Rower Kathleen Noble to retire after Paris Olympics

___________________

Uganda’s rower Kathleen Noble tested more action on Monday when she made 8:38.70 to finish second in the semi-final E/F 2 to qualify for the final of the repechage due on Friday. 

She came second behind Algeria’s Nihed Benchadli, who she will battle again on Friday in the final among other racers to see where she will finish overall.

But her post-race revelation that she was going to retire after the Paris Olympics could shock many since she has currently been the face of the sport, propelling it to the highest level of competition, the Olympics, not once but twice.

“Friday is my last race and then I’m out. I want to move on to new challenges of life, I want to start a family, I want to focus on my career, and I want to pass on the baton to someone else, so I’m very happy to kind of wrap up this season and move on to something else,” Noble stated.

Commenting on her day’s performance, she said the target for the day was to ensure she kept among the top two places before she could gather all the energy for Friday’s final.

Rower Kathleen Noble relaxes after her race at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of lle-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne, July 29, 2024. (Photo by Michael Nsubuga)

“Racing three times in three days is a lot, but today the goal was not to be the last but to go out and kind of get hold of the best two places and just stay there, so it was like a 75 percent race which was a right change of strategy from the last races,” Noble said. 

“So now I have three days off before my final on Friday. I have more time to recover and rest so that I’m fresher for Friday. But it is good to perform in front of a wonderful crowd who kept on cheering us from about 1000 meters. I have enjoyed Paris a lot, it is beautiful, the village has been great, the energy; we have socialized and have been able to enjoy these games more than Tokyo.

Rower Kathleen Noble (2nd right) poses with his coach James Martinez (left), his dad Gerry Noble (2nd left) and her local coach Batenga Nakisozi and her mumMoira Noble after her race at the at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of lle-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne, July 29, 2024. (Photo by Michael Nsubuga)

“The field is faster though than it was in Tokyo, because they changed the qualification rules, so even if I feel I’m much faster than I was in Tokyo, I don’t know whether I will have a better final placing like I had in Tokyo,” she stated.

Her coach James Martinez praised her for executing the day’s task very well. “This was one of the tactical races for her, and she executed the plan very well. She didn’t have to go all out but just needed a placement in the final. She is very eager to beat the Algerian, so Friday’s race will be interesting,” Martinez stated.

Her parents, Gerry and Moira Noble, were among the hundreds of fans that cheered the rowers at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne.