constantine. At what stage in the

:11:18. > :11:20.race, if at all can you enjoy it? I will pick up with what Katherine

:11:21. > :11:25.said. It was comfortable in one respect. There was clear water but

:11:26. > :11:31.you can see the pain written on the faces of Vas and the six seat. They

:11:32. > :11:34.gave T Cambridge stuck at T in one way a classic Surrey win. The crew

:11:35. > :11:39.on Surrey held and held and started to row away at half way but they

:11:40. > :11:45.really struck there. These crews, they know if you don't keep on going

:11:46. > :11:49.in the boat, they are so strong, those Cambridge guys are so strong.

:11:50. > :11:53.At the finish, there was only so much celebration. The guys

:11:54. > :11:57.collapsed. They could barely raise their arms. Well we'll talk about

:11:58. > :12:06.the story, William Warr, he switched sides, he has won the Boat Race with

:12:07. > :12:10.them. Let's hear from him now with Lee. Will, you have done this in a

:12:11. > :12:17.selection of different colours now, different shades of blue but

:12:18. > :12:23.congratulations how was that? ? It was a really tough race. We had a

:12:24. > :12:27.great crew and a great row. Respect to Cambridge as well. We got out

:12:28. > :12:31.ahead but they were putting a hell of a lot of pressure on. A big thank

:12:32. > :12:34.you to Sean and Mike for leading a great campaign. I know how hard it

:12:35. > :12:37.is to lose for Cambridge as well so big respect to Lance and their team,

:12:38. > :12:41.a tough race. An interesting dynamic for you, you have to build up

:12:42. > :12:45.relations with the crew mates and you have relations with Cambridge?

:12:46. > :12:49.It was a bit weird at first but the Oxford guys have been really, really

:12:50. > :12:56.supportive of me. I still have a few friends left at Cambridge, too, so,

:12:57. > :13:00.you know, a really great crew. And, yeah, it was a great race and, I'm

:13:01. > :13:04.really happy with that. Ultimately what was the difference out there

:13:05. > :13:12.today? I don't know, we had a great start. Got into a great rhythm and

:13:13. > :13:16.we got ahead. We did a huge push. I can't remember, around Hammersmith

:13:17. > :13:21.area. We got out ahead and then just held on for dear life, really. They

:13:22. > :13:27.kept on being there and, they pushed us hard but I think we kept our

:13:28. > :13:36.cool, just about and stuck to Sean's plan. We had a really good season.

:13:37. > :13:41.Yeah, thanks to my parents, as well. I know they were worried. I'm

:13:42. > :13:47.pleased you didn't let them down. Congratulations, enjoy it. Thank you

:13:48. > :13:54.very much. And William Warr can now go back to concentrating for his

:13:55. > :13:58.studies, he is studying for in Population Health. That's why he

:13:59. > :14:04.went to Oxford because he said that was the place where he could win it

:14:05. > :14:07.back. So I think that was' Oxford 80 wins, two behind Cambridge now I

:14:08. > :14:11.think. But when you watch that race, what do you think overall for the

:14:12. > :14:14.future of rowing, the Boat Race has been a springboard for Olympic

:14:15. > :14:18.rowers, the two of you a feign example? For me a classic race, both

:14:19. > :14:22.crews will have learnt loads from that experience. It was really,

:14:23. > :14:27.really gritty from both crews, as Stan was saying, you could seat pain

:14:28. > :14:31.etched over their faces of the Oxford guys who were in a relatively

:14:32. > :14:34.commanding position. The Cambridge guys didn't give up. It is

:14:35. > :14:40.fantastically valuable it take into sporting careers. I'm sure one or

:14:41. > :14:43.two will be in Tokyo. That one of the enduring images, post-race of

:14:44. > :14:47.the Cook brothers celebrating and it's time now to join the

:14:48. > :14:49.presentation down at Mortlake, just beyond the finish line. Jason can

:14:50. > :14:59.take us through it. Yes, what a beautiful afternoon

:15:00. > :15:03.along the Thames and what a fantastic afternoon it has been for

:15:04. > :15:07.Oxford University in the men's rates. Please give a warm welcome to

:15:08. > :15:15.our presentation party. Put your hands together for the chief

:15:16. > :15:20.executive of Cancer Research UK. Alongside him, the Newton Investment

:15:21. > :15:24.management representative. And Robert Gillespie, chairman of the

:15:25. > :15:28.Boat Race company Limited and the man who needs no introduction, a man

:15:29. > :15:32.who at Christmas time showed us that he has as much rhythm as the crews

:15:33. > :15:40.here in the Boat Race. Please give a warm welcome to Strictly Come

:15:41. > :15:46.Dancing winner, Mr Ore Oduba! Not to mention my BBC Sport colleague.

:15:47. > :15:51.Please show your appreciation also to a fine crew. They played their

:15:52. > :15:56.part in today's 163rd Boat Race. Please welcome Cambridge University

:15:57. > :16:10.Boat Club, led by the president, Lance Tredell. Commiserations to

:16:11. > :16:22.Cambridge. Ben Ruble, ladies and gentlemen. Freddie Davidson, James

:16:23. > :16:35.Letten. Timothy Tracey. Alexander. Henry Meek. Hugo Ramambason and

:16:36. > :16:42.their coach Steve Trev. They very much played their part. And the

:16:43. > :16:46.moment we have all been waiting for. Prepare for lots of things to be

:16:47. > :16:51.sprayed on the stage and probably tonight and in the coming days. The

:16:52. > :17:00.winners of the Boat Race 2017, Oxford University Boat Club race!

:17:01. > :17:03.winners of the Boat Race 2017, Oxford University Boat Club The Boat

:17:04. > :17:12.Race champions of 2017. Please give a huge cheer to William Warr,

:17:13. > :17:30.Matthew O'Leary, Oliver Cook, Joshua Bugajski, Olivier Siegelaar, Mr

:17:31. > :17:33.James Cook, Vassilis Ragoussis, Sam Collier. Don't forget a crucial

:17:34. > :17:45.member of the organisation, the coach. A big cheer for Sean Boutin!

:17:46. > :17:57.And led by this man, the president, Michael DiSanto! Michael is now

:17:58. > :18:03.going to hand over the trophy to Ore, and Ore has the pleasure of

:18:04. > :18:11.handing the trophy over to Michael. Oxford University Boat Club, ladies

:18:12. > :18:19.and gentlemen! Hard to keep a lid on it.

:18:20. > :18:27.Michael, just before you crack open the fizz, this is your opportunity

:18:28. > :18:31.to thank a few people. First and foremost, my family are the

:18:32. > :18:38.backbone. Sean, Barbara, Andy, Philippe, Austin. These guys. My

:18:39. > :18:43.girlfriend. This is just spectacular. What a day. It is like

:18:44. > :18:48.the Oscars, although we got the award right. What about the fans who

:18:49. > :18:53.have assembled here? Thank you so much. That is what makes the Boat

:18:54. > :18:58.Race so special. Thank you so much. Are you ready? Many congratulations.

:18:59. > :19:23.Oxford University Boat Club, ladies and gentlemen!

:19:24. > :19:29.Isis! Helen Glover has joined me to watch the celebrations of Oxford. I

:19:30. > :19:35.know you have been watching the race with some of the massive crowd that

:19:36. > :19:40.are here. What was the atmosphere like with those watching on TV? It

:19:41. > :19:44.was amazing. To be part of a crowd watching our sport, cheering on the

:19:45. > :19:49.teams, it was a great atmosphere. Have you had a chance to come to the

:19:50. > :19:53.Boat Race before? Never in this capacity. I have watched from the

:19:54. > :19:56.sidelines, but I have avoided the crowds because I didn't want to

:19:57. > :20:02.catch a cold or be on my feet all day. So to be here and be watching

:20:03. > :20:07.what is going on is amazing. It is so loud. And just to be able to

:20:08. > :20:10.relax and enjoy it. In terms of the women's race, going back to the

:20:11. > :20:14.record time for Cambridge, although it is still a very young race on the

:20:15. > :20:17.Tideway, but how impressed are you with their performance? That is one

:20:18. > :20:20.of the key thing is, because a lesser crew would have seen the fact

:20:21. > :20:25.that they were probably going to win by halfway and come off the gas a

:20:26. > :20:28.bit. But they kept their standards high, and that shows real class to

:20:29. > :20:34.see how they got the record on top of the win. In both cases, the race

:20:35. > :20:38.was a case of redemption. Cambridge were so disappointed last year, and

:20:39. > :20:41.they won the women's race. For Oxford, who were beaten and bowed

:20:42. > :20:45.and very disheartened in the men's race last year, coming back to win

:20:46. > :20:49.this time. Constantine, sometimes that is what the Boat Race is about,

:20:50. > :20:53.picking yourself up again and how you respond to failure rather than

:20:54. > :20:58.how you celebrate success. That is absolutely true. It is obviously

:20:59. > :21:02.true of the Cambridge women, and of the Oxford man too. There seems to

:21:03. > :21:05.be a special type of celebration for when you win after having lost the

:21:06. > :21:10.previous year, and a kind of redemption about the whole thing.

:21:11. > :21:15.George, as far as the Cambridge men are concerned, they were not that

:21:16. > :21:20.far behind. They never went away, said Oxford. They were always

:21:21. > :21:28.chasing. It was not a done deal. They only lost by four microseconds.

:21:29. > :21:34.As a percentage -- four seconds. That kind of steam will fuel the

:21:35. > :21:43.fire to turn it around. That is often the way it works with these

:21:44. > :21:48.things. Well, we are nearing that moment which seems to be the most

:21:49. > :21:52.bizarre way of celebrated success. Katherine, how important are the

:21:53. > :21:57.Boat Races as a showcase for rowing, even though they are so different

:21:58. > :22:01.from Olympic racing? It is great. You see the crowds down here in

:22:02. > :22:07.person. You see the global coverage on television. It is a big event for

:22:08. > :22:15.rowing as a sport and it is a huge feeder for the GB team. Here comes

:22:16. > :22:23.the moment. Sam Collier, the cox of the Oxford man and furthest away

:22:24. > :22:30.from Matt Holland, who is going to get checked in. Although it is in

:22:31. > :22:33.celebration, the Oxford crew get in as well, because it looks warm

:22:34. > :22:38.enough. The Cook brothers are still going for it. They are going to be

:22:39. > :22:42.talking about this forever. I always worry that it is not deep enough,

:22:43. > :22:49.but that tide comes so fast that nobody has been seriously injured so

:22:50. > :22:54.far. That was a good throw! Sam has gone a mile. The Cambridge women

:22:55. > :23:01.probably need to work on their throwing of the cox. Well, it has

:23:02. > :23:05.been a magnificent day, helped hugely by weather conditions. It

:23:06. > :23:12.really makes a difference with the camera shots as well. Helen, you can

:23:13. > :23:17.hear the cox shouting his orders. You can see the effort on the

:23:18. > :23:19.rowers' faces. Yeah, today is a day when you can get immersed in this

:23:20. > :23:29.amazing sport, going through the middle of a city with everybody

:23:30. > :23:34.watching it. I just want to say, Ollie Cook deserves an extra medal

:23:35. > :23:37.just for that swan dive. It was a very good way to finish what has

:23:38. > :23:43.been a stunning day at a very busy time of sport.

:23:44. > :23:46.We are the only broadcaster to bring you live and uninterrupted

:23:47. > :23:48.coverage of Masters Weekend, next weekend.

:23:49. > :23:51.There is also live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and live

:23:52. > :23:53.radio commentary of all four days on Radio 5Live.

:23:54. > :23:57.For the first time, the Light Blues dominated the women's race in a

:23:58. > :24:01.record time for Cambridge, and Cambridge pushed the man all the

:24:02. > :24:04.way, but Oxford came out on top on a day that started with a bomb scare

:24:05. > :24:12.but ended with an explosion of Dark Blue. Thank you for watching the

:24:13. > :24:17.Boat Races. There is no second place. You are either a winner or

:24:18. > :24:22.loser. You have to win. That's the only thing that matters. It's not

:24:23. > :24:27.necessarily the best crew that wins, but it's the best crew on the day

:24:28. > :24:42.that will win. It hurts a lot, but it hurts less if you win.

:24:43. > :24:51.These are the moments of real tension. That was a dreadful start!

:24:52. > :24:59.Someone has caught a crab in the Oxford boat. Oxford could have lost

:25:00. > :25:11.it. This day is all about Cambridge. Victory for Cambridge in the Women's

:25:12. > :25:19.Boat Race. And away they go in the 163rd Boat Race. What an impressive

:25:20. > :25:25.start for Oxford. They got out like a scalded cat. Cambridge are not

:25:26. > :25:30.letting go of this. Oxford are back in control. I am not sure how much

:25:31. > :25:33.Cambridge has left over at them. No back-to-back wins for Cambridge.

:25:34. > :25:35.Oxford will reclaim