Starting gun is fired on 2025 Boat Race season

Oxford and Cambridge renew their rowing rivalries at annual Presidents’ Challenge

The 2025 Boat Race season began today with the annual Presidents’ Challenge ushering in another season of competition between the university boat clubs of Oxford and Cambridge. Hosted by Olympic champion and four-time Boat Race winner Constantine Louloudis MBE, excitement was higher than ever following last month’s announcement of a long-term partnership between CHANEL and The Boat Race, which sees the event retitled as The CHANEL J12 Boat Race.

The Presidents’ Challenge involves the Presidents representing the losing crews of the previous year’s races formally challenge those from the winning crews, marking the renewal of an intense competition which stretches back nearly 200 years. This year’s event, held at Somerset House in London, saw the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs continue the tradition as they came together in celebration of one of British sport’s most enduring rivalries and to launch the next edition of the world-famous sporting event. Elizabeth D’Auriac, CHANEL UK President and Cambridge University Alumni was also present for the season’s opening celebration.

Those in attendance gathered with anticipation to witness Oxford Presidents Tom Mackintosh and Annie Anezakis challenge Cambridge Presidents Luca Ferraro and Lucy Havard. The pairs faced off before shaking hands on stage in front of the coveted men’s and women’s trophies.

The Umpires were confirmed as Sarah Winckless MBE and Sir Matthew Pinsent, for the Men’s and Women’s races respectively. Winckless becomes the first woman to umpire the Men’s Race on The Championship Course.

The CHANEL J12 Boat Race 2025 will take place on Sunday, 13 April 2025, with The 79th Women’s Boat Race first, followed shortly after by The 170th Men’s Boat Race. 200,000 spectators are expected to line the banks of the River Thames to watch the event, which is free to attend and broadcast live on the BBC, with millions more watching globally.

2024 saw Cambridge complete the double across both the Men’s and Women’s Boat Races, leaving the overall records as 87-81 in favour of Cambridge Men and 48-30 to Cambridge Women.

The make-up of the squads will be more diverse than ever in 2025, with 157 student rowers spanning 18 different nationalities from countries such as Nigeria, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Sri Lanka and China. Oxford’s Luisa Fernandez Chirino, should she be selected to face Cambridge, would be the first Mexican woman to compete at The Boat Race.

There will also be six Olympians within the squads. For Cambridge, this includes two-time US Olympian Claire Collins, alongside reserve athlete for the 2024 British Olympic team, James Robson. For Oxford, this includes Paris 2024 US Men’s eight bronze medallist Nick Rusher, 2024 Paris GB Women’s eight bronze medallist Heidi Long, Tokyo 2020 New Zealand Men’s eight gold medallist Tom Mackintosh, as well as Paris 2024 Italian Olympian Nicholas Kohl. Meanwhile, Harry Brightmore, Paris 2024 gold medallist in the GB Men’s eight, has joined Oxford as an assistant coach.

Siobhan Cassidy, Chair of The Boat Race Company, said: “The 2025 CHANEL J12 Boat Race marks a year of significant milestones. From welcoming CHANEL as our new Title Sponsor to introducing new competitors from all over the world, including current Olympic champions, the mass appeal for one of Britain’s most historic sporting events is more widespread than ever. I’m excited for another fiercely contested ‘Battle of the Blues’ and for the rowers’ competitive spirit to reach new people and places.”

First raced by crews from Oxford and Cambridge University in 1829, The Boat Race is now one of the world’s oldest and most famous amateur sporting events, offering an unrivalled educational experience to the student athletes who take part. The famous Championship Course stretches over 4.25 miles of tidal Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake.

For more information about The CHANEL J12 Boat Race visit The Boat Race website.