Rebecca Dowbiggin

Who is Rebecca Dowbiggin?

Rebecca Dowbiggin was the 13th female to cox Cambridge in The Boat Race, the annual race against Oxford.

She grew up in Cambridge, attending Chesteron Community College and Impington International 6th Form College. She studied for a BA in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. She started coxing as an undergraduate, and went on to cox the 2004 Cambridge University Lightweight Men’s Boat race crew. After enrolling for a PhD in 2005, she coxed the 2006 Cambridge University Women's Blue Boat. Two weeks before the 2007 Boat Race she secured the coxes seat, with Cambridge going on to win. She also coxed Cambridge in 2008 Boat race, won by Oxford, and the 2009 Cambridge boat, which she stated will be the last major event she will cox at.

Rebecca was once in a rock band at university, called Ginger Rox, she played percussion for the band, who were well known on the university circuit.

She also coxed the England Women's Eight to a gold medal at the Commonwealth Rowing Championships in 2006 and the Great Britain Women's Eight to a bronze medal at the 2007 European Rowing Championships.