St Hilda's College
Emily Molins rowed into victory with the Dark Blues team at the 2026 Boat Race on Saturday 4th April. Here she shares her story of rowing and winning...
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a first-year DPhil student in Statistics, and this was my first year rowing with the Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC). This April marked my first Boat Race, where I rowed in 2 seat after spending most of the year in the bow pair. Away from the water, my DPhil is based at the Ellison Institute of Technology, where my research focuses on AI and clinical decision support systems.
What was it like to be in the winning Oxford crew?
It was an incredibly joyful and rewarding experience. I have so much love for my boatmates and coaches, and getting to celebrate the first win since 2016 together was truly special. The race itself was a bit of a beast, with challenging winds and wavy conditions hitting us halfway. But being bookended by Heidi Long in stroke and Annie Anezakis in bow gave the whole boat a sense of grit and confidence that never wavered.
How did you prepare for the Boat Race?
As a team, OUBC trains around twelve sessions per week across on-the-water rowing, erging, and weights. Training officially began back in September, where we competed in head races both domestically and at the Head of the Charles in Boston. After Trial VIIIs in December, we reconvened in Ourense, Spain for our winter training camp. From there the season ramped up quickly, culminating in a series of fixtures this spring against other UK crews, which gave us valuable experience navigating the Tideway.
For me personally, the mental side mattered just as much as the physical. I had taken the year prior away from rowing after finishing my collegiate eligibility in the U.S. in 2024, so I came into this year feeling genuinely recharged. I think that kind of reset can be just as important as any training block.
What’s it like to study and row on the Blues team?
I personally appreciate the balance between academics and athletics. It's how I've spent most of my years in the U.S. through both my undergrad and masters, so doing both feels normal. I also do really love both, so neither ever feels like a sacrifice. Rowing fills one part of me and my academic work fills another, and I’m mostly grateful to have found two things that feel worth investing in so fully. It also helps enormously that my two supervisors are supportive of my rowing, working around my schedule so I can give my best to both.
Beyond that, the basics matter a lot. I'm quite protective of my evening hours and deliberate about sleep, nutrition, and mindfulness. When you're asking a lot of your body and mind, taking care of them both is what makes everything else sustainable.
How long have you been rowing and how did you get into it?
I started rowing in my first year of high school, so I'm approaching twelve years in the sport now. I come from an athletic family, and sports was a big part of my childhood growing up. After being diagnosed with an AVM in middle school I stepped away from contact sports, and rowing turned
out to be a perfect fit: non-contact, low-impact, and yet demanding in all the ways I loved. I went on to row for Stanford University on the women's lightweight rowing team, and spent two summers competing with the U.S. U23 national team. And now somehow here we are, racing for Oxford… I feel very lucky!
What would you say to any aspiring rowers?
Just try it. I think my first 2k way back when was well over 10 minutes (oof!), but I fell in love with the team and with the feeling of working toward something together. That sense of connection and shared effort is what kept me coming back. Rowing has a way of surprising you. If you show up with commitment and stay grounded in why you love it, the progress will follow. So don't overthink it.
And finally one thing you’ll take away from winning the Boat Race?
It’s important to believe in yourself, too. Looking back to September, I remember the nerves of joining a new team after time away from the sport, and the uncertainty of transitioning from lightweight to openweight rowing. There were moments that didn't feel straightforward or comfortable. But I tried to lean into curiosity rather than doubt, and I knew that if I never gave it a go, I'd always wonder what if. So I focused on what I could control, which meant that whatever happened, I would have no regrets.
Words by Emily Molins
Photography by AllMarkOne and The Boat Race
