AS he intensifies preparations for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Scotland, long distance runner Dieudonne Disi won a silver medal in the Carnaval half marathon in France on Sunday. Disi, who has been training at Kenya’s high altitude camp at Iten since January, finished second to Burundian Abraham Niyonkuru after clocking 1:4:43. Morocco’s Chakir Boujattaoui won bronze, while another Rwandan Gervais Hakizimana, who is based in France, finished fourth. With his first race of the year, Disi is set to return to the rift valley to continue training alongside other Kenyan athletes in order to gain the competitive edge. Disi, who turns 34 years in November, has indicated his intention to win a medal in this year’s edition before he retires. The Glasgow Games are likely to be his last major international championships and he hopes training from Kenya’s ‘home of champions’ will boost his chances of quitting the sport on a high. In an interview with Times Sport recently, Disi said, “I hope to win a medal in Glasgow. And Iten is the place that can put me in a winning shape, both mentally and physically.” The former 10,000m national champion also said he plans to compete in different European marathon events between March and May before the Glasgow Games.
