Claire Lambe passes Boat Race test with honours

Irish rower Claire Lambe thought she knew all there was to know about hype and hysteria after competing in an Olympic final last September.

Then she came to Cambridge.

On Sunday afternoon Lambe helped the famous university end their losing streak to Oxford in the 72nd edition of the Women’s Boat Race along the Thames.

“I didn’t realise it was going to be as a big a deal as it was. When the eight were selected, I had a bit more of a sense of the enormity of it all, there were media launches, photographers, reporters, camera crews from the BBC.

“The Boat Race has more media coverage than an Olympic final. It has to be seen to be believed,” she said last night.

Seven months ago, Lambe, took sixth in the lightweight double in Rio alongside Sinead Lynch and had a brief taste of the media maelstrom that accompanies such an achievement. But the past month has taken her by surprise.

“The best way I can explain it is to compare it to a boxer who fights as an amateur in the Olympic Games and then turns professional afterwards. Suddenly they find themselves in the media spotlight with promotional work, press conference and all the hype.”

Education, more than rowing, brought Lambe to Cambridge. The 26-year-old studied mechanical engineering at UCD and is now completing an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development at Homerton College.

“Education was the priority but I had worked with the coach Rob Baker during his time in Ireland (as a former national U23 coach) and he had been at me to apply for Cambridge.

"I had devoted so much of my life to the Olympic Games that I was keen to do something to prepare me for life after rowing.”

She continued: “When you are training towards the Olympics, that is the priority, the only focus, whereas in terms of the Boat Race you are trying to balance your training with college, academia and exams. It was a tough eight months.”

It all came down to a matter of minutes on Sunday afternoon. Even the experience of Rio did little to ease Lambe’s nerves.

“The Boat Race is quite a different start to most rowing races because you are starting in a strong current, the oars have to be flicked up and out of the water and the weight of the first stroke is massive, and crucial, because you are against the tide.

"A mistake here can be fatal to your team’s chances as it is a boat stopper and very difficult to recover from. We had done practice in a tank to deal with it but I was quite nervous about what might happen.”

The not so technical term for the worst case scenario is ‘catching a crab’ where a rower loses control of their oar and does not remove it from the water at the end of the stroke and that oar acts as a brake.

That was the misfortune that befell Oxford allowing Lambe’s Cambridge to race ahead and build up an unassailable lead, winning in a record time that was faster than their men’s counterparts last year.

Cambridge eventually secured victory in 18 minutes, 34 seconds and with an 11-length lead. Oxford finished in 19 minutes, five seconds.

The Oxford error left Lambe with mixed emotions: “It was annoying in a way that we didn’t beat them on their best day. But overall our crew executed a fantastic race.”

Yesterday was all about easing the aches and pains of Sunday’s exertions before returning to her studies ahead of a hectic schedule of exams.

“I’m very keen to continue rowing for Ireland but my focus at the moment is on my studies, I have exams all the way to September.

“I will be rowing with Cambridge during the summer and doing my own training to make sure I’m in the best position when I return to Ireland and to international rowing.”