Australian Jack Robertson is raring to make optimistic headlines for his nation when he represents Oxford in Sunday’s Boat Race in London.
The historic occasion will return to its typical River Thames residence after the 2021 version passed off at Ely’s River Nice Ouse with out spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will likely be the 167th males’s and 76th girls’s Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford this weekend with Robertson, who’s learning a masters in sociology, proud to proceed a protracted custom of his countrymen by competing within the annual college race.
Robertson is effectively conscious of the historical past behind this occasion and insisted his boat can be prepared for any problem through the 4.2-mile course between Putney and Mortlake in a nod to when compatriot Trenton Oldfield staged a lone protest close to Chiswick Pier that produced a 30-minute delay in 2012.
“We definitely do our analysis and we all know each few years one thing extraordinarily uncommon occurs like that,” Robertson instructed the PA information company.
“We have now ready for all these sorts of situations. We have now watched just about each race again to the 70s so we’re effectively versed in what can go mistaken on boat race day from restarts, sinking, all these loopy issues together with a swimming protestor.
“All this sort of stuff, something that’s an exterior issue, can be labored with on the day as a result of we look ahead to any challenges that could be offered.”
Robertson is certainly one of two rowers from his nation concerned on this 12 months’s race with Annie Anezakis within the Oxford girls’s crew.
He mentioned: “Everybody within the rowing neighborhood in Australia is conscious of the Boat Race and each couple of years we’ve somebody in it.
Trenton Oldfield after he quickly halted the 158th Boat Race (Anthony Devlin/PA)
(PA Archive)
“Sam Hookway received it in 2019 with Cambridge and Aussies fairly often seem and it’s one thing definitely the youthful rowers in Australia aspire to go on and do at some point.”
The problem going through Robertson in what’s prone to be a once-in-a-lifetime alternative can be to assist Oxford finish a run of three consecutive defeats.
A return to extra acquainted environment after Cambridge’s residence benefit of Ely final April might assist and the darkish blues additionally weigh 35.6 kilograms greater than their rivals.
“Within the higher rowing neighborhood, not simply Cambridge and Oxford, there may be undoubtedly a constructing sense of pleasure that it’s again at Tideway and again at this historic course,” Robertson added.
“I believe as a result of there may be a lot historical past it’d carry a bit extra which means than final 12 months’s race too.
Within the higher rowing neighborhood, not simply Cambridge and Oxford, there may be undoubtedly a constructing sense of pleasure that it’s again at Tideway and again at this historic course
Oxford rower Jack Robertson
“For somebody that’s new this 12 months and searching on the historic outcomes, that’s type of the best way it goes. You have got these ebbs and flows of every membership profitable however the pendulum swings each few years.
“It’s not uncommon for a membership to have three, 4 or 5 wins in a row however we all know the pendulum will swing for us this 12 months and we’re right here to vary the development that has occurred for the final three races by doing every part we will.”
Earlier than Sunday’s race Robertson has acquired recommendation from Olympic medallist Jake Wetzel, who helped Oxford win the 2006 Boat Race.
Similarities between the pair are straightforward to attract after they each studied at The College of California in Berkeley through the infancy of their rowing careers.
Robertson revealed: “I truly met Jake just a few years in the past once I was a bit youthful and he additionally went to the place I went for my undergraduate course within the US at California, Berkeley so I’ve very a lot adopted in his footsteps.
“In fact I hope to emulate his achievements and I’ve truly been speaking to him over the previous couple of days. He has had some good phrases of knowledge which have been actually helpful when it comes to dealing with the strain and rising to the event.”
