She was in the losing Oxford crew in the Boat Race last year.

But Lilli Freischem has an added incentive to win the contest for the dark blues this time round – she’ll be facing her sister Mia who is rowing for Cambridge.

The teams for the 80th women’s race were announced yesterday, and enthusiasts were quick to notice the showdown.

Lilli and Mia, from Germany, will be focused on beating each other on April 4 but say they will be proud whatever the outcome. 

Their parents will be cheering them on with tens of thousands of spectators on the banks of the Thames.

Lilli, 26, who is doing a PhD in atmospheric physics, said: ‘We are very supportive of each other. We are probably each other’s biggest fans. But as soon as we line up, all you think about is the race.’

Lilli Freischem (centre) rowing for Oxford last year. She has has an added incentive to win the contest for the dark blues this time round – she’ll be facing her sister Mia who is rowing for Cambridge

Lilli and Mia (left), from Germany , will be focused on beating each other on April 4 but say they will be proud whatever the outcome 

Mia, 24, a PhD student in surgery at Cambridge, said: ‘On race day we will be very internal, racing our own race, but from then onwards it is something we will have shared.’

The sisters took up rowing due to ‘coronavirus boredom’ when at Edinburgh University in 2020.

They have raced each other only once before in a competitive setting, with Mia marginally getting the better of Lilli.

In 2024, twins Catherine and Gemma King, from Surrey, raced each other, with Gemma winning in light blue.