Oxford confirm illnesses before Boat Race but stop short of blaming pollution

• Thames was shown to have high levels of E coli in race buildup
• Oxford cannot definitively' identify cause of the illnesses

Oxford University Boat Club have confirmed three members of their men's team were suffering from a stomach bug before their Boat Race defeat by Cambridge on Saturday, but said they could not identify the specific cause.

Following a double success for the light blue of Cambridge in the women's and men's events Lenny Jenkins, the Oxford men's seven seat, said: We've had a few guys go down pretty badly with E coli strain ... It would have been ideal not to have so much poo in the water."