Boat Race 2003

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The two boats during the race. Left to right: K. Coventry, B. Smith (both Cambridge), A. Nethercott, M. Smith (both Oxford)

The Boat Race 2003 was the 149th edition of the Boat Race between the aft of the British University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge . During the race, which was held on the Thames in London on April 6, 2003 , the lead changed twice. The Oxford team finally won by 30 centimeters. This was the closest finish in the history of the boat race to date. Steven Redgrave , multiple gold medalist at the Olympic Games, described it as arguably the best race we have seen.

The race, led by Boris Rankov , was first held regularly on a Sunday in 2003. Due to a collision between the Cambridge boat and a local harbor master's boat, a member of the eight had to be replaced two days before the race. It was the first boat race in which two pairs of brothers competed against each other in competing boats.

Other competitions were held in the run-up to the race. "Goldie", the second boat of the Cambridge University Boat Club , defeated Oxford's "Isis" in the so-called Reserve Race ; Oxford, on the other hand, won the Women's Boat Race for women.

background

The section on the Thames in London

The Boat Race is a regatta between boats from the University of Oxford (known as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (known as the "Light Blues"). The race, first held on the Thames in London in 1829 , leads from Putney 6.8 kilometers up the river to Mortlake . The competition between the two universities is followed throughout England and televised worldwide. Oxford had won last year's race by three quarters of a boat length and thus entered the race as the defending champion. Cambridge led the overall standings with 77:70 wins; only the race of 1877 remained without a winner. Aberdeen Asset Management sponsored the race for the fourth year in a row. In order to avoid a time overlap with the television broadcast of the Grand National , the Boat Race 2003 was held on a Sunday for the first time. Previously, the competition had also been held on a Sunday in 1984. This race was originally supposed to start on a Saturday, but had to be postponed for one day at short notice due to a collision between the Cambridge aft and an escort ship.

The race was run by Boris Rankov, a former regatta participant and record holder who won the race with the Dark Blues six times in a row between 1978 and 1983. Cambridge was trained by Robin Williams for the ninth time . Oxford was coached by Sean Bowden, assisted by Dan Topolski .

In the run-up to the main race, other competitions took place, including the women's race and the so-called "Reserve Race".

  • The women's race was first held in 1927, but has only been held annually as part of the Henley Boat Races since the mid-1960s .
  • The Reserve Race , a reserve team competition between Oxford's boat “Isis” and Cambridge's eighth “Goldie”, has been held since 1965 and is usually held before the main race.

Teams

Wayne Pommen, who was actually the first bowman of the Cambridge eight, was injured during a training drive two days before the race. He broke his wrist when the rowboat collided with the harbor master's launch boat. Pommen's teammate Matthias Kleinz was hit on the head in the accident, but was able to take part in the race. James Livingston, Cambridge's number seven, said, “For a few seconds I thought I was going to die. We were just giving our all and suddenly I heard Jim's voice. I've never heard so much fear in one voice before. ”“ Friday was interesting. We had gone through all sorts of scenarios for the race, but we hadn't planned for that. But I think we handled the situation pretty well, ”said Tim Wooge later.

Three straps were destroyed in the collision and other parts of the boat were damaged. The vehicle was then taken to Weybridge for repairs. Ben Smith, brother of Oxford's batsman Matthew, replaced the injured Pommen. The last time there was such a short-term change within a team was the 1979 Boat Race. With James and David Livingston and Ben and Matthew Smith, two pairs of brothers would compete against each other in a race for the first time in the history of the Boat Race.

The official weigh-in of the athletes took place on April 1st in the London Eye . The Cambridge team averaged seven kilograms per athlete heavier than the Oxford team. This was the biggest difference in weight between the two boat crews since the 1990 race and the lightest team in the "Dark Blues" since the 1975 Boat Race. Oxford Team was assessed as an "underdog" before the race. The Cambridge boat crew had an average age of 23, while the Oxford team averaged 21. The Oxford team consisted of seven Britons, one Australian and one Canadian, while four British, two Americans, two Germans and one Australian were used for Cambridge. The 30-year-old Tim Wooge took part in a boat race for the third time. He was the first German "President" (captain) of the Cambridge eight and the heaviest participant in the race. His counterpart Matthew Smith of the "Dark Blues" rowed for the fourth time in a boat race. Robin Bourne-Taylor, Basil Dixon and Matt Smith had competed in the regatta for Oxford in 2002, while Cambridge had only one competitor, James Livingston, who had participated in a previous competition.

The participants in the boats were:

position Oxford
Oxford-University-Circlet.svg 		Cambridge
University of Cambridge coat of arms.svg
Surname Nat. Age size Weight college Surname Nat. Age size Weight college
Bowman John Adams United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 20th 1.93 m 83 kg University Ben Smith United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 19th 1.91 m 85 kg Trinity Hall
2 Basil Dixon United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 21st 1.88 m 93 kg Pembroke Kristopher Coventry AustraliaAustralia OUT 25th 1.96 m 89 kg Queens'
3 Samuel McLennan AustraliaAustralia OUT 23 1.88 m 90 kg Corpus Christi Hugo Mallinson United StatesUnited States United States 23 1.96 m 96 kg St Catharine's
4th David Livingston United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 19th 2.01 m 92 kg Christ Church Matthias Kleinz GermanyGermany GER 27 1.88 m 83 kg Gonville and Caius
5 Robin Bourne-Taylor United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 21st 1.91 m 87 kg Christ Church Alexander McGarel-Groves United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 22nd 1.98 m 97 kg Peterhouse
6th Scott Frandsen CanadaCanada CAN 22nd 1.85 m 82 kg St Edmund Hall Tom James United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 19th 1.91 m 86 kg Trinity Hall
7th Henry Morris United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 20th 1.85 m 82 kg Magdalen James Livingston United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 22nd 1.96 m 95 kg St Catharine's
Batsman Matthew Smith (P) United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 20th 1.85 m 81 kg St Anne's Tim Wooge (P) GermanyGermany GER 30th 2.01 m 100 kg Peterhouse
Helmsman Acer Nethercott United KingdomUnited Kingdom GBR 25th 1.73 m 55 kg University James Omartian United StatesUnited States United States 23 1.68 m 55 kg St Catharine's

The "Presidents" of the boats are marked with the addition (P).

They run

Main race

At Barnes Bridge : the Oxford boat (in dark blue) has a slight lead

After Cambridge won the coin toss and was thus allowed to choose the home page, Tim Wooge, as captain of the "Light Blues", decided to take off from the southern bank, the so-called " Surrey Side" of the Thames; Oxford started the race from the north side of the river (the " Middlesex Side"). At the start of the race it was overcast and windy. Oxford took the lead with a slightly higher beat frequency than Cambridge. Shortly after the start, both helmsmen were warned by the race director to prevent the belts from colliding. At the Mile Post, the Oxford boat had a lead of about half a second and was a third of the boat's length after five minutes of racing. Boris Rankov warned Oxford again, whereupon the boat had to evade and thereby lost time. Cambridge took the lead for the first time after a series of minor strikes and had a one-second lead at Hammersmith Bridge . Oxford did not let Cambridge pull away on the following middle section to Chiswick Steps, caught up, took the lead again and had a lead of one second or three quarters of a boat length at Barnes Bridge . Oxford was slacking off now and Cambridge came within a third of the boat's length. The "Light Blues" shortened the gap with every further stroke, but Oxford crossed the finish line as the first boat with a lead of 30 centimeters over the eighth from Cambridge. This was the closest finish in the history of the boat race to date.

Oxford won the race with a time of 18 minutes and 6 seconds. Race director Rankov initially did not announce the result, just spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders. He received confirmation of the result from target judge Ben Kent; the lead at the finish line was about 0.05 seconds. Rankov announced the result to the athletes at Chiswick Bridge with the words: “One foot to Oxford” (meaning: “One foot ahead for Oxford”).

It was the first time in the history of the race that a team that was on average 6.4 kg lighter per rower was able to win. It was Oxford's third victory in four years; Cambridge now led the overall standings with 77:71. At the victory ceremony, the Oxford crew traditionally threw their helmsman, Acer Nethercott, into the Thames.

Reserve race and women race

In the Reserve Race , Cambridge's eighth “Goldie” won ahead of Oxford's “Isis” with a lead of nine boat lengths in a time of 18 minutes and 4 seconds. The Cambridge boat was two seconds faster than the blue boat, making it the fourth win in a row and the sixth win in seven years. Oxford had previously won the 58th women's race with a time of 6 minutes and 35 seconds and a lead of three and a half boat lengths over the eighth of the "Light Blues". It was the second win in a row; Oxford thus caught up with Cambridge in the overall standings to 20:38.

Reactions

Matthew Smith, President and Helmsman of Oxford University Boat Club said, “It feels fantastic and I think it will take a while to beat that feeling.” Wooge was disappointed: “I take my hat off to Oxford, that was a great race. ”Rankov later described the end of the race as the most difficult situation he had ever experienced as race director. "Those 30 seconds felt like a lifetime," recalled Rankov, "not just for me, but also for the crews and the media."

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Steven Redgrave , who presented Matthew Smith with the trophy, said, "Always remember this race, it will be the best we will ever see in our lifetime."

Martin Cross of The Guardian wrote of a "gripping finish". In addition, there was greater audience interest, which he attributed to the rescheduling of the event. Rachel Quarrell of The Daily Telegraph called Oxford's victory "epic" and suggested that there would never be a better boat race. Christopher Dodd described the race as "incredible" in Rowing News magazine and called it "a titanic battle of will".

Sebastian Mayer , participant in the Boat Race 2002 , in which he suffered an asthma attack as part of the Cambridge eight and lost the race as a result, followed the race on site. "Suddenly I saw my defeat with different eyes," said Mayer in view of the dramatic course of the race.

An estimated 400 million people worldwide watched the race on television. Brothers James and David Livingston later described the race in their 2010 book Blood Over Water .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight , The Guardian online April 6, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide , Telegraph Travel online. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  3. ^ Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race crew , CBCNews online April 7, 2014. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  4. ^ TV and radio , official website ( Memento of October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  5. ↑ a b c d Boat Race - Results , official website. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Oxford clinch Boat Race , BBC online March 30, 2002. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ a b C lassic moments - the dead heat in 1877 , official website. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ Rowing: Boat Race enters new waters with Sunday evening slot The Independent online June 4, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  9. ^ Boat Race: Crash puts Cambridge crew plans in doubt , The Independent, April 5, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ 60 Second Interview: Boris Rankov, Boat Race Umpire , The Telegraph online, March 27, 2009. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  11. ↑ The recharging of the Light Blue brigade , The Independent online on 12 January 2003. Retrieved on February 3, 2013
  12. ↑ a b Rowing: Boat race crews rely on league of nations , The Independent online, March 11, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  13. ↑ Oxford forced to fight rough water , The Times online of April 3, 2003.
  14. ^ A brief history of the Women's Boat Race , official website ( Memento of October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ Cambridge bowman breaks wrist BBC online April 5, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  16. ↑ in the original: “For a couple of seconds I thought I was going to die. We were going flat out and all of a sudden I heard Jim's voice. I've never heard so much fear in anybody's voice before. " Source: Light Blue crew feared for his life The Guardian online April 8, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  17. ↑ quoted from: Most exciting "Boat Race" of all time Schwäbische Zeitung online from April 9, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  18. ^ Boat Race: Crash puts Cambridge crew plans in doubt The Independent online April 5, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  19. ↑ Cambridge lose bowman The Daily Telegraph online April 5, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  20. ↑ Cambridge face nervous wait after collision The Daily Telegraph online April 5, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  21. ↑ James gives Light Blues a fresh look as brotherhood rules waves The Independent online April 6, 2003. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  22. ↑ Umpire tells coxes to steer clear of clashes The Times online April 1, 2003.
  23. ↑ Crews weigh in the BBC photo gallery online from April 1, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  24. ↑ Umpire tells coxes to steer clear of clashes The Times website, April 1, 2003.
  25. ↑ Rowing - History weighs ib Oxford The Telegraph online on April 2, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  26. ↑ Rowing: Acer in the pack inspires Oxford's Boat Race crew The Telegraph online March 31, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  27. ^ Meet the Oxford University team BBC online March 31, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  28. ↑ Meet the Cambridge University team BBC online March 31, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  29. ↑ Rowing: First German Cambridge captain Schwäbische.de from March 15, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  30. ↑ Rowing: Acer in the pack inspires Oxford's Boat Race crew The Telegraph online March 31, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  31. ^ Weight of history in favor of Light Blues The Times online April 2, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  32. ↑ a b c Oxford win Boat Race BBC online April 12, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  33. ↑ a b c d The Boat Race: as it happened BBC online April 6, 2003. Accessed February 3, 2015.
  34. ↑ a b Christopher Dodd: Features - 2003 Boat Race . In: Rowing News , May 4, 2003, pp. 7, 26-27. Retrieved February 4, 2015. 
  35. ↑ Christopher Dodd: Features - 2003 Boat Race . in: Rowing News of May 4, 2003., Volume 10, No. 5, pp. 26-27.
  36. ↑ Classic moments - The closest race ( Memento of October 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Official website. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  37. ↑ Oxford survive the closest of calls The Times online April 7, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015
  38. ↑ a b c Oxford’s epic victory closer than dead heat The Telegraph online April 7, 2003. Accessed February 4, 2015
  39. ↑ Spirit of 1963 sees dark blues through The Guardian online April 7, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  40. ↑ a b Oxford overcome weight of history - by 12 inches The Guardian online April 7, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  41. ↑ The victorious Oxford Cox Acer Nethercott is thrown in the Thames in traditional manner ... Getty Images online April 6, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  42. ^ Oxford show way The Telegraph online April 1, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  43. ↑ Original: "It feels fantastic and I think it will take a while to top this feeling." Mixed emotions for brothers BBC sport on April 6, 2003. Accessed on February 4, 2015.
  44. ↑ in the original: "Those 30 seconds felt like a lifetime," [...] "not just for me but for the crews and media as well." Marie Philips: Total Concentration . in: Rowing and Regatta, April 2006, p. 6
  45. ↑ quoted from: Most exciting "Boat Race" of all times Schwäbische.de from 9th 2003. Retrieved on 4th February 2015.
  46. ↑ Light Blue crew feared for his life The Guardian online April 8, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  47. ^ Konrad Schmidt-Werthern: Rowing back . in: Die Zeit No. 14, year 2004
  48. ↑ Blood Over Water Britishrowing.org 2010. April 1 Retrieved February 4, 2015.

Web links

Commons : 2003 University Boat Race  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files