SORE LOO-SER?
Devastated Oxford Boat Race rower gives disgusting and bizarre reason for defeat in interview live on BBC
The rower's comments come following a warning about the issue prior to the race
ONE Oxford rower has claimed there is a disgusting reason why he and his team-mates struggled to compete after being beaten in the Boat Race.
Leonard Jenkins claims the large amounts of human faeces in the River Thames played a part in Oxford's loss - but admitted Cambridge deserved to win anyway.
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Cambridge were victorious for the the second year running getting the better of their Oxbridge opponents with relative ease.
But Oxford's seven seat, Jenkins, has suggested that the dirtied water in London was the reason his team were unable to reclaim the bragging rights for the first time since 2022.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "It’s been a great battle with the guys, everybody’s put everything into it and I couldn’t be prouder of them.
"It’s a shame the results didn’t show that, but Cambridge showed their class, they’re a top group of athletes. They did to us what we wanted to do to them.
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"I really didn’t expect it to be such a big difference [between the two teams]. I will also say – and this is in no way to take away from Cambridge – that we’ve had a few guys go down pretty badly with E coli strain."
Jenkins went on to explain that the excrement that has been leaking into the Thames river has caused a number of rowers, including himself, to suffer with the infection linked to human faeces.
He added: "This morning I was throwing up and I wasn’t sure if there was going to be chance of me being in the boat, but I ultimately kept that quiet and that’s on my shoulders.
"I’m not sure if that was the right choice as I really didn’t have much to give.
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"It would have been taking one of the top guys out of Isis [the Oxford reserve boat] and ruining their chances. It would have been ideal to not have so much poo in the water."
Although he made it clear that he was not making excuses for the loss and credited Cambridge for their success on the water.
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He explained: "That’s not to take away from Cambridge. They are a talented crew and I don’t know if we would have had a chance to get them even if we were on form. So it’s in no way to make excuses.”
Jenkins' comments came after the teams had been warned not to carry out the traditional cox dunk by the Boat Race organisers due to high levels of water pollution.
The issue was raised following the discovery of high levels of E Coli bacteria in the water in the weeks leading up to the race.
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