U-18 girls volleyball team win medal

GABORONE – The U-18 girls’ team won a second bronze medal for Rwanda after losing to eventual champions Egypt in the final match of the volleyball competition yesterday. 

Friday, May 30, 2014
Seraphine Mukantambara (L) and Olive Mutamba pose with their African championship awards yesterday in Molepolole. B. Mugabe

Yesterday

Egypt 3-0 Rwanda

Kenya 3-0 Nigeria

Botswana 3-0 Mauritius 

GABORONE – The U-18 girls’ team won a second bronze medal for Rwanda after losing to eventual champions Egypt in the final match of the volleyball competition yesterday. 

Egypt won the game 3-0 (25-18, 25-12 and 25-21) in one hour and six minutes. Grace Niyigena and Seraphine Mukantambara were Rwanda’s best players after picking 16 and 15 points respectively. 

Rwanda scooped two individual awards as Olive Mutamba was voted the best server, while team captain Seraphine Mukantambara was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). 

Unbeaten Egypt topped the standings with 18 points in six matches, four points ahead of Kenya, who took silver, while Rwanda finished third with 13 points. 

Nigeria were fourth with 9 points, Botswana fifth with six points, South Africa sixth with three points and Mauritius returned home without winning any match. 

Head coach Paul Bitok said yesterday, "As expected we lost to a very strong and more experienced team (Egypt) but our girls have gained much experience from this competition.” 

The girls’ team bronze medal makes it two for Rwanda in the Africa Youth Games following Jean Pierre Cyiza’s bronze medal in boxing. 

Athletics

Jean Marie Vianney Myasiro finished eighth in 3000m final with a time of 08:53:48 to qualify for Nanjing Youth Games. 

Jean Damascene Tuyizere failed to qualify for the final in the boys’ 800m after he clocked 2.08:60, while Venantie Mukandayisenga clocked 04.39 minutes to qualify for Saturday’s 1500m women final. 

Golf

Aaron Taylor Koonce finished eighth in the U-17 golf tournament held at Gaborone Golf club on Thursday with a total score of 261.

Cycling

Benitha Uwamarayika and Clementine Niyonsaba finished seventh and eighth clocking 01:29:01 and 01:29:07 respectively in the girls’ 52km road race. 

In the boys’ category, Omar Nizeyimana, Joseph Areruya, Ephrem Tuyishimire and Samuel Hakiruwizeye finished 10th, 11th, 16th and 40th in the 104km race. 

The Games end today and Rwanda team will depart for Kigali in two batches with the first group set to arrive on Monday and the other on Tuesday.