Drama on the Thames

In its 183-year history, the Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge has thrown up its fair share of mutinies, sinkings, even near-death experiences. The latest edition, however, might go down as the most dramatic of them all. An intruder protesting against elitism and privilege brought both boats to a standstill just more than halfway through the 41/4-mile race at Mortlake, England, when he swam into the middle of the River Thames and narrowly avoided being struck by the oars of both crews. When the contest restarted after a 31-minute delay, Oxford’s German rower, Dr. Hanno Wienhausen, lost half of his oar after the crews clashed, leaving Cambridge an almost unchallenged path to a 41/2-length victory over effectively seven oarsmen. – AP