• 160th Boat Race

Oxford storm to emphatic Boat Race victory

Following Oxford's latest victory, the overall series now stands at 81-78 in Cambridge's favour © Getty Images

Enlarge

Oxford enjoyed their fifth Boat Race victory in seven years after they stormed to an emphatic triumph over University rivals Cambridge on Sunday.

Going into the 160th edition of the race, Oxford were odds-on favourites to claim a second successive victory on the River Thames.

The Dark Blues shot into an unassailable lead after a controversial collision occurred five minutes into the race and, despite Cambridge protesting the decision after they crossed the line, the result was confirmed by referee Richard Phelps.

Oxford moved into an early lead and, as the boats moved closer together, Cambridge were warned by Phelps with little over a minute on the timer. The Light Blues fought back and soon moved into a three-quarters-of-a-length lead.

Oxford soon regained the advantage and Cambridge were issued another warning for moving too close. Controversy then ensued as the boats clashed, with Cambridge's number two oar Luke Juckett appearing to catch rival Sam O'Connor's seventh oar.

As a result, Juckett fell briefly from his seat, which allowed Oxford to power to an 11-length victory and reduce the deficit to 81-78 in the overall series.

Juckett later revealed the collision had broken the rigger on his oar and told BBC Sport: "Clashing is part of the race. It happened and flipped my blade over, broke my rigger and that definitely didn't help things but you keep your head high and move on."

The result confirmed the biggest winning margin since 1973, with the time clocked at 18 minutes 36 seconds. Oxford also enjoyed victory in the Women's Boat Race and Reserve race.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd