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Returning Cambridge rower Luca Ferraro believes the reason people flock to the Boat Race year after year is to see sport in its “purest form”.
The 22-year-old Classics student was part of the team that beat Oxford to win the edition last year, continuing the light blue boat's dominant run which has seen them emerge victorious in four of the last five years.
Ferraro, who became world champion in the men's eight with the British under-23 team last summer, is switching from stroke to the sevens for his third boat race and was one of 36 athletes named to the teams for the 78th women's and 169th men's eights on Tuesday evening Men's races have been called races to take place on March 30th.
He told the PA news agency: “It really feels like a new race, a new group, the dynamics change so much every year and that's part of the fun. “It's a new challenge. I'm really excited to get out there and see if we can defend our title.
“The boat race is so random. There are so many variables. Anything can happen on this day, so it's quite difficult to prepare in that sense other than just be ready for anything. That's why I'm very excited to see what twists and turns will happen.
“His appeal is so hard to pin down. It depends on so many different factors – tradition and history play a big role. It's that iconic university rivalry; it's Oxford, it's Cambridge.
“I really believe that in a world where sport is so flashy – it's so well known these days, there's so much money at stake – boat racing is still sport in its purest form.
“It's almost spartan. It's just you and the other guys and you have to be faster than them if you want to win. There’s something super primal about it.”
Ferraro's Cambridge team has five players returning to defend their title in 2023, while Oxford only has one left from last year's defeat.
After the weigh-in – in which only the men take part – there was little to say between the rivals: Oxford weighed an average of 92kg, only half a kilogram heavier than their Cambridge rivals.
The women's crews are also made up of a mix of experienced and returning crew members, with 20 Brits taking part on all four men's and women's boats, with others coming from countries including France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.
This year, the Boat Race is taking inspiration from Drive to Survive and other sports documentaries and launching a behind-the-scenes YouTube series ahead of the race.
Cambridge has dominated the women's race for the last six years, but Oxford's Annie Sharp is confident her crew has what it takes to turn the tide.
Sharp, a first-time MSc Water Science and Policy Management student from Oxford Reserve, told PA: “We’ve had a really good season and really good vibes from day one.
“We’re definitely excited about the opportunity to go side by side and see what we can do.”
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