Overview:
Marcel Otim won a bronze medal in the Junior Male Solo cluster. Elijah Namunyu managed a repechage finish in the Male Solo with Grace Kathleen Noble (OLY) completing with a quarterfinal finish.
Uganda’s interesting rowing script continues to be written with passion, precision, vigour and aggression.
With the recent Beach Sprints championship hosted by BridgeTown in the Eastern Caribbean island country of Barbados, the writing is well-spelt on the wall, the present and future times of this water sport are bright.
Uganda featured a three-man team of athletes in the Beach Sprints championships organized by the Commonwealth Rowing Association.
Olympian Grace Kathleen Noble was joined by two promising youngsters, Marcel Otim and Elijah Namunyu, in the different races that included the juniors, male and female solos, the mixed doubles, as well as the team relays.
The performances were impressive, casting a bright beam of hope for the sport ahead of the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
There were great times posted, incredible skills attained and endurance tales to boldly report home about.
Otim won a bronze medal in the junior male solo cluster. Namunyu managed a repechage finish in the male solo, with Noble (OLY) completing with a quarterfinal finish.
Noble (OLY) joined forces with Namunyu in the mixed doubles event and settled for a quarterfinal finish.
For the team relays, Uganda finished a decent 10th position out of the 14 teams in contention.
Quotes:
“I am grateful for the opportunity to compete in the beach sprints. It has been a learning experience and also rewarding to switch from mainstream rowing to the beach sprints. I thank Uganda Rowing Association for the opportunity,” Otim recollected.
“This is my first time to compete in a beach rowing sprint. It is quite different from classic rowing. I enjoyed the dynamic bit and challenge, especially during the turns. It was really fun and I enjoyed the venue with everyone welcoming and friendly,” Olympian Noble remarked.
“The competition was good and fun. In the different categories I competed in, self-belief still carried me. I meant different competitors who really gave me a good challenge, and I kept believing in myself with confidence that I can make it,” Namunyu hinted.
The team travelled with the national coach Batenga Nakisozi and was facilitated by the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), Britam Insurance and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Results:
1. Junior Male Solo (Marcel Otim) – Bronze Medal
2. Male Solo (Elijah Namunyu) – Repechage finish
3. Women Solo – (Kathleen Noble) – Quarterfinal finish
4. Mixed Double – (Elijah Namunyu & Kathleen Noble) – Quarterfinal finish
5. Team Relay – 10th out of 14 teams
