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Monday, 4 March, 2002, 16:23 GMT
Your tributes to Oxford
Oxford win the 148th Boat Race with a sprint finish in front of a worldwide audience of 500 million.
Send us your reactions to a thrilling race.
As defending champions, Cambridge were favourites to win the 2002 Boat Race.
But Oxford had other ideas, and despite Cambridge holding a narrow lead throughout most of the race, the Dark Blues had enough in reserve to overtake at the last.
Clocking a winning time of 16.54, they crossed the line just two seconds ahead of Cambridge.
Send us your reactions to the action.
Congratulations to Oxford and Cambridge. Almost a photo finish and a real achievement for both teams. A massive triumph for Oxford considering their recent record against Cambridge.
I hate to point the finger but.... Cambridge's number four lost it for them. 98% of the time the crew in the lead at Barnes Bridge will win. This year was an exception. TV commentators were far too polite. On the few occasions when there's a clear reason for a victory, the real story should be told, as harsh as that sounds. Nothing new here though, "a crew are only as good as its weakest member". A great race to watch!
Many congratulations to the Isis. A great and fantastic success!
A superb race in every way, and viewed from the angle of a former college cox, immensely impressive coxing from both boats!
A thrilling race...Oxford did not just win, but won with unmatched energy and determination.
As an Oxford student in exile in Nizhny Novgorod, I was delighted to hear the result, and only sad that I wasn't able to cheer on the team in person!
Congratulations Oxford! I couldn't have been prouder, it was so nice to see the crew rewarded for all the gruelling hours they put in, whilst keeping a degree going too. Let's not forget the Isis crew either - Dave, you were awesome!
I just watched the race over the Internet. Great stuff Oxford. I was at Oxford (Wadham, 1979) in the heady days of Dan Mahoney and Boris Rankov, but I don't think I have seen a more exciting race. Makes me wish I could get home more often!
It was a great success. Teamwork and tenacity are indeed the key.
Stick to them for the next race!
Brilliant race and a well deserved win. It was nice to see someone from Keeble College rowing (my son was at Keeble 1996-1999).
Well done Oxford, especially the Pembrokians, Ben Burch and Bas Dixon. You've pulled our name out of the mud today!
An amazing race, and a great job by Oxford, whom I always support despite never having been there and my family rooting for Cambridge but it's fun to rebel, isn't it. Congrats to Eggenkamp, undoubtedly the first of many to come!
I've only one word to say...BRILLIANT!!!
The boat race has never seemed so gruelling and has rarely been so gripping. This year of plenty should help me through any years rather leaner in victory. Sterling work Oxford!
What a smashing event, so typically British! Makes me very proud to a person from this country that dreamed up the race. I am a father of four adult children, and with my wife and I are equally split between Oxford and Cambridge. I was leaping about like the proverbial maniac, willing Oxford on. What a magnificent triumph. What a great sporting spectacle, so informatively presented to us by the much-maligned BBC!
A fantastic race - and a clean sweep for Oxford! Well done to all seven Dark Blue crews.
It was thrilling to watch the race on several screens in Debenhams, Oxford city centre! A small crowd gathered to watch and cheer on Oxford. It was very close throughout, and the final part was very exciting to see Oxford take the lead. Well done to the lady who turned up the volume so we could hear the commentary!
I've followed the Boat Race for 70 years. It never fails to thrill me especially when Oxford win. But this year what a performance and what guts!
Viva Oxford! From an ex-alumna - Lady Margaret Hall 1955-59
Congratulations, Oxford! Many Dutch rowers have been cheering you on from behind their TV set - and we say "heel goed gedaan" to our countryman Eggenkamp.
Congrats to Oxford and especially to G. J Eggenkamp for becoming the first Dutchman to win this race!
Oxford showed true grit today, holding on to Cambridge the whole way and never thinking they were beaten. It paid off when they rowed through Cambridge after 15 minutes of Herculean effort. With Isis winning it's now 7-0 to Oxford in the rowing stakes this year. There's going to be some Dark Blue parties tonight.
Well done Oxford, it was certainly a nail-biter; I thought we had it in the bag from the start despite what the BBC pre-race columns said. Then we lost it, but we pulled through in the end-very exciting!
Today, these oarsmen's sagacious triumph gave a vivid lesson, in which fortitude, confidence and ceaseless endeavour pave the road to success.
I'm proud of you lads, thank you for your contribution for Oxford.
My connection with Oxford was as a participant in a three-week summer programme back in 1998. Yet that was enough to get me simply hooked on the place. It was a truly brilliant race and wonderful to see the Dark Blues take the trophy.
It is a marvellous achievement for Oxford, though no more than they deserve.
To win a race from the start shows you are a fast crew, but to row through your opposition shows you have the heart to conquer anything. Well done Oxford!
Wooohoooo! Nice one Oxford. They showed a lot of mental and physical ability to pull that off!
Eggenkamp een dikke tien. Fantastic, what a team effort, getting them at the last bend.
What guts from Oxford. They refused to come second and they pushed Cambridge so hard that one of the Light Blues 'blew up' through exhaustion. To have rowed through from behind and never lost faith is testament to their character. If only every Boat Race was as interesting as this!
Great race, Oxford. I have waited a long time for this.
A lot of things that are done well look easy. The race today pushed the crews to the limit and we had a glimpse of just how hard that race really is. Incidentally, to the chap who said 'professional rowers know it's a joke': the Cambridge man at four who could not even put his blade in at the end was Sebastian Meyer - an international. Ask him if that race was a joke. Well done to a tenacious Oxford boat.
What a cracking race - a truly brilliant victory from a spirited crew! Well done Oxford!
What a race! Great to be back home in Mortlake after 26 years thanks to the internet. All the drama was there and this year was certainly a year of real skill by BOTH crews! So much to learn from this year's race! But Dad, can I hear you say one more time...Who won?! O-X-F-O-R-D! And thanks everyone for putting on the service!
A great race! Less than one boat's length seems almost negligible compared to the distance rowed - but winning is what sports are about.
A gladiatorial event that will be remembered for years to come. Oxford's comeback was awe-inspiring. This is what sport is really all about, can't wait for next year's race.
Oxford kept their heads and their length to pull off the victory. The coxes too played a part with aggressive steering around all the bends. I am very happy for Sean Bowden. He seems to be coming into his own at Oxford, four years into his reign as head coach. He, if anyone, deserves the plaudits of Oxford's victory.
Well I think it is safe to say that Oxford's boat club had an absolute triumph this year, sweeping all the Cambridge teams in their wake. Even more satisfyingly, Isis showed Cambridge how to row the Middlesex station. Shows that stacking your team with so many old internationals doesn't always win you the race. Come on Oxford!!
Fantastic, Oxford. Congratulations.
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