The famous annual rowing race between the British universities of Oxford and Cambridge “The Boat Race” will take on a serious French accent this Saturday. For the first time in history, the presidents of the two teams will be French students with very different profiles: Noam Mouelle and Tobias Bernard.
A moment steeped in history. Nearly 200 years after the first edition in 1829, students from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge will compete for the 171st time this Saturday during the “Boat Race”. Held on the Thames, the famous rowing race will see members of the two clubs compete for British supremacy.
Followed by more than 200,000 spectators and broadcast live on English television, the event so British will however display Blue-White-Red on Saturday. For the first time in history, the French Noam Mouelle and Tobias Bernard will be the presidents (understand the captains) of the two teams, from Cambridge and Oxford respectively.
Mouelle launched in France, Bernard trained in English
Honor to the winner in this little duel in the big meeting. For what will constitute his fourth participation, the first as president, Noam Mouelle will try to offer the light blue boat from Cambridge a fourth success in a row. Originally from the Paris region and more precisely from the town of Perreux-sur-Marne, he discovered rowing there before moving with his family to Brussels. Exiled in England on the side ofImperial College from London then to Cambridge, the oldest of the two captains (24 years old) is pursuing his doctorate in quantum physics. Proud to have been elected president by his teammates, the Frenchman also sees a certain recognition from his peers.
“It’s an honor but at the same time a certain pressure and I think it’s cool that it’s a Frenchman in front too, or a foreigner in general, insists the three-time defending champion of the “Boat Race” at the microphone of RMC Sport. “Because it shows that it doesn’t matter what we’ve done before or where we come from, if we are fully invested in the project, we can lead this team.”
But to sign the pass of four, Noam Mouelle will have to overcome the team led by Tobias Bernard. Born to a French father and a Franco-American mother, the captain of the dark blue boat from Oxford has a slightly different background than his rival. Born in England, the younger of the two captains of the “Boat Race” (23 years old) grew up across the Channel and discovered rowing there during adolescence. After his defeat last year, this chemistry student from Oxford University intends to take his revenge but is also delighted to face a compatriot.
“I think the race remains the same but I find it interesting to have two French presidents. It’s true that Noam is more French than me because he still grew up. He was born in France and I was born in London. But I think that shows that it’s a race quite international, of an international level and that it attracts athletes from everywhere”, welcomes Tobias Bernard for RMC Sport before the prestigious race. “[…] Having two French presidents and Chanel as a sponsor shows that this event attracts an international presence. And for me, that’s great.”
Sporting rivalry stronger than French solidarity
But despite their common nationality, the two students did not really know each other before meeting on the race or in their positions at the head of their respective teams.
“We have never evolved in the same sporting environment. Because rowing is a fairly restricted world where everyone meets each other in competitions,” explains Noam Mouelle. “So no, I’ve never met him before. Now, as he’s president, it’s true that I saw him three or four times during official events and we talked quickly. But otherwise I don’t know him that much.”
Above all, this Saturday on the approximately 6.8km of the “Boat Race”, it will not be a question of being French but of proudly representing Oxford and Cambridge. And if their profiles are different, Tobias Bernard and Noam Mouelle are perfectly matched on this point.
“During the week of the race, the rivalry is very, very strong. I think we will pass each other in the street and normally there is perhaps a moment of recognition but not really more” even details the captain of the Oxford team, Tobias Bernard. “It’s quite nice, this rivalry, because it’s unique and that’s what makes this event count.”
“There is an emotional side, a little irrational, because he is still a student who is in a doctorate and who is very nice. But during this week he is the enemy.”
And Noam Mouelle also clarified about his French opponent: “Two French presidents? No, that doesn’t change anything, there is still a rivalry. The only thing that changes is that I say to myself ‘maybe at one point, we will have to try to exchange a little more because It’s a rare opportunity. But otherwise, it doesn’t change anything at all.
Mouelle en leader of Cambridge, Bernard strategist of Oxford
Both focused on leading their team to victory, Noam Mouelle and Tobias Bernard have slightly different tasks during the university year. Elected at the start of the season at the head of Oxford and Cambridge, both Frenchies of the 2026 “Boat Race” thus had to manage all the logistical issues surrounding travel or the organization of training. But for Noam Mouelle, this status of president is accompanied above all by a role of leader.
“There is a first aspect which is leadership, that is to say being captain of the team. I have been here for three years, this is my fourth year and we have won the last three years so we have to see what the values of the team are, the values that the team holds dear”, says the 24-year-old from Ile-de-France. “It’s identifying these values and trying to preserve them as captain, to pass them on to the new rowers because every year, the majority of the team is renewed. One of the challenges is to succeed in preserving the culture of the team and our values.”
For Tobias Bernard, on the other hand, this role of president is coupled with that of helmsman. And if Noam Mouelle will not develop Cambridge’s race strategy, the president of Oxford will have this double hat.
“The president is more of a role in the club and the coxswain is more of a role in the team,” notes the Londoner by birth.
“My tactical role comes as the coxswain in the boat, in this team of nine. I’ve always been involved in formulating the tactics and I’ve always had discussions with the team about how to run this race. But it’s not really as president that I do that.”
A favorite (a little) under pressure and a challenger ready to take risks
Triple title holder as a teammate, Noam Mouelle knows it: he will have to continue and continue this great series. And if his university currently leads in the number of victories since 1829 (88 against Oxford’s 81 successes and 1 tie), the president of Cambridge concedes a certain pressure behind this favorite status.
“It’s new so it’s not necessarily easy to manage and I’m trying to adapt. […] And this pressure comes from the fact that we don’t want to make a mistake when we are favorites,” Noam Mouelle is wary of RMC Sport. “Because we know that if we don’t manage to win this year, it’s not because we were slower or had less talent, it’s really because we will have done something that we wouldn’t have. to do.”
And if the student from Val-de-Marne fears this pressure, Tobias Bernard relishes this position of outsider: “We know that Cambridge is a very strong team while we are in a phase of improvement and reconstruction. And here we really feel that we have a system which is starting to work and which will provide results. very strong results. So it’s true that there is pressure, but there is also hope.”
“As we are in this rebuilding phase, we can try things, we can change the formula. Whereas maybe a team that is trying to preserve a winning streak has less appetite for risk.”
A Franco-French duel between “anecdote” and history
Added to this is obviously the protocol on the sidelines of the race. In addition to the draw for the station, the line on which each boat will set off, it is Noam Mouelle and Tobias Bernard who find themselves at the center of attention before Saturday’s event. All coupled, obviously, with their studies in establishments that are among the best universities in the world (Oxford and Cambridge rank 4th and 6th in the QS world university rankings).
To the point that, by the two men’s own admission, it represents a real mental load. “Being president adds an extra weight and I feel that I am reaching the limit”, confides Noam Mouelle while Tobias Bernard readily recognizes that “it’s a lot” while constituting a great “challenge”.
“Confronting a French president? That remains an anecdote,” finally insists Noam Mouelle.
“[…] Maybe in several years, I’ll step back and say, yes, that was special. But here, we have our heads a little in the handlebars and frankly that doesn’t change anything.” It remains to be seen which of the two men will win the prestigious “Boat Race” this Saturday on the Thames. And even if Noam Mouelle and Tobias Bernard don’t want to make a big deal out of it, the two Frenchmen will forever share this unprecedented moment where they chaired the Oxford and Cambridge clubs at the same time during one of the most prestigious rowing races in the world.
