Tuks rowers Williams and Westley are taking RMB Universities Boat Race seriously

One would think that for athletes who have just returned from racing on the international stage, the RMB Universities Boat Race might appear to be a step down.

For University of Pretoria rowers Katherine Williams and Courtney Westley it is anything but.

Fresh from competing in Amsterdam, where they raced in the pairs at the World Championships, the Tuks duo will this weekend swap international competition for the university eight when they line up on Port Alfred’s Kowie River.

And there is no sense of them viewing the Boat Race as something beneath them, quite the opposite.

Williams agrees but believes there is something more fundamental to it.

“As an international athlete, you should never think that anything is beneath you,” she says.

That attitude says as much about the two rowers as their performances on the water.

It’s our way of giving back to the university. As an international athlete, you should never think that anything is beneath you

Training, racing and the relentless pursuit of performance dominate their lives.

But the University Boat Race offers something different: a chance to compete with friends, represent the institution that has supported them and, importantly, enjoy rowing.

“It’s always a nice way to end off the season and show some gratitude for the university,” Williams says.

“But also it’s just a fun event and a cool way to end the season with your friends.”

Neither athlete is travelling to Port Alfred simply to make up the numbers.

But the atmosphere and the nature of the event offer a welcome change after a long international campaign.