Shelley Pearson and her Oxford University Women's Rowing teammates had to be rescued by a lifeboat after their craft sank in the Thames just over a week before the Boat Race.
In a Telegraph report it stated, the eight student rowers including Pearson and their cox were fished out of the water by an RNLI launch after it was overcome by choppy water during a training session.
Oxford are favorites to win the Women's Boat Race, but the mishap was hardly ideal preparation for the annual event and will have given a boost to the light blue crew of Cambridge.
The rescue on Wednesday was captured on camera by the Chiswick RNLI crew, which returned the rowers to Putney.
The RNLI said: "Strong wind against tide had created the unsafe waters and three successive waves poured over the boats' riggers, creating an influx of water that could not be managed by the craft's bilge pump.
"The Oxford crew and their cox were boarded onto the Chiswick lifeboat and returned to Putney. The sunken eight was then recovered by three coaches' launches and safely returned to Oxford’s base ahead of the race next week."
The RNLI crew came across the stricken eight by chance while they were out training.
An RNLI spokesman said: "While passing through Putney on exercise the crew of the Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat noticed some unusual maneuverings on the water just beyond Fulham Railway Bridge. A few moments later they noticed that an eight had swamped and the coaches were in the process of removing athletes to a nearby barge."
Ian Owen, the RNLI helmsman, said: "While we have rescued quite a number of rowers over the years, this is the first time I’ve been involved in helping such a prestigious team.
"The weather can be unpredictable on the Thames, and the Oxford University team dealt with the situation as safely and calmly as possible. We wish them all the best for their upcoming race."
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