On Saturday, April 4, 2026, beach sprint double world champion Esther Briz will make her debut in the Oxford Women’s Blue Boat in the 80th edition of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Briz won’t be the only rower there with significant international experience. Teammate, and women’s president, Heidi Long, for example, won a world championship in the coxless women’s four at Račice 2022, a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, plus a host of other major medals. But Briz’s presence further raises the profile of beach sprint, and underlines her personal goal to qualify for LA28 in both beach sprint and flat-water rowing.
With so many major competitions having added beach sprint races over the last few years—for example, the Head of the Charles, the San Diego Crew Classic, and, of course, the LA28 Olympic Games—perhaps the question that should now be asked is: When will we see a Beach Sprint Boat Race?