Otim eyes the Youth Olympics after debut in World Rowing U-19 Championships

Uganda may soon tap into the rowing talents of young Marcel Otim, who recently made his international debut by representing the country at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Trakai, Lithuania, from August 6 to 10.

Otim, 16, competed in the 2000m Under 19 Men's Single Sculls JM1x alongside competitors from Uzbekistan, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, and Italy, where he clocked 10:13.56 in Heat-3 before he finished with a 10:34.70 in the men’s Final D (final).

Brazilian Arthur Cardoso Goncalves won the final in 08:03.95, ahead of Hong Kong’s Wing Fai Ho (08:08.60), who finished second, and Japan’s Haruki Ueno (08:16.15) and Finland’s William Oehman (08:16.73), who finished third and fourth, respectively.

Otim is a student at DeMatha High School in Maryland, USA, and rows for DeMatha High, Potomac Boat Club, and Maroons Aqua Sports Club back home.

After being exposed to a competition of such a high magnitude, the youngster is now eyeing competing at next year’s 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in Dakar, Senegal.

“It has been a very exciting experience; I have been able to learn a lot from the coaches here and other rowers as well and it has been a great experience in terms of my development and also getting used to racing,” Otim said.

“I feel very honored, and I feel very happy that I had the opportunity to represent Uganda on the world stage, and this is something I have been looking forward to since I joined the team and something I’m looking to do again in the future,” he stated.

Having started sculling a few months ago, Otim said the championship had enlightened him on what to work on and set the bar high for himself before his next event.

“My future plans for competition is first of all improving my physical fitness as a rower and preparing for the Youth Olympic Games next year and also improving my different skills for my next upcoming regatta, and I look forward to really being able to compete at the Youth Olympics and go on from there."

Batenga Nakisozi, the Uganda Rowing Federation general secretary and a member of the Indoor Rowing Commission at World Rowing who also travelled for the championship, said the youngster could walk in the footsteps of Katherine Noble, who was the sole representative for Uganda at the Paris Olympics and retired thereafter.

“Perhaps. Time can only tell. The similarity is there, because he is also in the diaspora with a strong passion and love for Uganda and a strong desire to represent their home country,” Nakisozi noted.

“But our goals and expectations for him in this competition were participation, exposure, and gaining valuable racing experience at an international level in a single scull.

“He continues to row for his school and club and we will continue to monitor his progress,” Nakisozi stated.