Harry Glenister hopes Oxford can turn the tide on recent Boat Race history to deliver what would be a “dream” triumph before the Great Britain veteran hangs up his oars.
The 28-year-old spent five years as a member of the GB senior rowing team, narrowly missing out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics then sitting out the entire 2023 season with a back injury.
Cambridge have lost the men’s race just once in the last five years, winning last year’s edition by 1 1/3 lengths thanks to a risky move by their coxswain, but Boat Race debutant Glenister is confident Oxford have what it takes to come out on top in the 169th iteration of the gruelling men’s showdown.
Glenister told the PA news agency: “Winning this race would mean everything to me, just to finish with the sport, it’s a good end for me. Obviously very disappointed not to make Tokyo, but this would be as good for me if I could finish on a high.
“The Olympics is obviously bigger, but this is one of the biggest races in the world, so I would be very, very happy if I could get the win.
“It’s just such an awesome event. There’s so much great energy around it. Every rower wants to do this event.
“We’ve got a very strong team this year, we’ve got some dogs, very excited to see what we can do and turn the tide, try to stop this Cambridge dominance.”
Glenister, set to occupy the two seat in the dark blue boat, started out as a sculler, competing at junior and U23 levels, before transitioning to sweep rowing at the senior level.
His CV includes numerous World Cups and the 2019 European Championships, and was the first individual to be victorious in all three men’s quad events at Henley.
Glenister agrees his elite rowing experience will allow him to cultivate – and ideally pass on – the optimal competitive mindset come Saturday’s 3:46pm start time, but the Boat Race debutant says he is learning just as much from those at Oxford more familiar with the traditional, 6.8 km Championship Course.
There was little between the men’s rivals after their traditional weigh-in at the March 13th crew announcement, with Oxford coming in at an average 92kg, just half a kilogram heavier than their Cambridge counterparts, with four-time Olympic champion Matthew Pinsent presiding as umpire.
Oxford will also be looking to snap Cambridge’s dominant six-year stretch in the 78th women’s race, this year umpired by Olympian Richard Phelps in what so far appear to be pleasant weather conditions, though teams will be taking numerous precautions after high levels of E.coli – which can cause serious infections – were found along the Championship Course.
Asked about the biggest differences between the Boat Race and his time in the GB setup, the MBA student immediately noted: “First I have to study! I’ve got six hours of classes a day and then rowing twice a day, which is not as much as the GB rowing team but still quite substantial.
“When I was racing for GB I was racing over 2k, this is over seven. It’s a lot longer and it’s a very different style of racing – who gets out ahead first. Whoever gets in front will win.
“You want to go really hard early. It’s go out hard and hang on, and hopefully you break the other crew. Who is the first person in each crew to break?
“The person that breaks is the one that’s going to lose, and the crew that breaks the other person is going to win. It’s a very exciting style of racing. I really enjoy it.
“I’ve been in big races, big moments, I know how to handle the pressure and I’m very used to it, so I can try to hopefully bring that confidence to the crew so we can get it done when it matters.”
Dara Alizadeh fourth in men’s Single Sculls final
Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh produced yet another strong performance in the men’s Single Sculls final E, but it was only good enough for fourth at Nautical St.-Flat Water on Friday.
Alizadeh stopped the clock at 7:03.12.
He was among the fastest starters, and even held top spot at the 500m mark before being relegated to second place at the 1000m mark. Though Alizadeh maintained his position up to the 1500m, his lack of endurance eventually came to the fore, and he ultimately slipped to fourth at the end.
Despite the challenging race, Alizadeh, 30, again paraded his skills with much gusto, but more importantly, represented Bermuda on the global stage with distinction. He made a significant impression in his discipline, establishing himself as one to look out for at future events.
Alizadeh progresses on another day of mixed results for Caribbean athletes at 2024 Paris Olympics
Dara Alizadeh Wins Men’s Single Sculls Semifinals E/F
Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh has qualified for the Final E in the men’s single sculls after a remarkable win in the semifinals. Alizadeh finished first with a time of 7:33.38, maintaining his first-place rank throughout the race. He was a force to be reckoned with as he sailed to victory lapping his opponents with Zimbabwean Stephen Cox coming in second with a time of 7:36.59. He will compete in the men’s single sculls Final E on August 2nd.
USVI Kruz Schembri Outmatched in Fencing
U.S. Virgin Islander Kruz Schembri loses men's foil individual table of 64 bout 2 to Canadian Blake Broszus 15-8. The 17-year-old, ended the first period 13-8 falling behind and in period 2 15-8 unable to redeem himself against the Canadian.
Schembri is the first fencer to represent the US Virgin Islands at the Olympic Games since Los Angeles 1984 making this an historic feat despite his loss. He is the 2024 Junior Pan American champion in foil and bronze medallist in epee.
Sören Opti Retires in Men’s Single Badminton Match
Surinamese Sören Opti retired in his second match today against Italy's Giovanni Toti at the La Chapelle Arena Court 1. The match finished at 1 nil with Opti retiring in the second game. Toti won game one 21-8 and was leading game two 4-1 when Opti conceded.
While Opti's time in Paris has come to a close, the athlete played passionately and represented his country on the world stage, leaving his mark.
Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago Will Not Advance in the Women's 100m Backstroke
Zuri Ferguson of Trinidad and Tobago and Emma Harvey of Bermuda both performed exceptionally in the women's 100m backstroke heats held today at the Paris La Defence Arena.
Ferguson was third in her heat with a time of 1:02.75, 0.45 seconds behind first-place Israeli Aviv Barzelay. Harvey was eighth in her heats with a time of 1:01.78, 3.30 seconds behind first-place Australian Kaylee McKeown. In spite of their valiant performances, neither will make it to the semifinals. Ferguson and Harvey placed 27th and 23rd, respectively, and failed to qualify with the USA, Katharine Berkoff leading the qualifying round with a time of 57.99.
Cuba's Blanco through to quarterfinal, Bermuda's Alizadeh to contest repechage in men's rowing
Cuba's Reidy Cardano Blanco progressed to the quarterfinal of the Men's Single Scull, while Bermuda's Dara Alizadeh will contest the Repechage round after placing third and fifth in their respective heats of the rowing competition, which got the Paris Olympic Games under way at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Saturday.
Though quick at the start, Blanco couldn’t match the pace of his more fancied rivals and settled for third in seven minutes and six seconds (7:06.45) to book his spot in the next round. Germany’s Oliver Zeidler (6:54.72) and Uruguay’s Bruno Cetraro (7:04.04) were the top two finishers in that heat.
Prior to the 28-year-old Spanish-speaking Caribbean representative’s feat in heat five, Alizadeh was the first Caribbean athlete in action at this edition of the global multi-sport showpiece. He crossed the line in seven minutes and 23 seconds (7:23.70) as he just missed out on a top-three automatic qualifying spot to the quarterfinal from heat four.
However, the Bermudan will have another chance to qualify for a spot through the repechage round to be contested on Sunday.
Alizadeh, 30, who switched from team to individual competition in 2019, after a few medal-winning feats, also represented Bermuda at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 18th in the single sculls.
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