E.coli fears, selection spat and Cambridge dominance: What to know about the storied Boat Race

Rowers from British universities Oxford and Cambridge will compete on Sunday in the men's and women's Boat Race, one of the oldest sporting events in the world that typically attracts more than 200,000 spectators along the River Thames in London.

The men’s race first took place in 1829. The women’s crews have been racing along the same course between Putney and Mortlake since 2015, and before that in other locations from 1927.

Here's what to know about the races:

A year on, the races are back on the Thames and so are concerns about the quality of the water on the 4.2-mile (6.8-kilometer) course.

Testing, starting in March 10, by the River Action campaign group along the racing section of the river found that 29.5% of samples exceeded safe limits of E.coli for entering the water. The group says that is almost three times the threshold for bathing waters rated “poor.”

Health fears were also raised ahead of last year's race.

E.coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most strains are harmless, cause relatively brief diarrhea and most people recover without much incident, according to the Mayo clinic. But small doses of some strains — including just a mouthful of contaminated water — can cause a range of conditions, including urinary tract infection, cystitis, intestinal infection and vomiting, with the worst cases leading to life-threatening blood poisoning.

As a result, Erica Popplewell, River Action's head of communities, said “we strongly suggest that the winning team on Sunday think twice before throwing their cox in the Thames” — a nod to the customary celebration by members of the winning crew.

Organizers accepted that the testing “shows there is more work to be done to get our waterways where we all want them to be." They recommend competitors follow directives in British Rowing’s “Poor Water Quality Guidance," which includes covering up open wounds, regular handwashing, taking a shower as soon as possible after the race, and “highlighting the risks of entering the water.”

Steve Redgrave, a five-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing for Britain, said: “It’s a real worry that in 2025 unsafe water quality in the Thames is still a concern."

Oxford and Cambridge have long been rivals on and off the water, but rarely has there been as much hostility between the universities heading into a Boat Race.

Sparks flew a few weeks ago when three Cambridge rowers were banned from taking part because they are undertaking a postgraduate teaching course — a PGCE — which Oxford argued is a certificate as opposed to a degree. The Boat Race has an independent panel ruling on the eligibility of students in the race and it sided with Oxford.

Cambridge didn't take it well, with one of its former rowers — Olympic gold medalist Imogen Grant — describing Oxford's complaint as “slimy” and another — former world champion rower Cath Bishop — saying it was “utter madness" and a “new low in relations” between the university boat clubs.

Former PGCE students from Cambridge and Oxford previously had been allowed to race, but revised criteria has been jointly agreed to by the two clubs.

The decision has weakened the Cambridge crews, depriving them of Matt Heywood (men's) and Molly Foxell and Kate Cowley (women's).

Cambridge is enjoying a strong run in the Boat Race, on both the men's and women's side.

Its women have won seven races in a row and its men are seeking a sixth win in the last seven races.

Overall, Cambridge is leading Oxford 87-81 in the men's event — there was one dead heat, in 1877 — while Cambridge leads 48-30 in the women's event.

Two Americans who rowed at the Paris Olympics last year are among the crews.

In the men's race, Nick Rusher — a bronze medalist in the men's eight in Paris — will be in the No. 7 seat for Oxford.

Claire Collins, who also raced at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and was a world championship medalist in 2022, will row for Cambridge at No. 6.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The Cambridge University Men's Boat Team during a training session on the River Thames in London, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

The Cambridge University Men's Boat Team during a training session on the River Thames in London, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

The Cambridge University Men's Boat Team during a training session on the River Thames in London, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

The Cambridge University Men's Boat Team during a training session on the River Thames in London, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois landlord who murdered a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injured the boy’s mother in a vicious hate-crime attack days after the war in Gaza began was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of his mother, Hanan Shaheen.

Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict.

The family had been renting rooms in Czuba’s home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened.

Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy’s mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier.

Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives.

“He could not escape,” Michael Fitzgerald, a Will County assistant state’s attorney, told jurors at trial. “If it wasn’t enough that this defendant killed that little boy, he left the knife in the little boy’s body.”

The jury deliberated for 90 minutes before returning a verdict. Czuba is eligible for a minimum prison sentence of 20 to 60 years or life, according to the Will County state's attorney's office.

Prosecutors declined to comment ahead of Friday's hearing and have not said what sentence they will seek. Illinois does not have the death penalty.

The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.

Czuba did not speak during the trial. His defense attorneys argued that there were holes in the case. His public defender, George Lenard, has not addressed reporters and declined comment ahead of the sentencing.

Shaheen had more than a dozen stab wounds and it took her weeks to recover.

She said there were no prior issues in the two years she rented from the Czubas, even sharing a kitchen and a living room.

Then after the start of the war, Czuba told her that they had to move out because Muslims were not welcome. He later confronted Shaheen and attacked her, holding her down, stabbing her and trying to break her teeth.

“He told me ‘You, as a Muslim, must die,’” said Shaheen, who testified in English and Arabic though a translator.

Police testified that officers found Czuba outside the house, sitting on the ground with blood on his body and hands.

Separately, lawsuits have been filed over the boy’s death, including by his father, Odai Alfayoumi, who is divorced from Shaheen and was not living with them. The U.S. Department of Justice also launched a federal hate crimes investigation.

FILE - Wadee Alfayoumi's father, Oday Al Fayoume, seated right, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadee at Prairie Activity and Recreation center in Plainfield, Ill., Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - Joseph Czuba, 71, stands before Circuit Judge Dave Carlson for his arraignment at the Will County, Ill., courthouse, Oct. 30, 2023, in Joliet, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)