Uganda’s 17-year-old rower Marcel Andrew Otim completed his campaign at the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, gaining valuable international racing experience against some of the world’s leading junior rowers.
Competing in the Under 19 Men’s Single Sculls (JM1x), Otim opened his championship on 6 August with a time of 8:18.02 in his heat, earning progression to the quarterfinal stage.
During the quarterfinal, the Ugandan youngster recorded 8:30.66 before returning to the water on Saturday morning for the D Final, where he finished in 8:25.95.
The championship represented an important step in Otim’s development as he continues his transition into international 2,000-metre racing.
Racing at this level provided an opportunity to test himself against athletes from established rowing nations while establishing valuable performance benchmarks for his continued development.
“Marcel is only 17, and this championship was always about gaining experience, learning how to race at this level and understanding where the next improvements need to come from,” remarked Uganda National Rowing Coach Batenga Nakisozi.
“Reaching the quarterfinals gave him three valuable races over 2,000 metres against strong international opposition. We leave Plovdiv with a much clearer picture of where he is, what we need to work on and, importantly, with a young athlete who now knows what competing at a World Championship feels like.”
Otim’s international season now turns towards a different rowing discipline.
He will represent Uganda at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, where he will compete in Beach Sprint Rowing.
His preparation has already included international Beach Sprint competition in Portugal in July, followed by the World U19 Championships in Plovdiv.
Despite the change in discipline, Nakisozi says the World U19 Championships have formed an important part of Otim’s preparation for Dakar rather than representing a separate programme.
“The Championships have been very valuable preparation for Dakar, particularly in terms of Marcel’s fitness, technical development, race discipline and experience competing under pressure at the highest level for his age. It is certainly not a complete reset.”
“What changes now is the specificity of the training. We will shift greater focus towards Beach Sprints, particularly boat entry, navigation, turns and reading waves, wind and current, while continuing to develop his sculling skills, technique and efficiency. We take everything gained from Portugal and Plovdiv and build on it over the next eight weeks.”
The Youth Olympic Games will provide another significant international opportunity for the young Ugandan, who has already demonstrated his potential in the discipline and qualified Uganda for Dakar.
His participation in Plovdiv forms part of Uganda Rowing’s broader long-term strategy of exposing promising young athletes to progressively higher levels of international competition while building the technical and competitive experience required for sustained success.
“International performance is built over time,” Nakisozi added. “Every race at this level gives us information, experience and a benchmark. Marcel has a great deal of development ahead of him, and that is exactly what makes this stage of his journey exciting.”
Uganda Rowing now shifts its focus towards preparing Otim for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, in October.
