Boat Race 2014: Oxford target defence against Cambridge
The 160th Boat Race Date: Sunday, 6 April
Start time: 17:55 BST Coverage: BBC One, online and mobiles 16:30-18:30 BST; BBC Radio 5 sports live 17:55-18:45
Oxford are targeting their fifth Boat Race victory in seven years when they face university rivals Cambridge on the River Thames on Sunday.
The Dark Blues triumphed last year in 17 minutes 27 seconds to cut Cambridge's overall lead to 81-77.
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"I'm determined to leave without having lost a race," Oxford's two-time winner Constantine Louloudis told BBC Sport.
"But you can't go in with too much confidence. In 2012, we saw how it could go wrong."
The 2012 race, which Louloudis missed as he prepared for the London Olympics, was halted after a man swum in front of the boats when the two crews were side by side.
At the restart, Oxford's Hanno Wienhausen broke his oar in a clash with Cambridge and the contest was effectively over as eight men took on seven.
This year's race is the 160th instalment of the four-mile-and-374-yard contest from Putney to Mortlake.
Known as the Championship Course, it has been used for every Boat Race since 1845, apart from three years when it was held in the opposite direction.
Last six winners of the Men's Boat Race 2013: Oxford by 1 1/3 lengths
by 1 1/3 lengths 2012: Cambridge by 4 1/4 lengths
by 4 1/4 lengths 2011: Oxford by 4 lengths
by 4 lengths 2010: Cambridge by 1 1/3 lengths
by 1 1/3 lengths 2009: Oxford by 2 1/2 lengths
by 2 1/2 lengths 2008: Oxford by 6 lengths
The race is rowed upstream and is timed to start on the incoming flood tide, usually an hour before high tide, so that the crews are rowing with the fastest possible current.
The flooding which swept the country earlier this year has made training for the crews challenging, particularly for Oxford.
While Cambridge have been able to train at their normal base in Ely, Oxford have had to use facilities at Caversham and Dorney.
"I think we're in good shape," said Oxford coach Sean Bowden. "But it has been quite a challenge.
"We are fortunate that we have been able to use the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake (in Caversham) where the national team are based, but even that been flooded."
Unlike last year, it is Cambridge who are the heaviest crew, with the Light Blues weighing an average of 2.6kg per man more than their Dark Blue rivals.
"The Boat Race is what we're here to do," said Cambridge president Steve Dudek, who is competing in his third and final Boat Race. "Every result beforehand means nothing.
Boat Race facts & figures Oxford have won nine of 14 Boat Races since the turn of the century
The heavier crew has won nine of the last 12 races
Oxford won the closest race ever in 2003, taking victory by only 30cm (one foot)
The course record, set by Cambridge in 1998, is 16 minutes, 19 seconds
Crews train the equivalent of two hours for each of the 600 strokes it takes to complete the course
"We could lose every single fixture leading up to the race in the most embarrassing fashion and if we come out and won on the day in London, I'll take that."
Cambridge's Ivo Dawkins is competing in his first Boat Race, 36 years after his father Will was part of the Cambridge crew which started to ship water, forcing the race to be re-run the following day.
"The race has changed a bit in that time, with more international-level oarsmen involved," he said. "But the goal is the same - to beat Oxford."
This year, Oxford are fielding three British rowers to Cambridge's two, with crews completed with oarsmen from New Zealand, Canada, United States, Germany and Australia.
As is traditional, a race between the reserve crews - Isis (Oxford) and Goldie (Cambridge) will take place before the main event.
Next year, the programme will also feature the Women's Boat Race for the first time. Last weekend, Oxford beat Cambridge by four lengths in the final women's event to take place at Henley-on-Thames.
Teams:
OXFORD: Storm Uru (bow seat, NZ), Tom Watson (two seat, Can), Karl Hudspith (three seat, GB), Tom Swartz (four seat, US), Malcolm Howard (five seat, GB), Michael Di Santo (six seat, US), Sam O'Connor (seven seat, NZ), Constantine Louloudis (stroke seat, GB), Laurence Harvey (cox, GB).
CAMBRIDGE: Mike Thorp (bow seat, GB), Luke Juckett (two seat, US), Ivo Dawkins (three seat, GB), Steve Dudek (four seat, US), Helge Gruetjen (five seat, Ger), Matthew Jackson (six seat, US), Joshua Hooper (seven seat, Aus), Henry Hoffstot (stroke seat, US), Ian Middleton (cox, GB).
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Les concurrents lors de l'édition 2013.



Lors de la 160 édition cette mythique course d'aviron, qui voit s'affronter les deux grandes universités britanniques sur la Tamise au printemps, c'est Oxford qui l'a emporté, pour la cinquième fois en sept ans. Les ''Dark Blues'' l'ont emporté de 11 longueurs en 18:36, ils étaient d'ailleurs donnés favoris.

Mais un incident émailla la course : un accrochage des rames fit glisser l'Américain Luke Juckett (Cambridge). L'équipe a déposé une réclamation dès la fin de la course, mais elle ne fut retenue par l'arbitre, Richard Phelps.

 a expliqué l'arbitre après la réclamation. Néanmoins, il concède que c'est un évènement , car .

Un incident qui rappelle la course de 2012 qui avait donné Cambridge vainqueur.
 
La victoire d' est magnifiée par le plus grand écart de temps entre les deux équipes depuis 1973.