The 169th official Boat Race took place on the River Thames in London on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

Cambridge completed a clean sweep of the men’s and women’s events, just as they did back in 2023, to build on their historic superiority in this famous old contest.

First held back in 1829 between the UK’s two leading higher education facilities, The Boat Race became an annual event in 1856 and has been contested almost every single year since. The two teams’ eight-boats row against one another through a four-mile stretch of the Thames in south London, and the women’s race, held annually since 1964, became part of the same-day event as the men’s in 2015.

The Sporting News has details below on how this event first came about, and why this year’s was mired in a potential health and safety controversy. You can also read up on the origins of the race and how the historic head-to-head looks.

MORE: Where to watch the 2024 Boat Race

Who won The Boat Race 2024?

Cambridge won both the men’s and women’s Boat Race events in 2024.

Despite rower Matt Edge appearing to struggle in the closing stages, Cambridge eased to a win after building a lead of over 10 seconds in the men’s race.

Earlier, an incident threatened to overshadow the women’s race after Cambridge took victory despite an apparent collision between the boats in the decisive stages. Following some post-race arbitration after Oxford launched an appeal, the result was allowed to stand.

Boat Race 2024 start time, course

The 2024 Boat Race took place on Saturday, March 30.

The women’s race began at 2:46 p.m. GMT. The men’s event started at 3:46 p.m. GMT.

Both races traversed a 4.2 mile stretch of the River Thames in south London, starting from Putney Bridge in Wandsworth and travelling through Fulham, Hammersmith and Chiswick before the rowers arrived at the finish line of Chiswick Bridge in Mortlake.

How to watch The Boat Race: TV channel, live stream

As one of the UK’s longest-running one-off sporting events, live coverage of The Boat Race is always at a premium. Full build-up to the men’s, women’s and reserves races will begin in the UK on BBC One from 2:00 p.m. local time (GMT) and ends at 4:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the men’s race.

BBC iPlayer is showing this coverage both live and on catch-up for viewers who wish to stream the event this Saturday, while fans worldwide can also tune into Eurovision Sport and the Olympic Channel for streaming both live and after the end of the initial broadcast.

Boat Race E. coli concerns: Why 2024 rowers were told to avoid the water

Victorious teams have often been seen celebrating at the end of a race by jumping into and splashing about in the water. That couldn’t be the case in 2024.

Competitors were advised not to enter the Thames and to keep all blisters or wounds covered, while they had to wear shoes when embarking or disembarking their boats.

The reason? High levels of E. coli were detected in the waters around the race course. The bacterium can lead to potentially serious illness.

The dumping of raw sewage into the Thames has been blamed as the cause for the presence of E. coli. River Action chief executive James Wallace said, as per the BBC: “It is a tragic situation when elite athletes are issued with health guidance ahead of a historic race on the capital’s river.

“Our water quality results show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water.”

Who has won The Boat Race the most? All-time results between Oxford and Cambridge

This year marked the 169th edition of the men’s Boat Race, and the 79th women’s event.

In the men’s event, Cambridge hold the advantage, with 87 wins to Oxford’s 81 (and one dead heat, which was recorded back in 1877).

Cambridge also lead the all-time standings in the women’s race, with 48 wins to 30 for Oxford.

When was the first Boat Race? Origins and history of famous Thames event

The Boat Race was an idea between two friends at rival colleges: Charles Wordsworth (the nephew of the renowned poet William Wordsworth) of Christ Church College, Oxford, and Charles Merivale of St. John’s, Cambridge. They had the respective universities agree to a challenge “to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the Easter vacation”.

The very first Boat Race took place on June 10, 1829, at Henley on Thames. Oxford were runaway winners of the inaugural event; their boat from that race is on display in Henley’s River & Rowing Museum.

The second race was not held until 1836, when it was moved to London.

The women’s race was founded in 1927 but it was not until the mid-1960s that it became a regular event. The early races were judged on “time and style”, with the opposing crews not even allowed on the river at the same time.