Uganda’s first ever rower at the Olympic Games Grace Kathleen Noble defied the odds to qualify for the E/F (non medal classification) single scull final.
Kathleen, 26, rowed to second place during the semifinal of the E/F event on the Forest Sea Waterway in Japan on Sunday.
The powerful and skilled rower clocked 8:31:67, an improved timing as compared to the Repechage race a day earlier.
The E/F 1 semifinal was won by Qatar’s Tala Abujbara, 29, who posted a timing of 8:24:24 to emerge winner and book the final slot.
Nigerian Esther Tamaraebi Toko, 29, returned a timing of 9:07:70 to take third place whilst Sudanese female rower Esra Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Khogali was fourth in the race after clocking 10:23:52.
Kathleen is optimistic that she will keep improving come the final of the E/F catergory.
“I am happy having qualified for the final of the E/F event and hopeful that it will be a great race” the US based Ugandan told the media.
Kathleen, in her first race on Friday, she was fifth and she dropped to the Repechage.
In the Repechage, she finished third and qualified for the E/F semifinal before making the final slated for Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, on Monday, middle weight boxer David Kavuma Ssemujju will also be in action at noon (East African Time).
So proud of you Kathleen Grace Noble!