Emma Watson turns athlete, competes in Oxford rowing team; rival teams mocks her by playing Harry Potter theme after win

Emma Watson, known for her the Harry Potter series, has showcased her athletic prowess by competing in Oxford University's Summer Eights rowing regatta.

Updated on: Jun 15, 2025, 07:48:49 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Emma Watson is yelling directions into a microphone these days. But it's not on a film set, and she has not turned film director. The Harry Potter star is, instead, showcasing her athletic prowess by competing in Oxford University's Summer Eights rowing regatta. (Also read: Emma Watson's dad Chris Watson warns parents of new Harry Potter HBO series cast)

Emma Watson is currently enrolled in the Oxford University and participated in the rowing competition there.

Emma Watson competes in Oxford rowing

The 35-year-old actor has been studying at Oxford since 2023. This summer, she took on the role of coxswain for her team. Participating in an intercollegiate competition, Emma steered her team to victory in one of the four races they participated in, according to reports.

The Daily Mail reported that her team lost the other three races, however. An Instagram user who posts about women's sports called it a ‘great development’ and even revealed that the rival team got one up on her, playing the Harry Potter theme song after beating them, as a ‘gotcha’ on Emma and her team.

Emma Watson steps back from acting career

Emma Watson, known for her iconic role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has never rowed before. Her involvement in rowing marks a departure from her acting career, which she has largely stepped back from in recent years.

Her decision to focus on academia and pursue her passion for learning has led her to enrol in a graduate degree program at Oxford. In addition to her rowing endeavours, Watson made a rare public appearance at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, marking her return to the event after a 12-year absence.

In earlier interviews, Watson discussed the importance of taking a step back from acting and allowing herself to explore new interests and passions.

In a December 2023 interview, she expressed her gratitude for the decision, saying that it has given her a sense of autonomy and creative freedom.

(With ANI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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