De Toledo: Race needed to be re-rowed
Oxford cox Zoe de Toledo has reiterated her belief that Saturday's Boat Race should have been re-rowed after one of her crew-mates broke his oar.
Dr Hanno Wienhausen, Oxford's six man, had his blade snapped clean off in a clash 45 seconds after the race had been restarted following the intervention of a swimming protester.
In a statement, De Toledo urged organisers to make sure future crews never have to compete one man down, saying: "It is our sincerest hope that every future Boat Race crew, from both Oxford and Cambridge, is afforded the chance to fairly test themselves over the full four-and-a-quarter miles that make the Boat Race such a unique event."
De Toledo immediately appealed for the race to be re-rowed, but umpire John Garrett ruled the clash had been her fault and confirmed Cambridge as the victors.
"I could see a clash was going to be happening so I started to warn Oxford to move back on to the Middlesex station - a couple of warnings - and there was a collision and some serious damage done to an Oxford blade," Garrett said.
De Toledo reportedly argued the rough water meant she could not move the boat back towards the Middlesex station, but Garrett dismissed the appeal.
"Ultimately it is just a tragedy that neither crew had the opportunity to display its best ability over the full course from Putney to Mortlake," De Toledo added.
"We are devastated that we did not get the chance to find out what we were capable of achieving in the second half of the race, and many of us will never have that opportunity again."
De Toledo described the closing stages of the race as "simultaneously one of the worst, but also one of the proudest moments of my life".
She added: "Yesterday I truly learnt what it was to be part of a team. A team that rallies around you and shelters you from the storm when you are at your lowest."
