KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Editor's Note: Originally, this article incorrectly stated Noble won a silver medal. It has been corrected to reflect that she did not medal in the Olympics. She placed second in Group E of the Women's Single Sculls finals, but did not make it to the medaling final race.
On Friday, Kathleen Noble competed in the women's single sculls during the Summer Games, representing the landlocked country of Uganda.
During the games, she beat her personal record. Her coach at the University of Tennessee, James A. Martinez, said she represented Uganda well and put her country in the spotlight for a sport that's not common there.
"She has represented Uganda wonderfully in two Olympics, and she's very popular here," he said. "She's now made history twice, and she advocates for athletics and health and everything."
Noble also competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was the first rower to ever compete for Uganda. Martinez helped train her in Oak Ridge leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"She's got some tough things, that she knows that she has to row at her best," said Martinez.
On top of beating her personal best time, Noble also beat the Ugandan national record by around 10 seconds.
Along with being an Olympian, Noble is a software engineer. She plans to return to Knoxville after the Olympics, and retire from competing. While Martinez said he is preparing to welcome students back to campus.
