The Boat Races 2017

The Boat Races 2017
Two rowing eights rounding the last bend of the race course on the River Thames
Oxford leading Cambridge as they come round the last bend to approach the finish
Date2 April 2017 (2017-04-02)
Men's race
WinnerOxford
Margin of victory1+14 lengths
Winning time16 minutes 59 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)
82–80
UmpireMatthew Pinsent
Women's race
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory11 lengths
Winning time18 minutes 34 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)
42–30
UmpireSarah Winckless
Reserves' races
Men's winnersIsis
Women's winnersBlondie

The Boat Races 2017 (also known as The Cancer Research UK Boat Races for the purposes of sponsorship) took place on 2 April 2017. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the second time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway on the same day.

In the men's reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie were beaten by Oxford's Isis, their seventh consecutive defeat. In the women's reserve race, Cambridge's Blondie defeated Oxford's Osiris, their second consecutive victory. In the women's race, Cambridge won by a large margin following a disastrous start by the Oxford boat. Their second win in the past ten years, it took Cambridge's advantage in the overall standings to 42–30. The Oxford men's boat won their race after leading from the start, their fourth victory in five years and taking the overall record in the event to 82–80 in Cambridge's favour.

The races were watched by around a quarter of a million spectators live, more than five million domestic television viewers, and were broadcast around the world by a variety of broadcasters. The two main races were also available for the first time as a live stream using YouTube.