Oxford confirm illnesses before Boat Race but stop short of blaming pollution

Boat Race athletes stand by the dirty water at the finish where the coxes are usually thrown in. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Oxford University Boat Club have confirmed three members of their men’s team were suffering from a stomach bug before their Boat Race defeat by Cambridge on Saturday, but said they could not identify the specific cause.

Following a double success for the light blue of Cambridge in the women’s and men’s events Lenny Jenkins, the Oxford men’s seven seat, said: “We’ve had a few guys go down pretty badly with E coli strain … It would have been ideal not to have so much poo in the water.”