Australian rower Annie Anezakis is celebrating hard-won glory after helping Oxford to end a decade-long losing streak with victory over Cambridge in the annual Boat Race.
The 27-year-old from Melbourne was competing in the historic university clash for a fourth time as Oxford finally turned the tables, starting fast and winning by 9.4 seconds in blustery, choppy conditions on the Thames on Saturday.
A fomer women's president of the Oxford boat club, Anezakis was in the bow seat as Oxford won for the 31st time in the 80th edition of the race.
Their crew also included Britain's Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Heidi Long, the current club president.
Anezakis previously rowed for Princeton University in the US from 2017-2021 and has credited Australian Olympic legends like Stephanie Rice and Libby Trickett as her earliest sporting inspirations, after watching them shine at the 2008 Beijing Games.
In the 171st edition of the men's race, Australian Alexander McClean helped strong favourites Cambridge to victory by 3.5 lengths and 11.02 seconds -- their 89th win to Oxford's 81. The 1877 race was declared a dead heat.
- with Reuters
