Boat Race 2026: Freischem sisters in opposite crews for Thames event

When Mia Freischem takes part in the 80th Women’s Boat Race, she will – for a short time – be leaving family loyalties, as well as her tracksuit and waders, by the side of the Thames.

The 24-year-old will be part of a Cambridge crew looking for a ninth successive win in the event.

But when she looks across at the Oxford boat as they wait at the start line, she will see a very familiar face – her older sister Lilli.

“From the moment we realised it could be a possibility that we were racing each other, I think we were both just so excited and, if anything, it made us work harder to try to make it happen,” said Mia.

“It’s just such a special thing to know that you get to race against someone that you know so well. Since this is Lilli’s last year of her PhD, this is the race for the ultimate bragging rights.”

Lilli had the number two seat in the Oxford boat last year when they were beaten by 7.72 seconds over the 4.2-mile Putney to Chiswick course.

This year she will be at number three, with Mia at seven for the Light Blues, having been in the reserve crew 12 months ago.

The pair were undergraduate rowers at the University of Edinburgh before taking opposite Varsity paths to study for doctorates – Mia in surgery and Lilli in atmospheric physics.

Mia said the sisters have found ways of discussing their rowing with each other without revealing how their different clubs are approaching the Boat Race.

She added: “It’s more about how we can support each other as athletes and as people.”

The Freischems are the first sisters to take part in the race in opposite boats since Emma and Nicola Payne in 2004.

And they gave their parents special half-Oxford, half-Cambridge sweaters for the occasion at Christmas.

“We made sure they could support us without having to choose,” Mia added.

The women’s race starts at 14:21 BST on Saturday, with the 171st men’s event following an hour later, in which Cambridge will be seeking their fourth victory in a row.