UZH Victorious in 66th Uni-Poly Rowing Regatta

And they only needed two legs to do it! UZH dominated the 66th edition of the UNI-POLY rowing regatta, which was held on Saturday. The UZH rowers won the first two legs of the alumni, professors’, and women’s races, which meant that deciding third legs were not needed. The only win for the ETH Zurich rowers came in the men’s category.

But it was the women’s team that celebrated their victory the most – it was their first victory in 10 years and only their second overall. Female students of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich have only been taking part in the race since 2001 (see box).

Perfect conditions and an incident

On Saturday, the conditions on the 600-meter stretch between the lower lake and Zurich town hall were perfect: Mild temperatures, minimal currents, and an almost smooth water surface.

Following the races in the traditional categories, the many spectators were treated to a special spectacle: The UNI-POLY rowing regatta was to feature the first-ever race between 16-scull racing boats worldwide. Unfortunately, due to an incident caused by heavy swell, the Poly boat was damaged on its way to the starting line. The ETH rowing team thus had to reduce their team and compete in a racing shell for 12. As a result, the UZH boat won the race by a considerable margin.

Rowing duel steeped in tradition

The rowing duel between students of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich has been staged since 1945. It was modelled on the legendary boat races between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge on the River Thames. Races between the two universities’ female students (from 2001), professors (from 2006) and alumni (from 2013) were added at a later stage.