Uganda’s young athletes continued their campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, with rower Marcel Andrew Otim showing encouraging improvement in coastal rowing while swimmer Peyton Mary Suubi made her debut in the girls’ 400m freestyle.
Otim delivered a significant improvement in his second time trial at Saly Beach West on Sunday, cutting more than 19 seconds off his opening time. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Suubi gained valuable experience in the pool, finishing her first race of the Games with lessons to carry into her next event on Tuesday, 3 November.
Both athletes are now looking ahead to their next assignments as they seek to build on their opening performances and represent Uganda strongly on the international stage.
ROWING: Otim Cuts 19 Seconds in Second Time Trial
Uganda’s Marcel Andrew Otim produced an encouraging performance in his second time trial in the men’s solo coastal beach sprints at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, improving his overall time by 19.03 seconds on Sunday at Saly Beach West.
The 17-year-old clocked 3:04.97, a considerable improvement on his opening time of 3:24.00, as he responded positively to the lessons from his first outing.
His second performance included a beach-running time of 11.00 seconds and a rowing time of 2:54.86. Despite the improvement, Otim finished 24th in the second time trial, missing out on the top eight places required to advance to the last 16. His overall classification was 32nd.
Coastal beach sprint rowing demands a different approach from conventional rowing, and Otim had to adjust to the demands of the discipline while managing the pressure of competing at his first Youth Olympic Games.
After the opening time trial, he and his coach, Batenga Nassozi, worked on technical and strategic adjustments that helped him deliver a faster performance.
Nassozi was pleased with the response, explaining that Otim had executed the instructions given to him and made significant progress despite the differences between traditional rowing and coastal beach sprints.
“Today Marcel competed in the second time trial, and it was good compared to yesterday. There was massive improvement, and he executed what we asked him to do,” Nassozi said.
“Traditionally, Marcel is a classic rower, but this is coastal rowing, so the dynamics are different. We made a few technical adjustments and some strategic adjustments, and he was able to shave off over 19 seconds.”
The coach added that the entire field recorded faster times in the second trial, making Otim’s improvement particularly encouraging.
For Otim, the better performance also brought renewed confidence after a nerve-wracking opening day. He reported feeling much better, with more favourable water conditions and improved management of his nerves contributing to his progress.
Although his campaign in the individual time trials ended outside the qualifying positions, the Ugandan has another opportunity to compete when he represents the country in the team relay on Tuesday, 3 November.
Nassozi said Otim’s spirits were high and that the team was already preparing for the next race.
“I’m really happy about what he has done, and his spirits are up. He is preparing for Tuesday,” she added.
Otim now shifts focus to the team relay, where he will have another opportunity to contribute to Uganda’s campaign at the Games.
SWIMMING: Suubi Targets Stronger Performance in 100m Breaststroke
Uganda’s Peyton Mary Suubi opened her swimming campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in the girls’ 400m freestyle on Sunday, gaining valuable international experience as she looks ahead to her next event.
The 16-year-old clocked 4:52.59 in heat 2, won by Tunisia’s IlefZouaghi, who finished in 4:29.42.
Suubi finished eighth in the heat, with her time placing her behind the other seven swimmers. The results showed that she recorded the quickest reaction time in the heat, at 0.61 seconds, demonstrating a sharp response at the start.
However, she was unable to maintain the pace required to challenge the leading swimmers over the full distance.
Despite the difficult race, Suubi showed determination in the closing stages, increasing her pace over the final 100 metres. She finished strongly, recording 34.81 seconds in the final 50 metres, her fastest 50-metre split of the race since the opening length.
Her finish was one of the positives she took from the performance, although the Ugandan admitted that a slower start affected her overall time.
Reflecting on her race, Suubi acknowledged that she had hoped to improve on her previous performance and challenge her national record, but instead added more than three seconds. “I didn’t make a national record. I added over three seconds, but that’s fine. It’s a step back for me to improve on what I did,” she said. “I think I started off slow. I should have started off a bit faster.”
The young swimmer believes a more balanced approach to pacing could have produced a better result. She explained that reducing her time across the opening 50-metre sections could have put her in a stronger position to challenge her personal target.
Rather than dwell on the outcome, Suubi is determined to use the experience to improve her training and race strategy.
She plans to work on balancing her speed throughout the race, with the aim of starting more strongly and maintaining a consistent pace over the distance.
Attention now turns to the girls’ 100m breaststroke on Tuesday, 3 November, where Suubi will have another chance to improve her time.
She is approaching the event with renewed determination and hopes to challenge the national record. Even if she does not achieve that target, she is focused on producing a faster time than her previous record.
“I’m excited to see my 100 breaststroke. I’m going to do my best and try to do the national record. If I fail to do the national record, I have to cut time at least, for me to be better than the first record I had,” she said.
For the two young Ugandans, the experience is about more than the times recorded. It is also an opportunity to develop, adapt to international competition and gain experience that can support their future sporting ambitions.
Though these two turn attention to Tuesday, 3 November, when both athletes return to competition in different events; Swimmers Peterson Ineshiko, Zara Mbanga and Arthur Mwase will be in the pool for their respective competitions.