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Kathleen Noble Makes History as Uganda’s First-Ever Rower at Olympics, Progresses to Repechage

kathleen-noble-makes-history-as-uganda’s-first-ever-rower-at-olympics-progresses-to-repechage

By Isaac Akugizibwe

KIU, Main Campus - Kathleen Noble has made history after becoming Uganda’s first-ever rower at the Olympics after competing in the heats at the Sea Forest waterway in Tokyo, Japan.

Noble finished fifth in Heat two of the women's single sculls earlier today to qualify for the Repechage on Saturday, with a time of 8.21.85 over the 2000 meters rowing race. 

Ireland's Sanita PusPuse won the race at 7:46,08 beating Mexico's Kenia Lechuga who managed a time of 7:54.21.

While talking to the Ugandan Olympic media team immediately after the race, Kathleen said that she is happy with the result because she never expected to beat anyone in her heat given their lethal speed.

"With the result, I am happy with how my race went. There is a lot more fast people in my heat and I wasn't expecting to beat anyone. I was happy to come 5th out of 6," she said.

The Repechage event which forms a pathway to the quarter-finals of the main event, will take place tomorrow morning.

Team Uganda at the Tokyo Olympics comprises of 25 athletes with 13 females and 12 males. 

The country has won seven medals in Olympic games since it started participating in 1956 despite being present at every summer games event ever since. The last medal came in 2012 in the London Games when Stephen Kiprotich won gold in the Marathon.

Photo: URN