The 132nd Boat Race took place on 29 March 1986. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

along the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. Cambridge won by seven lengths and took their first victory in eleven years, in one of the fastest winning times in the history of the event. Isis won the reserve race, while Oxford were victorious in the Women's Boat Race.

Background

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

is a side-by-side rowing competition between the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the Championship Course on the

in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Cambridge by lengths in the previous year's race. However Cambridge held the overall lead, with 68 victories to Oxford's 62 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877) despite Oxford having won the previous ten races. The first

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on ...

took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Up until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the

Henley Boat Races The Henley Boat Races were a series of annual rowing races between various crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The event included the Lightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, the Women's Boat ...

, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races. The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race. The race was sponsored by

Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...

for the tenth consecutive year, estimated to be worth about £30,000 to each boat club, and was umpired by former Cambridge rower Mike Sweeney.

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of over per rower more than Cambridge. Cambridge's crew featured only two rowers over the age of 24 while Oxford had just three men under 25. Oxford saw three Blues return while Cambridge welcomed back four. The Cambridge crew featured three international rowers: two Canadians (Gibson and Wilson), and the American Pew. The Light Blue cox, Carole Burton, was the first woman to steer the Cambridge boat. Oxford's MacDonald was the oldest in the race at the age of 30, he was accompanied in the boat by international rowers Clark and Livingstone from the United States and Jones from Australia. Dan Topolski was the Oxford coach while Cambridge relied on Alan Inns and Canadian Olympic coach Neil Campbell. Cambridge were clear favourites to win, but prior to the race, Topolski claimed his crew had "pulled themselves back into contention by sheer hard work."

Races

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station. The predicted severe wind did not materialise and from the start, Cambridge pulled ahead. A half-length lead by the end of Putney boathouses became a two length lead by

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

, and Cambridge's cox Burton steered towards the safer Surrey side, extending Cambridge's lead to 14 seconds by Chiswick Steps. Continuing to pull away, Cambridge passed the finishing post 21 seconds and seven lengths ahead of Oxford. It was the sixth fastest time in the history of the race. This was Cambridge's first victory in eleven years and took the overall record to 69–62 in favour of Cambridge. In the reserve race, Oxford's Isis beat Cambridge's Goldie by six lengths, while Oxford won the 41st

Reaction

The trophy was presented by former Cambridge student Prince Edward. Cambridge stroke John Pritchard said "After our initial start we built up for 20 strokes, steadied and then just grinded away." He added "I was just stirring the tea while the others did the work." Cambridge cox Carole Burton noted "I went where I wanted to go." Following tradition, Pritchard picked her up and threw her into the river. Oxford's Jones remarked "we were as well prepared as last year but we found no magic." Topolski conceded that even had Oxford been at their best, they would still have lost the race.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1986 1986 in English sport The Boat Race March 1986 sports events in the United Kingdom 1986 in rowing 1986 sports events in London