Mia Freishchem
Photo credit: Row360
Cheering on the Light Blues goes without saying, but Darwinians will have particular cause to tune into this year’s Boat Race. Mia Freischem, Darwin PhD student in Surgery, has been selected for the Women’s Blue Boat crew, having represented Cambridge in the Women’s Reserve Boat, Blondie, last year.
When Mia takes to the Tideway on Easter Saturday, she’ll be making history. For the first time since the women’s race began, sisters will be rowing against each other, as Mia competes with her sister Lilli, who has been selected for the Oxford crew.
Originally from Cologne, Germany, the sisters learned to row at the University of Edinburgh, where they studied as undergraduates. Mia is now pursuing a PhD in Surgery at Darwin, while Lilli is working towards her PhD in Atmospheric Physics at Reuben College, Oxford.
Mia told The Times, which covered their story:
“It’s such a cool thing to know that there is someone who knows you better than anyone else doing the exact same thing. On race day we will be very internal, racing our own race, but from then onwards it’s something we will have shared.”
The Women’s Boat Race will begin at 2.21pm on Saturday, 4th April, followed by the Men’s Race at 3.21pm. Both races will be televised by Channel 4.
