| 136th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 31 March 1990 | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 2 and 1/4 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 17 minutes 22 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
69–66 | ||
| Umpire | Mike Sweeney (Cambridge) |
||
| Other races | |||
| Reserve winner | Goldie | ||
| Women's winner | Cambridge | ||
|
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The 136th Boat Race took place on 31 March 1990. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford won by two-and-a-quarter lengths. The race featured the heaviest oarsman ever to have rowed in the event in Oxford's Chris Heathcote, and the lightest Cambridge crew for nearly 30 years.
In the reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie won as Oxford's Isis was disqualified. Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1989 race by two-and-a-half lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 69 victories to Oxford's 65 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).
The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races. The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.