New Zealand rower Sam O'Connor will chase a third straight victory in the annual university Boat Race on the Thames next month, this time with the help of his younger brother.
O'Connor is the first New Zealander to compete more than once in the historic battle between Oxford and Cambridge and has a perfect winning record from two attempts.
In his third and final year at Oxford, the 27-year-old engineering student will look to sign off with another victory after retaining his position as the defending champions' No.7 rower.
It promises to be a special day for the O'Connor family, with younger sibling James, a 24-year education student, named to take part for the first time as Oxford's No.4.
The Kiwi duo will square off against a trans-Tasman rival in Cambridge No.7 Joshua Hooper, the sole Australian in the race for the second straight year.
Oxford won last year's race by 11 lengths, the biggest winning margin since 1973, trimming Cambridge's lead in the series since 1829 to 81-78.
Cambridge will again take a significant weight advantage into the 6.8km race, tipping the scales at a combined 727.8kg, 42kg heavy than Oxford's crew.
The 161st edition of the race will be held on April 11, with thousands of spectators expected to line the banks of the River Thames in London.
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