HERMAS Cliff Muvunyi has set high targets for himself at forthcoming 9th World Para Athletics Championships as he looks to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

This year’s world championships is scheduled for November 7-15, in Dubai.

Muvunyi, 30, is one of the only two athletes who will be representing the country at the week-long world meet – along with Claudine Uwitije.

Under intensive preparations late August at Amahoro Stadium, Muvunyi secured his ticket to the world championships in April after scooping a bronze medal at the Meeting International de Marrakech, in Morocco.

"I started preparations earlier (than I usually do) so I can do well in Dubai. My target is finishing on the podium,” he told Times Sport during an interview on Tuesday.

The championships will take place at the new athletics stadium of the Dubai Club for People of Determination, and will be run under the patronage of Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdane Almaktoum.

He added: "With the help of my coach (Eric Karasira), I am working in training and I have been improving. Winning a medal and qualifying for the Paralympics is an attainable goal.”

Muvunyi, a gold medalist at the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie, struck bronze at the Marrakech Meeting after clocking 51 seconds and three microseconds in the T46 men’s 400m category.

The World Championships will not only be the pinnacle of the Para athletics season in 2019, but will also act as the last major opportunity for athletes to gain slots in their National Paralympic Committees for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

More than 1,300 athletes from over 100 countries are expected to take part in the competition.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com