The Cambridge Blue Boat boosted their standing as odds-on favourites to win the Boat Race following the official weigh-in at the Hurlingham Club on 3 April.

The Light Blues average 7lb a man heavier than their dark blue counterparts for the 153rd Boat Race on the Tideway this Saturday. Stroke Thorsten Engelmann (St Edmund's), the German gold medallist who is one of five decorated internationals in the Cambridge crew, is the heaviest student ever to have rowed the race at 17st 6lb.

The news follows a confidence–boosting Men's Head of The River Race on the reverse Tideway course last Saturday when newly-promoted cox Rebecca Dowbiggin (Emmanuel) steered her boat through treacherous conditions up Chiswick Reach to overall victory, beating a Leander crew which had recently dispatched with Oxford.

The race is due to start, rowing the traditional course from Putney to Mortlake, at 4.30pm on Saturday in front of huge crowds on the banks of the Thames and millions of television viewers worldwide.

The race can be watched live online from anywhere in the UK for the first time at www.itv.com with three hours of coverage on the day of the race, including pre- and post-race analysis. The whole race will remain online for three days after the event. There is no registration fee to watch the race and access is free.

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