Farnham’s Ella Stadler will step out in the dark blue colours of Oxford University on Saturday to compete in this year’s Boat Race.

Ella, 24, a former pupil of St Polycarp’s and All Hallows schools, will represent Oxford in the 78th Women’s Boat Race against Cambridge, on the famous 6.8km championship course along the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake.

Ella said: “When I was a teenager, my dad kept telling me I’d be good at rowing. Naturally, I didn’t take it up, not wanting to prove him right. In 2019, I watched the Boat Race with him, having just received my Oxford undergrad offer, and it was the first rowing I’d ever seen. On that day, I reluctantly agreed that when I moved up to Exeter College, I’d attend my college boat club’s taster session, but insisted I wouldn’t be any good and probably wouldn’t like it. I got a bit hooked!”

Having graduated with a BA in history in the summer of 2022, Ella has remained at Oxford to study for a Masters (M.Phil) in the history of science, medicine and technology, and to row. Having rowed in the Blue Boat in 2023, Ella embarked on a second consecutive year of gruelling training 12 times per week, and was elected as the first women’s president of the newly-amalgamated Oxford University Boat Club for the 2023-24 season.

On the back of six consecutive losses for Oxford Women and a whitewash defeat in 2023, Ella and her squad are determined to turn the tide.

Ella added: “The 2024 Boat Race is our opportunity to leave an indelible mark on history.”