Crews announced for The Gemini Boat Race 2024
Packed with returning blues and world medalists, this year’s crew line ups have been revealed for the legendary annual battle between Oxford and Cambridge.
Credit:: The Boat Race /Row360
An iconic landmark on the Championship Course played host to the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race crew announcements last night, as Battersea Power Station set the stage for four coaches and 36 athletes to face off against each other for the first and last time before race day.
The announcement was kicked off with a Q&A hosted by BBC Sport’s Andrew Cotter, featuring well-known Boat Race alumni from the GB Rowing Team. Tom George, Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Imogen Grant represented Cambridge whilst Erin Kennedy and David Ambler stood for Oxford, joined by former teammate Angus Groom.
The Boat Race will be shown live on BBC One from 14:46 (78th women’s race) and 15:56 (169th men’s race) on Saturday, 30 March.
Where to watch the 2024 Boat Race
A look at the crews
Returning blue Luca Ferraro, seven seat for Cambridge and 2023 U23 World Champion in the GB Rowing Team men’s eight, said “We’ve got some serious guys from last year who know what they’re doing. Our president Seb Benzecry has been at Cambridge for four years and is leading from the front.”
He’ll be going up against former teammate and fellow U23 gold medalist Will Denegri, coxing the Dark Blues of Oxford, which include 2022 U19 World Champion in the coxless four Saxon Stacey. From the GB Rowing Team senior squad alumni, Oxford boast four-time Henley Royal Regatta winner Harry Glenister, and Leonard Jenkins, who won gold for GB as in the 2019 U23 men’s eight and again in the senior men’s four at World Cup I in 2022.
Denegri’s counterpart on the Oxford women’s side is Joe Gellet, who said; “This year has been really competitive for coxes. The flooding has made training a little more challenging, but we’re really lucky that we have had the opportunity to train at the National Training Centre in Caversham. My seat was by no means confirmed at the start so it was a long season waiting to find out, but I’m really glad now we’re here.” Gellet has a strong history with The Boat Race, coxing the 2022 blues boat and the Oxford women’s reserve race, Osiris, in 2021.
Another Dark Blue from the 2023 U23 team is Annie Sharp, bronze medallist at the European Championships in the coxless four. Oxford crewmate Lucy Edmunds also has a history of international representation, winning a silver medal at the 2019 U23 World Rowing Championships in the women’s eight.
Sitting in four seat for Oxford and Cambridge respectively, James Doran and Augustus John both raced in the U23 men’s eight, with Doran winning gold at the European Championships in 2021 and John winning silver two years later. Doran can also claim a bronze medal in the coxless four at the 2022 European Championships.
It’s not just the rowers who have had success on the international stage – Cambridge women’s coach Paddy Ryan led the 2022 U23 women’s eight to a silver World Championship medal.
Returning to the Cambridge women’s blues boat, and her seat, President Jenna Armstrong is ready to defend her title on the Championship Course once more. “To be selected again is kind of wild. We have connections with older alumni, and they have been so helpful in reaching out and offering their support. Some of them have been out on launches with us, some of them have even come into boats with us to do some high impact sessions. I’ve been really impressed by how the girls have been able to use every opportunity to learn and push on.”
Oxford Women’s president Ella Stadler’s laser focus and determination was evident as she took the stage last night. “I feel very confident coming into this year and I’m incredibly proud of all the women working behind the scenes. We’re bigger than just the nine of us on stage tonight; this year we’re really thinking about what the 40 of us have done, and will continue to do.”
The Women’s Boat Race Crews 2023
Defending champions: Cambridge
| Oxford Women | Cambridge Women |
|---|---|
| Coached by Allan French | Coached by Paddy Ryan |
| Lucy Edmunds (bow) | Gemma King (bow) |
| Ella Stadler (President) | Jo Matthews |
| Tessa Haining | Iris Powell |
| Claire Aitken | Jenna Armstrong (President) |
| Sarah Marshall | Carina Graf |
| Annie Sharp | Carys Earl |
| Julia Lindsay | Clare Hole |
| Annie Anezakis (stroke) | Megan Lee (stroke) |
| Joe Gellett (cox) | Hannah Murphy (cox) |
- Oxford Women:
- Coached by Allan French
- Cambridge Women:
- Coached by Paddy Ryan
- Oxford Women:
- Lucy Edmunds (bow)
- Cambridge Women:
- Gemma King (bow)
- Oxford Women:
- Ella Stadler (President)
- Cambridge Women:
- Jo Matthews
- Oxford Women:
- Tessa Haining
- Cambridge Women:
- Iris Powell
- Oxford Women:
- Claire Aitken
- Cambridge Women:
- Jenna Armstrong (President)
- Oxford Women:
- Sarah Marshall
- Cambridge Women:
- Carina Graf
- Oxford Women:
- Annie Sharp
- Cambridge Women:
- Carys Earl
- Oxford Women:
- Julia Lindsay
- Cambridge Women:
- Clare Hole
- Oxford Women:
- Annie Anezakis (stroke)
- Cambridge Women:
- Megan Lee (stroke)
- Oxford Women:
- Joe Gellett (cox)
- Cambridge Women:
- Hannah Murphy (cox)
The Men’s Boat Race Crews 2023
Defending champions: Cambridge
| Oxford Men | Cambridge Men |
|---|---|
| Coached by Sean Bowden | Coached by Rob Baker |
| Jelmer Bennema (bow) | Sebastien Benzecry (bow, President) |
| Harry Glenister | Noam Mouelle |
| Saxon Stacey | Thomas Marsh |
| James Doran | Augustus John |
| Elias Kun | Kenneth Coplan |
| Frederick Roper | Thomas Lynch |
| Leonard Jenkins | Luca Ferraro |
| Elliot Kemp (stroke) | Matt Edge (stroke) |
| William Denegri (cox) | Ed Bracey (cox) |
- Oxford Men :
- Coached by Sean Bowden
- Cambridge Men:
- Coached by Rob Baker
- Oxford Men :
- Jelmer Bennema (bow)
- Cambridge Men:
- Sebastien Benzecry (bow, President)
- Oxford Men :
- Harry Glenister
- Cambridge Men:
- Noam Mouelle
- Oxford Men :
- Saxon Stacey
- Cambridge Men:
- Thomas Marsh
- Oxford Men :
- James Doran
- Cambridge Men:
- Augustus John
- Oxford Men :
- Elias Kun
- Cambridge Men:
- Kenneth Coplan
- Oxford Men :
- Frederick Roper
- Cambridge Men:
- Thomas Lynch
- Oxford Men :
- Leonard Jenkins
- Cambridge Men:
- Luca Ferraro
- Oxford Men :
- Elliot Kemp (stroke)
- Cambridge Men:
- Matt Edge (stroke)
- Oxford Men :
- William Denegri (cox)
- Cambridge Men:
- Ed Bracey (cox)
Crew orders have been adjusted to the final line up published on 28 March.
The Reserve crew lists for Isis vs Goldie (men) and Osiris vs Blondie (women) are here >>
Turning the Tide: A new documentary
This year we’ll be able to follow the journey from the university’s first days back in the boat house to the race itself in a documentary series produced by Row360. Watch episode one now!
