Kathleen Noble '18
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Noble Becomes First Ugandan Rower At The Olympics
July 19, 2021 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
Kathleen Noble '18 never rowed before attending Princeton.
She will now become the first Ugandan rower at the Olympics.
Wait, what?
Yes, Noble will race in the single scull event at the Olympics for Uganda. She picked up rowing as a sophomore at Princeton.
"I had done a lot of swimming before coming to Princeton but was ready for a change," said Noble. "When I first came to Princeton, I didn't think I wanted to do varsity athletics because I wanted to pursue other non-athletic interests. However, freshman year I found I missed competitive sport. I was part of some club sports teams, but it wasn't the level of intensity and commitment I wanted. I missed having a team, working towards big competitions, having structured strenuous exercise."
Her freshman roommate Katie Mirabella recommended she try out with the women's lightweight crew.
It did not take very long for to realize how good she will be.
"We knew right away that Kathleen had a strong aerobic capacity that she had built up through her swimming career," said Princeton head Paul Rassam. "It was also clear that she had a good amount of natural power and natural boat feel - from day one she really seemed to understand how to latch on to the water and accelerate the boat past the puddle. Her form was solid right away."
In the spring of her sophomore year, Noble went on the team's training trip to Tampa and won several seat races against recruited athletes.
By the end year, she was on the varsity eight at the IRA National Championships. Noble helped the Tigers to two bronze medals in her career.
After graduating, Noble retired from rowing and didn't it do it for a year. She was then invited to the Olympic Qualifiers and immediately needed to find a place to row in Utah where she was living.
She found the Utah Crew, a high school team. Ahsan and Linda Iqbal took her in, and they've been family ever since.
"I've spent Thanksgiving with them, I've been on exotic vacations with them, and they've stayed up in the middle of the night to cheer me on when I was racing in the indoor rowing world championships, "said Noble. "They're the first people I'd call if I needed help. Linda and Ahsan are so supportive and encouraging. Ahsan is always down to come out and coach even if it's just the two of us on the river."
At the 2019 FISA African Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Noble wont the 1x event at 8:36.87. She won by 2.97 seconds.
She was an Olympian.
At the time that I qualified, initially I couldn't really believe it," said Noble. "I kept repeating it to myself and it just felt unreal.
Preparing for the Olympics has been an interesting challenge. While in Utah, Noble was working full time at a cancer research lab in addition to her rowing preparation. Her work was flexible and now she's a full-time athlete. Currently, she's in Philadelphia, training with Vesper.
"I learned how to row at Princeton, and I learned how to race and while racing in a coxed eight is quite different to racing a single the pain is pretty similar," said Noble. Racing at Princeton was the only preparation I had for racing internationally and it was good preparation."
When reflecting on how she got to this point, Noble was thankful for her coaches, Rassam and William Mwanga (her coach in Uganda).
"When I was there (in Uganda), William would travel across the city three or four times to the Kisubi boathouse to coach me for two or three hours before heading back," said Noble. "There are no rowing clubs with enough funds to pay a coach and the Ugandan Rowing Federation never paid him, he just coaches because he's passionate about rowing and wants to see the sport grow."
"Paul saw potential in me that I didn't see," said Noble." He believed I had a natural talent for rowing, and I was determined to live up to that. It was a risky move putting someone so inexperienced in the varsity eight and looking back on myself then I really was clueless about certain things."
"What it means to compete in the Olympics has evolved over time and I think it's meaning will keep evolving as I go through life," said Noble. "Mostly it's just such a privilege to have the opportunity to compete in the biggest sporting event in the world. To be the first ever Ugandan rower to compete in the Olympics is also a great privilege and I hope my qualification will inspire other Ugandan rowers and help the sport develop back home.
"Kathleen is a proud Ugandan, and I am really thrilled that she has the opportunity to represent her country at the Olympics," said Rassam. "It's great to have an alum of the program at the Olympics and I am sure she is the first of several to come.
She will now become the first Ugandan rower at the Olympics.
Wait, what?
Yes, Noble will race in the single scull event at the Olympics for Uganda. She picked up rowing as a sophomore at Princeton.
"I had done a lot of swimming before coming to Princeton but was ready for a change," said Noble. "When I first came to Princeton, I didn't think I wanted to do varsity athletics because I wanted to pursue other non-athletic interests. However, freshman year I found I missed competitive sport. I was part of some club sports teams, but it wasn't the level of intensity and commitment I wanted. I missed having a team, working towards big competitions, having structured strenuous exercise."
Her freshman roommate Katie Mirabella recommended she try out with the women's lightweight crew.
It did not take very long for to realize how good she will be.
"We knew right away that Kathleen had a strong aerobic capacity that she had built up through her swimming career," said Princeton head Paul Rassam. "It was also clear that she had a good amount of natural power and natural boat feel - from day one she really seemed to understand how to latch on to the water and accelerate the boat past the puddle. Her form was solid right away."
In the spring of her sophomore year, Noble went on the team's training trip to Tampa and won several seat races against recruited athletes.
By the end year, she was on the varsity eight at the IRA National Championships. Noble helped the Tigers to two bronze medals in her career.
After graduating, Noble retired from rowing and didn't it do it for a year. She was then invited to the Olympic Qualifiers and immediately needed to find a place to row in Utah where she was living.
She found the Utah Crew, a high school team. Ahsan and Linda Iqbal took her in, and they've been family ever since.
"I've spent Thanksgiving with them, I've been on exotic vacations with them, and they've stayed up in the middle of the night to cheer me on when I was racing in the indoor rowing world championships, "said Noble. "They're the first people I'd call if I needed help. Linda and Ahsan are so supportive and encouraging. Ahsan is always down to come out and coach even if it's just the two of us on the river."
At the 2019 FISA African Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Noble wont the 1x event at 8:36.87. She won by 2.97 seconds.
She was an Olympian.
At the time that I qualified, initially I couldn't really believe it," said Noble. "I kept repeating it to myself and it just felt unreal.
Preparing for the Olympics has been an interesting challenge. While in Utah, Noble was working full time at a cancer research lab in addition to her rowing preparation. Her work was flexible and now she's a full-time athlete. Currently, she's in Philadelphia, training with Vesper.
"I learned how to row at Princeton, and I learned how to race and while racing in a coxed eight is quite different to racing a single the pain is pretty similar," said Noble. Racing at Princeton was the only preparation I had for racing internationally and it was good preparation."
When reflecting on how she got to this point, Noble was thankful for her coaches, Rassam and William Mwanga (her coach in Uganda).
"When I was there (in Uganda), William would travel across the city three or four times to the Kisubi boathouse to coach me for two or three hours before heading back," said Noble. "There are no rowing clubs with enough funds to pay a coach and the Ugandan Rowing Federation never paid him, he just coaches because he's passionate about rowing and wants to see the sport grow."
"Paul saw potential in me that I didn't see," said Noble." He believed I had a natural talent for rowing, and I was determined to live up to that. It was a risky move putting someone so inexperienced in the varsity eight and looking back on myself then I really was clueless about certain things."
"What it means to compete in the Olympics has evolved over time and I think it's meaning will keep evolving as I go through life," said Noble. "Mostly it's just such a privilege to have the opportunity to compete in the biggest sporting event in the world. To be the first ever Ugandan rower to compete in the Olympics is also a great privilege and I hope my qualification will inspire other Ugandan rowers and help the sport develop back home.
"Kathleen is a proud Ugandan, and I am really thrilled that she has the opportunity to represent her country at the Olympics," said Rassam. "It's great to have an alum of the program at the Olympics and I am sure she is the first of several to come.
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