Benson chronometer from 1871, featuring iconic women in athletics
The origins of athletics are lost in the mists of time, but one milestone serves as a reference point for the foundation of modern athletics meetings: the first Oxford vs Cambridge Athletics Match, held in 1864.
This year, the event celebrates its 150th edition, along with the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Varsity Match, accompanied by a two-day pop-up exhibition from the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) on 16-17 May 2025.
On 5 March 1864, 28 undergraduate men competed in eight events, resulting in a draw between the two teams. This year, nearly 200 athletes from both men’s and women’s teams will fight for victory across 60 events in a celebration of sporting tradition.
World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon, a Cambridge University alumnus, commented: “World Athletics and the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) are delighted to celebrate the rich athletics history of the Varsity Athletics Match between Oxford & Cambridge Universities, which is marking its 150th edition on 17 May.
“Our MOWA pop-up exhibition – ‘Women in Athletics’, which will be situated during the weekend of the match in the Pavilion at the Cambridge University sports ground track – commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Match, with competition artefacts from some of the greatest British and international stars of our sport.
“Our displays include the 1948 London Olympic accreditation card of Fanny Blankers-Koen who won four gold medals at those post-war Games, and the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon singlet and name bib of another Flying Dutchwoman, Sifan Hassan, who won three medals last year.
“On Saturday (17), I am especially looking forward to presenting two World Athletics Heritage Plaques which will be placed on permanent display in the Pavilion. These awards salute the illustrious history of the Varsity Match which was first contested in 1864, and that of this year’s hosts, the Cambridge University Athletic Club.”
Highlighting Heritage
Alongside the competition, a MOWA pop-up will present two themed displays concerning the history of timekeeping and women in athletics.
The exhibition will take place on 16 May (private viewing; not open to the public) and 17 May (open to athletes and spectators attending the Varsity Match).
‘Timing Innovation and the Pursuit of Precision’ illustrates the Varsity Match’s important role in the history of sports. The earliest use of automated timing in our sport took place at the 11th edition of the Oxford vs Cambridge match in 1874 at Lillie Bridge, West Brompton, London.
The timing device was developed by local watchmaker James W Benson, much earlier than one might expect, considering electronically timed records were not officially recognised until exactly a century later.
Despite being the highlight of that edition, this pioneering innovation, which would allow for the reading of the hundredth of a second – now considered the gold standard in timing – was met with a mixed reception and, quite surprisingly, soon faded into obscurity, making this exhibition a rare opportunity to rediscover a breakthrough as remarkable as it is forgotten.
It was an important step in the long history of sport timekeeping, from the earliest praised ‘records’ of running kings and pharaohs measured by the sun’s position, to astronomical instruments originally intended for celestial motion but adapted to time human speed in the 17th and 18th centuries, and finally the use of video technology that slices sprint finishes into thousandths of a second. This relentless pursuit of ever-shorter time intervals will be illustrated through graphical timeline roll-ups.
‘Women in Athletics’ celebrates the achievements of women in athletics, whose events were officially introduced into the Varsity Match programme in 1975. To honour this anniversary, MOWA will present a curated selection of rare and iconic artefacts.
Among the highlights:
- 1948 Olympic accreditation card of Fanny Blankers-Koen, the only woman to win four Olympic athletics gold medals and the first to win an Olympic title while also being a mother, an accomplishment that challenged gender norms of the era;
- The silver-dipped spikes of Diane Leather, who, in 1954, became the first woman to run the mile in under five minutes just days after Roger Bannister’s historic sub-four-minute in Oxford, yet received only a fraction of the attention;
- The running shoes worn by Jacqueline Hansen and Grete Waitz, two marathon pioneers who broke the 2:40 and 2:30 barriers respectively;
- Irena Szewinska’s 400m world record spikes from the 1976 Montreal Olympics, symbolising the peak of a career that remains one of the most celebrated in track and field history;
- The spiked shoes of Nawal El Moutawakel, who became the first African woman to win Olympic gold on the track (400m hurdles), and of Allyson Felix during the first of her 14 world titles (200m);
- The singlet and bib number worn by Sifan Hassan during her victorious Olympic marathon in Paris 2024 where she also won medals at 5000m and 10000m, emulating Emil Zatopek’s legendary feat.
A Commemorative postcard
A commemorative MOWA postcard is being produced especially for the event. It features a Benson chronometer from 1871, used to time Varsity Match races, with numbers redesigned to honour iconic women in athletics arranged in chronological order, forming a visual timeline around the dial that symbolises the rich hours of the sport.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for World Athletics Heritage
MOWA Pop-Up Exhibition
The Pavilion
Cambridge University Athletics Track
Wilberforce Road Sports Ground
18 Adams Road
Cambridge
CB3 9AD
Schedule
Friday 16 May – MOWA Display: Private opening by invitation only
Saturday 17 May – MOWA Display: Open to the public all day.
10.00hrs – Competition begins
12.30hrs – World Athletics Heritage Plaques ceremony
17.45hrs – Prize ceremony