Louis Corrigan is the President of the Oxford University Boat Club Men for the 2023/24 season.

Currently, Louis is studying for his BA BM BCh in Medicine at Wadham College, Oxford. His decision to pursue a medical degree stems from a long-standing aspiration to enter the medical profession, influenced by the unique learning environment Oxford offers for the subject.

Despite not rowing at the time, Louis grew up watching the race with his family each year and never thought that he’d be President one day:

“I never knew much about rowing at the time, no less did I ever think I’d be leading one of the teams through the season. It’s pretty incredible to be living something beyond what I’d even dreamed of.”

Louis meeting with students from North Cambridge Academy as part of the Boat Race Fund project at Ely.

Now 21 years of age, Louis started rowing in 2016 at The King’s School, Chester under the guidance of coach Duncan Little starting a sporting journey that led him to cox the Men’s Reserve Boat (Isis) in 2022 and 2023. Winning the Isis-Goldie race in 2022, where his crew set the unofficial records to the mile post and achieved the 4th fastest time ever recorded in that race is a personal highlight:

“Our crew was both a dominant force on the water and really tight knit off the water, I’ll be tied to those guys for life.”

This tight bond that the club is able to create is something that Louis recognises in his sporting hero Acer Nethercott, “The club meant everything to him, and his legacy lives on to this day”, and claims the 2003 race “epitomises how close this contest is and everything our club is about. It’s never over until it’s over.”

Ahead of the coming season Louis will no doubt be looking to challenge for a seat in the Blue Boat and has this to say about the prospect of beating Cambridge this year:

“The whole club is invested in me and I’m invested in this whole club. Winning this year would be the highlight of a lifetime, not just a career.”

Cover photo: Louis coxing the 2022 Isis Crew to victory.
Photos: Benedict Tufnell

We’ll be introducing each of the Presidents this week in the build up to the Presidents Challenge on Thursday 16th November 2023, so keep checking back for more!