Runners battle for Glasgow slots

POTENTIAL runners who will represent Rwanda at this year’s Commonwealth Games will be picked today in a trial due to be held this morning at Amahoro stadium.

Friday, May 02, 2014

POTENTIAL runners who will represent Rwanda at this year’s Commonwealth Games will be picked today in a trial due to be held this morning at Amahoro stadium.

Apart from marathon hopefuls Dieudonne Disi, Jean Pierre Mvuyekure and Epiphanie Nyirabarame, the rest of the athletes will take part in the trial to determine who heads to Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3.

According to Rwanda Athletics Federation’s technical director Jean Pierre Ndacyayisenga, Emmanuel Ntakiyimana, Jean Pierre Mvuyekure, Alexis Nizeyimana, Felicien Muhitira,Epiphanie Nyirabarame, Dieudonne Disi, Claudette Mukasakindi, Eric Sebahire, Cyriaque Ndayikengurukiye, Godfrey Rutayisire, Timothy Bagine, Marcel Ngabonziza, Potien Ntawuyirushintege and Patrick Rukundo will battle for slots in 400m, 5000m, 10000m and two para-sports disciplines such as 100m T37 and 1500m.

Only ten athletes will make it to the final national team which will be made up of 21 athletes competing in five sports disciplines namely athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming and Paralympics.

Two boxers Jean Maurice Bikorimana and Olivier Nshingiro are assured of heading to Glasgow since they don’t have any competitors. They will battle it out against elite boxers in light middleweight [64kg] and middleweight [75kg].

Two riders will be dropped among the twelve named by Rwanda Cycling Federation. Cycling has only ten spots reserved for individual time trial [3], team time trial [5] and mountain bike [2] races.

In swimming, 50m freestyle star Patrick Rukundo and Paralympics [power lifting [75kg] Theogene Hakizimana are the only athletes named for the two disciplines.