Beach Volleyball: Rwanda drawn in Group C at Commonwealth Games

Rwanda women’s beach volleyball team, Africa’s sole representative, has been drawn in Group C at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games scheduled for April 4-15 in Queensland, Australia.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Group A: Australia, Scotland, Grenada and Cyprus

Group B: Canada, England, Trinidad and Tobago and Fiji

Group C: New Zealand, Vanuatu, Singapore and Rwanda

Rwanda women’s beach volleyball team, Africa’s sole representative, has been drawn in Group C at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games scheduled for April 4-15 in Queensland, Australia.

Rwandan's Charlotte Nzayisenga and Denise Mutatsimpundu have been drawn against New Zealand, Vanuatu and Singapore. / File

Charlotte Nzayisenga and Denyse Mutatsimpundu qualified after winning gold medal at the 2017 CAVB Beach Volleyball Cup in Maputo, Mozambique in May, 2017.

Ndayisenga and Mutatsimpundu also qualified for the World Championships that was staged in Vienna, Austria in August where they unfortunately lost all their matches.

The pair came to the limelight when, playing at the junior level, won gold at the Africa Championships in Lome, Togo but failed to participate in the World Championships in Canada after the hosts denied the Rwandan team entry visas.

Nzayisenga, who plays for league champions Rwanda Revenue Authority and Mutatsimpundu of APR VC, went a step further by claiming the senior continental title after beating 2015 All African Games gold medalists Nigeria in the final of 2018 Commonwealth Games qualifiers 2-0, in Sierra Leone last October.

According to Christian Hatumimana, the Executive Secretary of the local volleyball governing body, FRVB, the duo, under national team coach Paul Bitok, will begin residential training next week at Amahoro National Stadium to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

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