Henley Classic Open Water Varsity 2023
On Sunday 25th June, a team of eight Oxford swimmers gathered in Henley-on-Thames for the annual Oxbridge Open Water Varsity match. The team consisted of Sophie Lawrence, Zoé Faure Beaulieu, Liberty Hunter, Penelope Aggett, David Pugh, Chris Carnegie, Nick Ryan and Open Water Captain Joseph Read. At 05:40, with the sun rising behind them, they set off upstream along the course of the Henley Regatta for a straight 2.1km race. Victory is awarded to the team with the lowest cumulative time across the first three female and first three open swimmers. The race was well swum by both teams, ending with a 45-second difference in the sums of times (each totalling over four hours), but a brilliant effort from the Oxford team saw victory for dark blue.
Further success came for individuals on the team, with David Pugh taking first and Sophie Lawrence taking third in the men’s and women’s non-wetsuit categories respectively. The event also marked the first time representing Oxford in open water for the majority of the team, and we hope to see them return in years to come.
