A former St Albans High School for Girls pupil has been selected by Oxford to take part in the 2023 Boat Race.

Alison Carrington, who is studying medicine at the university's Hertford College, hadn't taken up the sport before 

She said: "I got into rowing when I joined university. I hadn’t really done much sport before uni but all my college friends were quite sporty, so I wanted to sink my teeth into something new.

"I tried rowing at my college club and loved it. I enjoyed the structure and discipline but also made some great friends and have been rowing ever since."

Her progress from rank novice to boat race blue has given her a new outlook to her own abilities as well as picking up a lot of new skills.

"You have to be incredibly good at time management," she said. "Getting enough sleep to sustain you through long days in order to fit everything in is key.

"Balancing both is much easier when coaches and tutors are understanding and supportive of your commitment to endeavours."

"I am always looking for ways to go faster, both individually and in the crews I am in. The pursuit for speed inspires me to keep going when the training is tough.

"I am proud of the steep learning curve I made last year to go from college level rowing to the Osiris crew.

"Racing at Henley Royal Regatta was particularly special, having attended the event last year as a spectator and reflecting on how far I had come in the last year."

This year's races will take place on Sunday, March 26.