Cambridge overcome choppy conditions to deliver two comprehensive victories

Words: Tom Ransley

The first Lightweight Women’s Boat Race took place in 1984, nine years after the men’s equivalent. These races were originally held at Henley-on-Thames, but the men relocated to the Championship Course in 2019, and the women followed suit the year after.

Lightweight Women
Six adrift, Oxford’s lightweight women woke up on race day with hopes of closing the gap; but by late afternoon of Friday 29 March 2024 the record between the rival camps had widened.

Before the race Oxford lost the coin toss and Cambridge chose Middlesex. From the start the Light Blues leapt into a half-length lead, rating a little higher than their rivals, but incurred repeated warnings from Umpire Sarah Winkless. Cox Kate Crowley squeezed Oxford wide coming into the first bend around Fulham Football Club.