The last 10 strokes: Annie on Oxford’s historic boat race win

Crossing the line in first place is something all rowers dream of, but few get to experience. For Annie, this was not just a moment, but a sensation that she pursued for years, which she was only able to fully comprehend when it finally happened. 

Annie Anezakis is a third-year Graduate-Entry Medicine (Pembroke). Originally from Melbourne, Australia, she returned to the University of Oxford after completing a MSc in Pharmacology, during which she experienced her first Boat Race in 2022.  

On her fourth attempt and after years of hard work and belief, Annie was part of the winning women’s team at the 2026 Boat Race.

"You're a part of that legacy and in wearing dark blue, you're representing all the women that have come before you and all the women who will come after you. And I think that is a massive source of pride." Annie Anezakis

The last 10 strokes 

Can you walk me through the race from your seat: what were you thinking and feeling in the final minutes? 

You'd think that when you're ahead and, in the lead, you can relax and enjoy that feeling of being in front. But I think the biggest mistake you can make is being complacent. And so, I actually don't think it was until the last 10 strokes of the entire race that I realised we were going to win it.  

I've done a lot of Boat Races where I've been in the boat trailing behind. So, to be the boat that was ahead was, unfortunately, a unique experience for me. But I guess you're more in control of the race, and you have to keep doing what you've been doing every single stroke and just keep trusting yourself and everyone else in the crew. Obviously, it's a lot more fun being ahead than being behind. I did try and take it in as much as I could. And then crossing the line first was just. I can't even put it into words. It was the best feeling of my entire life.

Striking the balance 

Were there moments where academic and sporting pressures collided, and how did you navigate that? 

It's extremely challenging, especially here at Oxford, to balance both rowing and medicine. It's been the toughest balance I've ever had to strike, but I think I've gotten better at it every year. Part of that is I've got incredible supervisors and people around me, both in my college and in the medical school, who have been really supportive. I think that traditionally there was less emphasis or focus on how to support student athletes at Oxford, in contrast to college programmes in the US, but that this has really changed now. I've really found that everyone involved in my academic journey here has recognised how much rowing actually adds to my academic success rather than detracting from it. Time management is another really important part of it. I train very early in the morning at 6.30am and then I go off to placement all day, and then I'm back in the gym by 6pm. The days are really long and the time that you get, either not on placement or in a lecture and not at rowing, has to be worth it; you have to be really diligent with what you do. 

I was particularly fortunate with my placement supervisors in the weeks prior to the race. It was extra special for me to share time on wards with Oxford Medical alumni Alex Woods (St John's 2002) and Zoe de Toledo (St Catz 2010), who had both competed in a rather dramatic Boat Race in 2012. All doctors on the wards try to make sure you are maximising your experience, but having their support and understanding in the buildup to the race was really important. It made me feel that they had taken me ‘under their wings’. 

Teamwork from the boat to the ward 

Do skills from rowing carry over into your medical training? 

Definitely. Rowing is probably what people call the ultimate team sport in terms of having to get nine people in the boat working in perfect unison. I think that teamwork element I absolutely take into when I'm working in clinical teams. It has given me skills on how to foster good teams, but I also just really appreciate being in a team, having people around me and being able to learn from others.  

Then there is the intensity of it. I'm quite inclined to go into surgery. It reminds me a lot of rowing. I think it's very practical, very hands-on. You are refining a technique over and over again. People give you different pros and cons of surgery and medicine. But one common criticism about surgery is that may perform the same procedure for the rest of your career. But I kind of love that. I love honing the same skills and just trying to become the best at what I do in one area every single day. 

And finally, in terms of leadership. I was president of the women's team last year and it was great for fostering leadership skills. My leadership style is quite vocal and enthusiastic, and I think it can also shine through in medicine when you need someone to take charge or when there are hard days on the wards or things might not be going to plan. I've learned how to keep the group moving forward in times like that as well. 

When you sign up to rowing or a career in medicine, you are signing up to the days that are going to be amazing and exciting and you're saving lives or you're winning races and then there are going to be days where training doesn't go to plan or the days are busy and long, but you learn how to work through those things, and I think that's just as rewarding. 

Believe in yourself 

How do you think this experience will shape the kind of doctor you become? 

The biggest takeaway I've had from my time on the team and leading to the win is the idea of grit, sustained effort and commitment to a goal over time. I think medicine or surgery, they're both very long career paths, and it might feel like you never reach that end point. I have the mindset now to work towards goals that might feel 10 years in the future. I'm now comfortable with just chipping away and doing my best every single day with confidence and faith. That is all I need to do, and I can believe I will get there in the end, whatever that end goal may be.  

Doing it for the women who came before

If you could say something to Oxford alumni who watched or supported the race, what would it be? 

Firstly, I would say thank you for all the support because it really felt this year like the Oxford community was behind us, I think, more than I've ever felt before. After a nine-year losing streak, I think people just knew that we needed that extra bit of support from the wider community, and we did really feel that.  

Our training is very much driven by a desire to make the alumni proud and to do them justice almost. Last year when I was President, having done so many previous Boat Races, a big part of my motivation for the team was, doing it for the women that came before us and the women that have built this programme and put in the blood, sweat and tears, but still maybe not gotten the result. And that was a driver again this year. I even saw alumni in the lead up to the race and after the race and told them that, this result wasn't just this year's crew and this year's team. It was for all the alumni that have been a part of this programme.