Ugandan Rower Kathleen Noble Finishes Second at Paris Olympics, Retires

Ugandan rower Kathleen Noble has finished in the second place at the Paris Olympics and announced her retirement.

Noble, Uganda’s only rower in Olympic history, capped off her illustrious rowing career with a second-place finish in the Repechage Final E.

She posted a lifetime best of 7:56.10, beating her previous mark by 10 seconds.

Algeria’s Nihed Benchadli claimed the top spot at 7:54.25.

She was followed by Noble who was recovering from sickness.

Behind Noble followed Yariulvis Cobas from Cuba (3rd place) , Saiyidah Aisyah from Singapore (4th place), Soaad Alfaqaan from Kuwait (5th place) and Evidelia González Jarquin from Nicaragua (6th place).

With this feat, Noble secured her 26th place overall, similar to her Tokyo Olympics display.

She is now retiring from the sport in order to develop the rowing community in Uganda.

“I am retiring. Friday is my last race,” Noble announced after the race.”

She added: “I want to move on new of life, I want to start a new life, I want to focus on my career, am very happy to wrap up the season and focus on something else.”

Born on December 20, 1994, in Nakaseke, Luweero Triangle, to Dr. Gerry Noble and teacher Moira Noble, Kathleen holds dual citizenship in Uganda and Northern Ireland.

She attended Kabira International School before moving to the United States for further studies, eventually graduating from Princeton University in 2014 with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Noble’s rowing journey began in 2014, transitioning from a background in swimming.

She has represented Uganda in many swimming championships, including 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships.