The 2025 Women’s Boat Race was dramatically halted and restarted after the Cambridge and Oxford crews collided less than two minutes into the race.
Race umpire and four-time Olympic champion Sir Matthew Pinsent was forced to pause proceedings on the River Thames after warning signs were ignored and oars began clashing between the two boats.
Pinsent had already waved a white flag at Oxford — a formal warning not to encroach on Cambridge’s racing line — but the two boats drifted into each other before the Oxford cox could adjust course. The collision caused a Cambridge rower to lose control of her oar and almost be thrown from her seat.
Drama early on in the women's Boat Race as the red flag comes out! 🚩
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 13, 2025
Oxford avoid disqualification and we're back under way on the Thames. 🚣♀️
Watch The Boat Race live on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer. #TheBoatRace pic.twitter.com/a3w0sjUjv5
With both teams brought to a near standstill and momentum lost, Pinsent raised a red flag to suspend the race and assess the situation. Though he had the option to disqualify Oxford, he instead ordered a full restart, awarding Cambridge a narrow advantage due to the earlier infringement.
After the restart, Cambridge quickly built a commanding lead and never looked back, eventually crossing the finish line well ahead of Oxford to claim their eighth consecutive victory in the historic showdown.
“There was obviously a clash between the crews,” Pinsent told BBC One after the race. “In my mind, I was warning Oxford in the run-up to that. Two crews were at standstill so they couldn’t keep racing. We had to stop it.
“There was a range of options — disqualification, or changing the result after the race. But it wasn’t needed. I’m convinced the better team won. The better, faster crew won. I will go back over it, but it didn’t affect the outcome.”
It was the first time since 2012 that either the men’s or women’s Boat Race had to be restarted.
