| 158th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) The Oxford (left) and Cambridge (right) boats near Hammersmith Bridge during the race | |||
| Date | 7 April 2012 | ||
| Winner | Cambridge | ||
| Margin of victory | 4+1⁄4 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 17 minutes 23 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 81–76 | ||
| Umpire | John Garrett (Cambridge) | ||
| Other races | |||
| Reserve winner | Isis | ||
| Women's winner | Cambridge | ||
| |||
The 158th Boat Race took place on 7 April 2012. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames in London. Despite Cambridge having the heavier crew, Oxford were pre-race favourites having had a successful preparation period, including a victory over Leander. Cambridge won the toss and chose to start on the Surrey side of the river. Partway through, with the boats level, the race was temporarily halted to avoid injury to protester Trenton Oldfield, who swam in front of the two crews. After the race was restarted, one of the Oxford crew suffered irreparable damage to his blade following a clash of oars with the Cambridge boat, ending Oxford's chances of victory. The race was eventually won by Cambridge by 4+1⁄4 lengths, in a consolidated time of 17 minutes 23 seconds.
Immediately after completing the race, a member of the Oxford crew collapsed, but later recovered. Oldfield was later jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance, and as a result of the disruption, security for subsequent Boat Races was increased. The reserve race was won by Oxford's Isis in a record time, while the Women's Boat Race was won by Cambridge.