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| 12 May 2025 | |
| Written by Isabella Panattoni-Wallace | |
| Alumnae News |
Gemma King (Class of 2018) and her identical twin sister Catherine King (Class of 2018) battled against the choppy waters of the Thames during the 2025 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The twins began rowing at 12 years old whilst at LEH and have competed in The Boat Race since 2019, both rowing for Cambridge. However, in 2023 Catherine moved to Oxford University and with that so did her team colours.
So, this year, on the 30th March the King twins set their sibling status aside again and rowed in different races for different teams. Gemma rowing for the Cambridge Women’s Boat Race Crew and Catherine rowing for the Oxford Women’s Reserve Crew.
Reflecting on her win, Gemma said:
“Racing in the Boat Race was an incredible experience. It was an exciting race, which had to be restarted about a minute in, but it was great to see all the training pay off!
I first started rowing at LEH and am so grateful for my time there and the opportunity to take up the sport. I absolutely loved rowing at school, it’s where my love for the sport first started. The support from everyone has been incredible and I love seeing what everyone is doing at LEH now!”
Rowing wasn’t always on Catherine’s radar as she talks about her time here at school and how LEH was the introduction to rowing she never thought she’d have. Catherine said:
“I’m so grateful for my time at LEH, as it provided me with so many exciting opportunities, whether that be academic or extra-curricular activities. I remember spending all my spare time rushing around between music and sports activities!
I never intended to get into rowing, but LEH offered some taster sessions, and I fell in love with it. Racing in the Boat Race is a pretty special and unique event. It’s so rewarding to see a group of individuals from all different backgrounds at the start of the season come together through a common goal of winning the Boat Race. My crew (Osiris, Oxford Women’s Reserve Crew) didn’t come away with the win this year, but we are all very proud of how we raced and overcame various challenges throughout the season, despite the result!”
Who knows what could happen next year, we’ll watch this space with great excitement. It’s wonderful to see the King twins doing so well in this sport. We can’t wait to see where their rowing careers take them next!
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