The Boat Race 2023: How Claire Aitken went from rural Scotland to vying for Oxford glory

"They think I'm a bit mad," Claire Aitken replies when asked what her rural Scottish family based in Aberuthven make of her rowing escapades.

When Aitken went to Glasgow University in 2012 she'd hardly heard of the sport but, fast forward 11 years, is preparing to line up on The Boat Race 2023start line to represent Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUBC).

It's been an impressive decade for the rower who has gone from complete amateur to representing Scotland and winning big university titles, but Sunday's battle along The Thames is as high profile as they come in the sport.

The athlete said: "I grew up in quite a small village in Scotland and went to school in Auchterarder and primary school in Aberuthven, which is very small. Most of my family come from the one area. I come from quite a rural background.

"I did a little bit of sport in school but really nothing at any sort of competitive level, it wasn't until university that I got stuck into sport - I don't know if I'd even heard of rowing at school, to be honest!

"There's a rowing club that's set up near me now in the past few years but there was nothing really accessible when I was in school."

Aitken is studying for a PhD in Cardiovascular Science at Oxford, where she speaks of excitement at finding new results when conducting research.

Before Oxford came a Bachelor's degree in Physiology at Glasgow University, which is when Aitken was plunged into the rowing world.

Explaining how it all started, the OUWBC two-seat said: "I went along with a few of my housemates in halls. It was definitely completely new.

"People were explaining the very basics of rowing - what an oar is, how to use it and put it in a boat. I didn't know what I was doing and I got hooked.

"I have naturally a very competitive streak and we were introduced to the idea of racing quite early on and it appealed to me. You're pushing yourself all the time and trying to get better and better in every session, there's quite the motivation there."

Memories that stick with the rower from those years in Glasgow include training camp on the beautiful Lake Iseo in Italy and capsizing a large boat of eight in her early days, a tricky feat she says she's never lived down.

An impressive 250,000 people are expected to turn out and watch The Boat Race 2023 along The Tideway on Sunday and among those many faces will be Aitken's two parents while other family members gather around TV screens in Scotland.

She said: "My parents are coming to watch the race which will be really nice to have them there to support. I've had messages from a lot of family, my gran in particular is extremely excited to watch in front of the TV.

"They think I'm a bit mad! I'm not sure they entirely understand it.

"I know my dad says he remembers speaking to a parent when he was watching one of our races and the parent had a child who had rowed in school and told him how organised and disciplined it made you by fitting your studies around it and was reassured by that. Rowing teaches you a lot of organisational skills."

It doesn't take much searching online or chatting to rowers in the know to find out that the Oxford women haven't managed to get the better of their bitter Cambridge rivals since 2016.

Aitken said: "It's obviously something that we're aware of but that doesn't play into how we are thinking about the race.

"Every year is a completely different set of people - there are very few returners in either crew from last year. It's not something which concerns us really."

So, will OUBC finally turn the tide and triumph at The Boat Race 2023? We asked the Scot if this is the year Oxford win.

Calmly, she said: "I am very confident in my crew and, we can't say what the outcome will be, but I definitely believe we have the ability to win."