It’s 12:17 pm on Sunday, 7 July. Rain falls from a greyed sky, thunderous and painting patterns of imperfection on the fast-moving Thames. Henley Royal Regatta is splayed across both sides of the Oxfordshire and Berkshire banks, all pomp and ceremony, moonlighting as an amphitheatre for the racing unfolding down the straights. As spectators huddle for shelter, a boat crosses the finish line singularly; arms rise, held aloft in the beautiful stasis of victory. Oxford Brookes have won The Grand Challenge Cup.
Behind them follows their opposition, the University of Washington, fresh from the history of a programme-defining IRA National Championship win, but reduced to slumped shoulders and grimaces of pain. The painted eyes of the Husky – so often the first eminence to pierce the gloom on a tempestuous race day – serve only to watch their rivals celebrate in the rain.
If you’re in any way part of the rowing community, you will already know what happened further up the course. The man in the driving seat that day was Nikita Jacobs, a freshman with several Henley Royal Regatta campaigns under his belt already from his days at Radley College.
Jacobs had only joined the University of Washington ten months earlier. His junior career began in the UK, where he steered a couple of Henley Royal Regatta campaigns, including a run to the final of The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2022. Rain at Henley is something he’s used to. “It was raining during our semifinal (against Eton College) in 2022,” he said. “I remember, it just started raining. Pouring. We were less fancied going into the race; everyone said Eton were the crew to beat.
“We lined up on the stakeboats and then the wind, which had been blowing all week, just stopped. The water was flat. And it just began to rain. We took control in the second half. The noise was mindblowing; we were literally caught in a storm.”
Although Jacobs’ crew couldn’t find the edge on the Sunday, the lessons learned were valuable when he arrived as a freshman at the University of Washington. To be a cox necessitates strategic thinking, something Jacobs values highly. “I love the idea of sitting down in a multi-lane race and then determining the right moment to just go,” he said.
“Part of the reason I came here (Washington) was how much you develop as a cox. No US programme has produced more Olympic-level coxes. We approach each event with multiple races plan, maybe up to three. On the day, it’s about reading the lake and executing.“
Does Jacobs want to go to the Olympics? “Look, I do. It’s always been a dream of mine,” he smiled. “I never really considered it until I had a successful year (in 2024) over here, but then I got more into the realm of speaking to the right coaches. Let’s see where the journey takes me”
The journey so far has certainly been eventful. As a newcomer to the storied Husky programme, Jacobs was thrown into the deep end, coxing crews that were much older and full of experienced winners. Throughout the winter, the group raced mixed eights, battling it out on Lake Windermere to asses hierarchy. “I was really lucky to have Kieran (Joyce) alongside me,” explained Jacobs. “He had the 1V at the start of the season and is just an unbelievable cox and organiser. He’d created an amazing structure that I could just slot into.“
Before first stepping into the 1V, Jacobs was with the freshman group, but after the top crew lost at the Florida Invitational by half a second, chief coach Mike Callahan determined that the boat needed a change. “I first thought this was just to give the freshmen an experience of a top cox and see how I blend with the Varsity group,” remembered Jacobs.
“Then, after a few days, I was still in the boat. I remember thinking, ‘what’s happening here then?’. Then, Kieran moved into the 2V, and we had a seat race. I won. I was lucky that the guys really bought into my development; that change was the one they said they wanted.“
No stone is left unturned in pursuit of IRA glory. Coaches will – and have been – brutal in their selection policy; Jacobs was given a chance, and he took it: “I remember calling my parents and them asking me whether I’d be in the 1V or 2V at certain races. I said, ‘look, when you see me arrive on the start-line, then that’s the boat I’m in for that race.'”
It is hard to overstate the feat of achievement in making the 1V in your first year as a cox at arguably the world’s premier collegiate rowing programme. That seat requires maturity matched with tenacity, a concise and frank knowledge of the sport and the ability to command respect from teammates. Jacobs was there, faster than anyone had predicted, and would go on to steer his crew to the national title on the waters of Lake Mercer.
“Coming into the nationals, a lot of the external chat was about other crews,” said Jacobs. “Harvard are going really quick, Princeton are fast, Brown just won Eastern Sprints, Cal have done some swaps etc. We stayed super internal. No one in our boat was a household name or a ready-made superstar, but the guys kept turning up daily. It just clicked when it mattered most.”
After sweeping the national championships, you’d be forgiven for thinking that perhaps the Huskies had signed the season off neatly. The glimmering allure of Henley Royal Regatta and the call of the Stewards, though, could not be ignored. The opportunity to win The Grand Challenge Cup – the event’s foremost category – was too appealing, even to those who would have to forego U23 selection for their respective countries.
Regardless of your perspective, what happened next will be a turning point in Jacobs’ career. “To really understand (what happened), I think we want to take a step back to when we first launched,” he said. “The race I always describe as an iceberg, right? You see the peak, the crash, the drama, all that. But you really don’t see anything that came before.”
For those who were there that day, you will remember that the final of The Grand Challenge was delayed. “We’re about to pull up to the line; everything’s finished, we’re all ready and we’re all warmed up,” remembered Jacobs.
“Then my two-seat, Harry, goes, ‘hey, my outside grip has just fallen off’. So I told the umpire, look, we have an equipment failure, and I will not be racing unless it’s fixed. It was interesting to watch the reaction. There was a lot of pressure for us to race at that moment.
“A lot of pressure, but thankfully, we had Jamie Koven (Henley Royal Regatta Steward) in the launch. He was one of the only guys who said, “No, they’re gonna get their stuff fixed.”
As it was, Jacobs’ crew pitched a little way up the bank and Concept2 arrived to fix the blade. “We were there and pretty stressed out,” said Jacobs. “This is the pinnacle of our career, and we’re trying to stay relaxed about it in the face of crazy circumstances. We’ve gone through this delay, so we’re sitting on the water for about two hours. You know, it’s not easy. You’ve warmed up, you’ve cooled down, you’ve warmed up again, you’ve cooled down.”
Arriving at the start for a second time, the crew were ready to race. Jacobs leans into the camera slightly and smiles as he says: “Then, my six-seat puts his hand up and says his grip has fallen off.”
Part 2 will be published on Thursday 29th May, 7pm UK.
For more information on the UW programme, check out AllMarkOne’s feature: https://youtu.be/W6NLQE-9T_c?si=ZS0-juVWovyv2IFz
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