On Saturday a smirking, egotistical, attention-seeking Australian put an oar in the works of one of Britain’s favourite and most venerable annual pageants.

The Boat Race is contested between Oxford and Cambridge Universities along four plus miles of the Thames. This foreigner jumped into the river and impeded the racing boats to “protest” against — against what? Against “elitism in Britain”, of all things. This is not his country, mind you. I wouldn’t dream of going to Australia to protest against the stupidity of some Australians.

This prompted a voice of sadness and sanity from one of the competing rowers, an Oxford student named William Zeng. At his young age he is far more measured and controlled than I could ever hope to be, and all I can do is repeat his consecutive tweets in utter admiration:

“When I missed your head with my blade I knew only that you were a swimmer, and if you say you are a protestor then no matter what you say your cause may be, your action speaks too loudly for me to hear you. I know, with immediate emotion, exactly what you were protesting. You were protesting the right of seventeen young men and one woman to compete fairly and honorably to demonstrate their hard work and desire in a proud tradition. You were protesting their right to devote years of their lives, their friendships and their souls to the fair pursuit of the joys and the hardships of sport. You, who would make a mockery of their dedication and courage, are a mockery of a man.”

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