Paris, FRANCE | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan rower Kathleen Noble ran out of steam and fell short of securing an outright quarterfinal berth in the women’s single sculls at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Noble finished fifth in the Women’s 2000m singles scull heat 1 on Saturday morning.
Noble, who opened Team Uganda’s campaign at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, missed a top-three finish that would have secured her a spot in the quarterfinals. She struggled to maintain a competitive pace against several strong contenders.
She posted a time of 8:08.90, behind Australian superstar Tara Rigney, who won the race in 7:30.71. Virginia Dias Rivas finished second in 7:37.30, while Paige Badenhorst came third with the time 7:39.19.
However, all hope is not lost for Noble who is team Uganda’s Vice Captain. She is still eligible to compete in the repechage round on Sunday, giving her another chance to advance to the quarterfinals.
According to the qualification rules, only the top three finishers in each heat advance to the quarterfinals, while the remaining contestants must compete in the repechage stage.
The 29-year-old rower will aim to secure a quarterfinal spot on Sunday in the repechage, where only the top two athletes will advance. The remaining athletes will compete in the classification round to determine the final rankings.
This particular time for the 29-year-old Ugandan rower is slightly above the national record of 8:06.36, which she set during the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Italy, earlier this year in April. However, it is an improvement from her debut at the Tokyo Olympics, where she posted a time of 8:21.85.
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