The 2025 women’s Boat Race was briefly stopped after the Cambridge and Oxford teams collided in the River Thames.
Olympic legend and race umpire Matthew Pinsent was forced to pause proceedings after less than two minutes of racing as the crews collided.
Pinsent had already shown Oxford a white flag, warning them not to encroach on Cambridge’s line.
But oars began to collide before the Oxford cox was able to alter the team’s direction, leaving one Cambridge rower to lose her grip on the oar and almost thrown from her seat.
With both teams losing a great deal of momentum, Pinsent displayed a red flag to order both teams to stop racing while he decided his next course of action.
The four-time Olympic champion could have disqualified Oxford but decided to restart the race, with Cambridge given with a narrow advantage.
Cambridge soon built up a commanding lead over Oxford and were not for catching as they secured their eighth successive win in the women’s Boat Race.
‘There was obviously a clash between the crews,’ Pinsent told BBC One after the race.
‘In my mind, I was warning Oxford in the run up to that. Two crews were at standstill so they couldn’t keep racing. We had to stop it.
‘There was a range of options, it popped into my mind but you can change the result after the race so that was another option.
‘But it wasn’t needed. I’m convinced the better team won. The better, faster crew won. I will go back over it but it didn’t affect the outcome.’
It was the first time since 2012 that one of the Boat Races had to be restarted.
Oxford University cox, Daniel Orton, said of the incident: ‘Off the start, both crews are going to be fighting for the line.
‘The umpire was warning us here and there, we moved when we were warned.
‘We were just holding our line. It’s the nature of the Boat Race, you get elements like that.’
Cambridge win 2025 men’s Boat Race 2025
Cambridge enjoyed more success in the 170th men’s Boat Race, battering Oxford to complete a clean sweep on the day.
The men’s race was delayed by more than ten minutes as a piece of debris was cleared from the River Thames.
Once the action started, Cambridge soared into an early lead and kept Oxford at bay impressively, justifying their status as pre-race favourites.
‘I am utterly, utterly stunned by that race,’ one BBC pundit said. ‘I did not see this dominance coming.’
Cambridge University’s Luca Ferraro added: ‘It’s an incredible feeling. I’m so proud of the team. It’s been a great weekend for Cambridge.’
Oxford’s Tom Mackintosh, meanwhile, said: ‘It didn’t go our way but I’m still so proud of the team. I can’t fault the effort and commitment.’
Who has won The Boat Race the most?
There have been 169 Men’s Boat Races since the first event in 1829 with Cambridge now winning 88 to Oxford’s 81, with the 1877 race the only to be declared a dead heat.
Since the first event in 1927, there have been 78 Women’s Boat Races, with Cambridge way ahead in the overall head-to-head score (49-30).
Cambridge have been the more successful team of late, winning four of the last five men’s races and the last seven women’s events.
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