Partway through, with the boats level, the race was temporarily halted to avoid injury to protester Trenton Oldfield, who swam in front of the two crews.

Oldfield was later jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance, and as a result of the disruption, security for subsequent Boat Races was increased.

[6][7] Oxford were pre-race favourites, having beaten Leander, Molesey Boat Club and a German national under-23 crew in the previous weeks.

The remainder of the Cambridge crew comprised three Americans, two Australians, a German, a New Zealander and cox Ed Bosson, another Briton.

[20] Despite rating higher and taking an early lead, Goldie was caught by Isis between Fulham Football Club and Hammersmith Bridge at Barn Elms.

[22][23] Trenton Oldfield, a protester against class elitism, had swum in front of the boats as they headed into the final bend, and narrowly avoided being struck.

[26] In an official statement after the race, he said "there was nothing in the appeal to alter the material consideration that Cambridge were correctly on their station at the time of the contact, and that Oxford had therefore been responsible for the foul".

[30] Largely unnoticed while the appeal was occurring, Oxford's bow man, Alex Woods, had collapsed and lost consciousness.

Finishing the race there was a lot of raw emotion and some of the celebrations seem pathetic in retrospect" while his coach Steve Trapmore commented "it's not the way anyone wants to take away the win".

[24] The Observer described the race as "one of the most bizarre and dramatic in the competition's history",[33] while The Daily Telegraph suggested the event had been "ruined" and described Cambridge's victory as "hollow".

[22] British Olympic Association chairman and former Blue Colin Moynihan claimed that the race was " effectively destroyed ... by the actions of a crazy guy who was hugely putting his life at risk".

[34] Oldfield, an Australian national, said he was making "a protest against inequalities in British society, government cuts, reductions in civil liberties and a culture of elitism".

[37] On his blog, Oldfield compared his actions to those of Emily Davison, the suffragette killed after stepping in front of the King's horse at The Derby in 1913.

[40][41] In June 2013, he was refused leave to remain in the United Kingdom, the Home Office claiming his presence there was not "conducive to the public good".