First day of the rowing spectacle, 21st St. Duje International Regatta in Spinut, gave-offered spectators a great fight between best European university eights, this time together with teams from Johannesburg, Africa, and far away Korea, which makes this regatta international starting from this year.

Gereat Oxford team achieved the desired victory, thus avenging the defeat on Thames from a little more than a month ago, when the Cambridge eight won in the famous Boat Race. The English Imperial College team won bronze medal. This means that all English teams stood on the blue podium in front of Split’s Gusar.

Newly arrived African team had-made a great debut, taking fourth place, Koreans right behind them, and last two teams were representatives of University of Aachen.

University of Split’s women's crew made sure we got something, winning the bronze medal, behind silver Cambridge and gold Oxford. Fourth place went to University of Zagreb’s team, Jagiellonian students from Krakow finished fifth, while Zagreb’s second crew and girls from University of Belgrade rowed last.

"We have to admit that before the race we didn't expect much because of waves, we were guided by the phrase ‘Who survives - will talk’, and when the race started everything became possible. As expected, Oxford and Cambridge girls went ahead, but we also had a good start and knew we would come in third. We really enjoyed every stroke," said University of Split’s bronze medallists, Ivana and Leonora.

 Photo: Mislav Alajbeg / Regatta Sveti Duje