Rower who is making waves across pond the ‘right way’

MEET the record-breaking rower who decided to give the sport a go while on a walk along the towpath in Henley.

Archie Lockett, 22, had a passion for endurance sports, taking part in cross-country and cycling from the age of 17 but fell out of love with it.

But while on a stroll walking past Leander Club in 2019, he became inspired to take up rowing after seeing athletes in the boats.

“I wanted a new fix,” he said. “I fell into rowing completely by coincidence as I happened to see these boats on the river that day, which inspired me.”

That same day, he spoke to neighbours in Binfield Heath, who happened to be friends with Mark Banks, the former director of Rowing at Leander Club.

He said: “Mark offered me a trial to see how my raw fitness and rowing technique were, as I had never touched a boat before.

“It clearly went well enough as I was then given a position on the junior squad but the covid pandemic meant we were spending weeks training at home.”

After the easing of the restrictions, Lockett was coached by Jonathan Jackson and competed in the postponed Henley Royal Regatta in August 2021.

The junior boys’ quadruple sculls were beaten by inches in the semi-final to Windsor Boys A.

Lockett said: “There was no real talk about me racing or doing any big events at the time. It was more about it being a good opportunity for me to learn the basics.

“To get selected was completely unexpected. I jumped for joy when I found out. It was an awesome opportunity which set me up for the year.” After the regatta, he was asked to sweep instead of scull.

“Sweeping was different,” he said. “The expectation in the Leander senior squad is that you arrive there already a talented sweepsman and ready for the tough programme, so it was challenging.”

Lockett improved his 2,000m ergo score, a key metric for US university recruitment, to land him a scholarship to attend Jacksonville University in Florida where he is studying international business and marketing.

In his freshman year, he achieved 10th in the nation in the coxed four at the national championships, a programme best for the university.

In his sophomore year, when he was the captain, the team qualified for the national championships in the eight, marking a first for the university.

Lockett said: “That sophomore year, we achieved the small schools university dream by qualifying for the national championship, which is the top 24 teams in the nation.

“It was really special as I was captain but I think the team energy that we had drove us to that ultimate goal, which was awesome.”

In his junior year, Lockett experienced a challenging season, facing slipped rib syndrome, when the cartilage that attaches two lower ribs together becomes unstable.

He said: “I wasn’t able to breathe fully when I was training so I missed out on the boat I wanted that year.”

In his most recent year, Lockett achieved his most significant victory yet in the collegiate four category at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston last month.

Starting from 37th position, his crew navigated heavy traffic, overtaking seven crews, to win by five seconds. They set a new course record of 16 minutes and three seconds, nearly two seconds faster than any previous time.

He said: “There’s about 4,000 crews that enter this three-day race against the clock, where you race for time.

“If you’re a top US college that has guys who have done World Championships and U23s then they will probably enter the championship category but, for pretty much everyone else, you enter the collegiate form, so it felt pretty special to win.

“There was no way we could anticipate what anyone else’s speed was going to be like. We had to just train.

“There was a pretty nice tailwind down the straight section of the course, so the conditions were pretty idyllic, but we had to stop rowing at one point to try not to collide with another crew.”

Lockett praised the work of his cox, who kept notes and kept the team motivated down the river.

He said: “He did such a great job weaving us through some of that heavy traffic. It sounded almost impossible at one point. He was obsessed with data for the weeks leading up and he was far more aware that we had beaten the record.

“Our rowing director was showing our time on the landing stage when we were coming in, and I thought he was having a joke.”

Lockett, who is the son of Nick and Georgie and has three brothers, Oscar, James and Olly, wants to focus on a career in banking when leaving university.

But for his final spring season, he will focus on qualifying for the eight for the Dad Veil Regatta in Philadelphia, where a top-four finish secures a spot at the national championships.

He said: “I thought rowing would end when I finished at The Henley College. It was fun for a short period of time and that was it.

“I’ve worked towards a goal and it came together, having been able to pay for my education, row and live out in Florida. It’s been a dream but exhausting for my body. I really feel satisfied that I’ve done it right.”