First woman umpire of Boat Race on traditional course

FORMER Olympic rower Sarah Winckless is set to become the first woman to umpire the Men’s Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on its traditional Tideway course.

Winckless, 51, who is a member of Henley Rowing Club, will officiate the world-famous race in the spring on its championship course between Mortlake and Putney in London.

She previously umpired the race in 2021, following the pandemic, when it was moved temporarily to Ely in Cambridgeshire due to safety concerns over Hammersmith Bridge.

Winckless, a Cambridge graduate, won the women’s race three times during her time at the university, between 1995 and 1997 and went on to win Olympic bronze in the double sculls during the 2004 Athens Games and held the title of world champion in the women’s quad in 2005 and 2006.

She described the boat race as formative in her decision to pursue rowing full-time and the opportunity to umpire the race as “really exciting”. She said: “It’s something that is a massive privilege and it comes with a feeling of control but jeopardy at the same time.

“It’s a big event for the athletes, the coaches, and the club, and you want to do a great job to be able to let the athletes show the work they’ve done and not make the umpire be the person talked about.”

Winckless’s father, Bob, and stepfather, Mike, are Cambridge alumni and competed in the Boat Race during their time at the university. Her first Boat Race in 1995 was held in Henley as it was not until 2015 the women’s race was held on the Tideway course.

Winckless recalled: “We stayed in a house just by Leander’s car park with a local family who became lifelong friends.

“I felt incredibly fortunate being selected and so I had this crew that I didn’t want to let down and I didn’t want to make a mistake.”

At the end of the race, the Cambridge crew beat their Oxford rivals by a length and a half.

Winckless said: “Winning was just the biggest feeling of elation because I had been so scared of the process and the experience. To have achieved what we dreamt of was amazing. Side-by-side racing is an extraordinary thing to do and to test yourself against another crew that’s been working just as hard with a singular focus is fantastic.

“For me it was massive because it made me fall in love with the sport. It definitely changed the course of my life.”

Winckless, who lives in Maidenhead, first started umpiring after being made a steward of Henley Royal Regatta in 2012.

After completing her training she became the first ever female umpire at the regatta in 2016.

She said: “We’re seeing men and women umpire both men’s and women’s racing and it’s a much more inclusive system, which I think can only be a good thing.”

Winckless described the umpire’s role as one with a lot of responsibility. She said: “You hope that you don’t have to make tough calls.

“You hope that if you need to warn the crews to move they’re able to put themselves in the right place on the water not to risk disqualification. However, you can’t take up the umpire flag without knowing that could be an outcome of your role and you have to be prepared to do that if things go that way.”

The Boat Race will take place on Sunday, April 13.