British Olympic gold medallist issues key advice to student rowers ahead of Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race

Susanna Siddell
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:33:56 +0000

A British Olympic gold medallist has issued key advice to student rowers ahead of the iconic Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race today.

The 2026 Boat Race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge will get underway on the 4.25 mile course between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames just after 2pm.

The historic battle between the two world-renowned institutions will see the women's race set off later this afternoon, with the men's race starting an hour later.

But, before then, two-time Olympic rowing gold medallist and the Boat Races' oldest-ever competitor, James Cracknell, joined GB News to weigh in on the iconic race and to offer some words of wisdom for those competing.

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Sharing his own experience, he said: "It's very different to the international racing that I did.

"On the start, it's really quiet where there's sort of one bloke holding the boat and the other crews - and that's it. And the crowd's all at the finish.

"Whereas the boat race, you walk out to a wall of noise and then when you start on the start, you see buses all docked on Putney Bridge.

"You've got crowds there, helicopter above. It is a really sort of stadium-like atmosphere right on the start, which, considering some of the guys and girls that will be racing today, started to learn at the university.

But Mr Cracknell handed out some useful information for student rowers to bear in mind ahead of the race this afternoon.

He told GB News: "When you get the boats out of the boathouse to the wall of noise, it's quite easy for your adrenaline to spike then and then you still have 45 minutes on the water to warm up and it's quite quiet.

"So you want to save the nervous energy that helps you out the blocks.

"In terms of the noise, the first two minutes are really loud as you go down Putney past the football ground, and then it gets a bit quiet, and then by Hammersmith Bridge and the noise picks up again.

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"So you do have to control your emotions and then also be really aware because it's not like a race in the Olympics when you got buoy lines. There's no buoys."

He also added: "Anything can happen. So you've got to be aware of the unexpected as well."

Last year, Cambridge stormed to victory in both the men's and women's races - but the prestigious win is up for grabs once again today.

But, to understand the intensity of the annual Boat Race, it is necessary to look back on its gentlemanly origins, which began back in 1829.

The concept arose from a friendship between two former Harrow School pupils, Charles Merivale, who went on to study at Cambridge, and Charles Wordsworth, a classical scholar and athlete from Oxford.

Both intellectuals decided to establish a challenge between the pair of institutions - going head-to-head on Henley-upon-Thames.

Nowadays, the race stretches over 4.25 miles of the tidal Thames in southwest London, with the course running from Putney to Mortlake.

The rivalry is also defined by its iconic colours, with Cambridge donning light blue, while Oxford pupils sport dark blue.