1 mins
Paddy Ryan
The Championship Course is the home of the Boat Race. It will be fantastic to see the crowds line the riverbanks again and hear the buzz on the embankment. It was an honour to host the race on the River Great Ouse last year and emulate the unofficial contest of 1944. Nonetheless it is great to be back in London for 2022.
Our first weekend together for this campaign feels like a long time ago, we were back on the Tideway, and it was very surreal -I almost felt like a visitor. It has been an honour to take on the role of Women’s Head Coach at Cambridge. The squad is filled with women leading in business, in science, in medicine, in education and in the arts. They are extraordinary people. It is a pleasure to help them excel on the water too.
Winning is not supposed to be easy. We’ve won for a long time. That breeds expectation, which can be dangerous. We’ve tried to confront the challenge head on. There is always the element of unpredictability, especially in terms of weather, stream, and the coin toss. But I want my rowers to be well-prepared and feel like they can perform to their best no matter what.
I’m sure Oxford have a strong crew. I don’t want to be the first losing coach since 2017 but I’m excited to watch these crews -Oxford and Cambridge -go out and race at a very high calibre. That’s great for women’s sport, and great for the Boat Race.
If the fixtures are anything to go by, this year is going to be a great race.