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Noble to retire but parents overwhelmed
Noble (2nd R) is joined by coaches Batenga Nakisozi (C) and Dr James Martinez, plus her parents. PHOTO/DARREN ALLAN KYEYUNE
What you need to know:
She made this final after posting a time of eight minutes and 38.70 seconds on a rather windy morning on the waters in the beautiful Vaires-sur-Marne on Monday.
PARIS, FRANCE. Kathleen Noble began rowing a decade ago at Princeton University in New Jersey, USA and she has traversed the world.
The Paris Olympics will be her final show when she rows in the women’s single sculls 2000m Final E at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne on Friday morning.
She made this final after posting a time of eight minutes and 38.70 seconds on a rather windy morning on the waters in the beautiful Vaires-sur-Marne on Monday.
The US-based rower Noble will have one more competitive race before embarking on a chapter of life. “I am ready to start a family,” she revealed in a chat, nearly two hours after her race. A mandatory anti-doping test pushed the wait.
“I am ready to have a new stage of life. And so, I also (want to) try to give other people a chance to compete for Uganda. I think I have done enough racing,” she added.
Noble is Uganda’s first and only competitor in rowing at the Olympics with her debut coming at the Tokyo 2020 Games in Japan three years ago.
Noble rows in Tokyo.
This time, it has been a special one. For the first time in her globe-trotting career, Noble was watched compete by both of her Irish-born parents - the Nobles Gerry and Moira.
“We’ve never imagined,” Kathleen’s mother Moira soaked in the moment. They have watched her for all her three races since Saturday morning and actually found a residence that is two train stops away from the venue.
While Gerry followed Kathleen to the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Italy back in April, Moira had never watched her daughter compete. “It’s truly special for me,” she said.
“It’s so special, yeah. She’s never had a chance to see me race before. So that’s kind of amazing to have her here and the whole family,” said Kathleen.
Kathleen’s parents moved to Uganda as missionaries three decades ago. Gerry did rowing in school and at university at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland back in heyday but Moira also gave a shot to horse riding.
“When she was nine years old, she showed so much determination. She swam 200 lengths, that’s 5000 metres,” Moira memoirs. “That’s why she swam for Uganda when she was 17 in December 2012,” Gerry noted.
“We had planned to go to Tokyo and then, we couldn’t go. It was difficult but it was a time of crisis in the world. They didn’t even think the Olympics would happen. We were so much happier that she got here,” added Moira, a teacher at the International School of Uganda (ISU) in Lubowa.
Noble is now fighting for placement. PHOTO/COURTESY
“In Tokyo, she didn’t even get to meet the rest of the team. Now she’s got the full experience and the incredible honour and for us as a family to be a captain with Joshua Cheptegei, one of the world’s greatest athletes,” added Gerry.
Noble had not been with her full family since 2022 and they only had a meal yesterday afternoon after her session.
Uganda has had several athletes compete at the Olympics since debut at the 1956 Melbourne edition in Australia but, nearly few or no other has had parents watch them compete at a venue at this stage.
And that surely is priceless for the Nobles, albeit a retirement in waiting.
UGANDANS IN ACTION - DAY 7
TUESDAY, JUL 30 - DAY 7
1:39pm: Gloria Muzito (Swimming - Women’s 100m Freestyle Heats)
FRIDAY, AUG 2 - DAY 10
10.06am: Kathleen Noble (Rowing - Women’s Single Sculls Final E)
12pm: Jesse Ssengonzi (Swimming - Men’s 100m Butterfly Heats)
7.10pm: Joy Cheptoyek, Sarah Chelangat, Belinda Chemutai (Athletics - Women’s 5000m Heats)
8.45pm: Halimah Nakaayi (Athletics - Women’s 800m Heats)
10:20pm: Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, Martin Kiprotich (Athletics - Men’s 10000m Final)
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - TEAM UGANDA RESULTS
ROWING: WOMEN’S SINGLE SCULLS SEMI E/F 2
1 Nihed Benchadli (ALG) 8:34.67
2 Kathleen Noble (UGA) 8:38.70
3 Evidelia González (NIC) 8:43.78
ROWING: WOMEN’S SINGLE SCULLS REPECHAGE 3
1 Alejandra Alonso (PAR) 7:57.14
2 Adriana Sanguineti (PER) 8:07.05
3 Kathleen Noble (UGA) 8:15.10
ROWING: WOMEN’S SINGLE SCULLS HEAT 1
1 Tara Rigney (AUS) 7:30.71
2 Virginia Díaz (ESP) 7:37.30
3 Paige Badenhorst (RSA) 7:39.19
5 Kathleen Noble (UGA) 8:08.90
ABOUT KATHLEEN NOBLE
Full name: Kathleen Grace Noble
Nationality: Uganda
Born: December 20, 1994
Age: 29
Place of birth: Kiwoko, Nakaseke, Uganda
Olympic Discipline: Rowing (Women’s Single Sculls)
Appearances: 2 (Tokyo 2020 & Paris 2024)
Tokyo 2020 Finish: Rank 26th (2nd in Final E)
