The Boat Race is gearing up to see Oxford and Cambridge battle it out on the water – but there’s one glamorous teammate who said she’d do anything to take the crown for her university
A rower set to take part in the Boat Race reveals she’d so anything – including ‘selling her soul to the devil’ to beat Cambridge at the famous competition.
Annie Anezakis is the women’s president of the Oxford University Boat Club. The glamorous athlete will battle to take victory over Cambridge in the 79th Women’s Boat Race. However, the boating beauty has caught attention off the water as well as with her talent in the boat. She recently featured in a promotional video posted by the official Boat Race social media team, and made her competitive intentions clear.
In the video, she sat down for an interview in her navy Oxford rowing jacket. She said: “I will sell my soul to the devil to win this race.”
The 168cm-tall medic, currently studying at Oxford’s Pembroke College, has made a name for herself on social media. Hailing from Australia, her social media account shows snaps from rowing and behind-the-scenes shots off her life.
She is currently in her second year of graduate Entry Medicine. The 26-year-old has already rowed in two Blue Boats, in 2022 and 2024, and is now excited for the chance to lead her team in the battle on the Thames.
“My favourite part of rowing is racing,” she wrote on her Boat Race profile. “And the daily challenge of doing everything I can to put myself and my teammates in the best possible position on race day.”
Annie is no stranger to the game, either, having first got into rowing in 2012 while living in Melbourne. She credits Australian Olympic legends like Stephanie Rice and Libby Trickett as her inspirations, after watching them shine at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Her life is jam-packed, too. Not only does she have to complete 12 training sessions a week, Annie is also studying full time alongside her sporting commitments.
She added: “Being a part of the Boat Race squad definitely makes student life a bit more challenging.
“But it is entirely worth it for the lifelong friendships and memories you make along the way.”
The 2025 Boat Race takes place today (Sunday, April 13) with the women’s race starting at 1.21pm on the Thames.
It will be the 79th edition of the Women’s Boat Race and the 170th time the men’s crews have competed. Traditionally, both fixtures are steeped in a fierce rivalry.
Cambridge currently lead both series: 48-30 in the women’s race and 87-81 in the men’s, though Oxford will be hoping to close the gap with a strong showing this year. The event spans 4.25 miles of the tidal Thames, from Putney to Mortlake.
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