BASTIEN RIPOLL has overcome the language barrier to make Boat Race history as the first Frenchman to be selected since the event began in 1829.

The 25-year-old engineering student from Toulouse has been named in the stroke seat for Oxford in the annual clash with Cambridge on the River Thames on Sunday, April 2.

Ripoll, who had not studied English for seven years, admitted he found it difficult, both in the classroom and on the water, when he arrived at Oxford last summer.

Ripoll, who will share the boat with two Canadians, two Americans and four Englishmen, said: "It was really hard because there were so many accents at Oxford, in the squad and in my class, with so many people coming from all over the world.

"Some of them speak very fast with terrible accents.

"The training and the rowing was not a real problem after a few days because the instructions are always the same words but I had to work at it a little bit before coming.

"I had an exam to show I could follow the studies in English and the studying was not difficult because the professors speak well but the first time I got in the boat it was difficult."

The Boat Race has become a global event with an array of international rowers taking part in recent years but Ripoll, a member of the French eight which reached the Olympic final in Athens in 2004, is not surprised he is the first Frenchman selected.

"The French don't like to move a lot, especially rowers. Also you have to get quite strong academic qualifications and in France studying and rowing is not easy.

"It could be a problem for a strong rower to come here," he said.

France has no equivalent of the University Boat Race and he explained: "Rowing in universities is very weak, it's a high level sport in the civic clubs but not in universities."