Judith Hakizimana: The making of a volleyball legend

Calm, kind, achiever and visionary. These are some of the most used adjectives used to describe Judith Hakizimana. Widely regarded as one of the best players in women’s local volleyball of the last decade, and arguably the longest-serving still active, Hakizimana insists that she is not a done chapter yet. At 32, the celebrated right-attacker believes she’s still got a few more years in competitive volleyball – indoor and beach volleyball. Starting her 14th season in the topflight league on Saturday, February 8, Hakizimana has won eight championships and she has been a force to reckon with since her 2008 debut with now-defunct UR-CST (formerly KIST) women’s volleyball team. Born in Muyinga Province, Burundi, in May 1987, Hakizimana is the third child from a family of seven – four girls and three boys. Her parents Joseph Hakizimana and Vivian Mukamusoni, she says, having been her greatest support though his father was ‘a big hesitant’ at the beginning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali – UNILAK. Early days Speaking to Saturday Sport this week, Hakizimana confessed that she never thought of volleyball as a career option, let alone standing out as one of the best the country has ever produced. In her childhood, Hakizimana was not much into sports until she went to GS Musamvu, in Ngoma District, for her advanced studies of secondary school where volleyball was the most popular sport. “Playing volleyball was not an option, it was the only choice,” she recalls. “The school supported volleyball teams more than any other discipline, that’s how I ended up there.” “But, still, I never thought I would take it beyond secondary school because I played as a way to pass time and enjoy some athlete privileges at school.” It was during her high school days at GS Musamvu, in early 2008, that Hakizimana was noticed and recruited by coach Jean Damascene Ndagijimana to feature for KIST in the national women volleyball league. However, she played for the versity side for a handful of games towards the end of the 2007/2008 season. Thriving at RRA Hakizimana’s spectacular talent was there for all to see, and she was one of the earlier signings when Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) women volleyball club was formed and immediately joined the league in mid-2008. Christian Hatumimana, currently the Executive Secretary of Rwanda Volleyball Federation, was the club’s head coach and, Hakizimana says, he played a big role in her move. “He (Hatumimana) played an important role in my transfer, and he equally contributed such a huge role in turning me into the player I am today.” During her ten-year stint with the tax collectors side, from 2008 to late 2018, Hakizimana won eight league titles including a record six consecutive championships among other trophies. She also helped the club to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s African Club Championships in 2014, the best performance by any Rwandan side in continental competitions. 2018 – Move to UTB After a very successful decade with RRA, Hakizimana was part of a bunch of out-of-contract players who were lured by UTB, another league newcomer, in late 2018 on a two-year deal. She changed the club but her genius and hunger for success remained as she powered the Kicukiro-based side to their first league title – of the 2018-19 season – on first attempt. Courtesy of the stunning league debut, the team will represent Rwanda at this year’s African Club Championships. All the while, though the women’s national volleyball team has not been very active over the last ten years or so, Hakizimana was always called up whenever it was summoned for regional and international competitions. Beach volleyball career Hakizimana did not only excel in indoor volleyball, but she also ranks among the greats the country has known in women beach volleyball since her debut in 2008. “I started beach volleyball in 2008 during the national beach volleyball circuit in Rubavu. We finished fourth,” she vividly remembers. In 2012, she alongside Charlotte Nzayisenga, another local volleyball star, narrowly missed out on a ticket to the London Olympic Games after they finished second in African qualifiers. While partnering with Seraphine Mukantambara, Hakizimana again fell short in the qualifiers for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The qualifiers were held in Egypt earlier that year. 2019 – Unprecedented success After several years of failed attempts, Hakizimana – along with Nzayisenga – finally played the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, last year. However, her ticket to the world’s biggest beach volleyball competition came after Nzayisenga’s initial partner, Benitha Mukandayisenga, was deemed ineligible for world championships because she had not participated in the required minimum number of international competitions. Again, with Nzayisenga, Hakizimana reached the semi-finals of the Beach Volleyball World Tour held on the shores of Lake Kivu, in Rubavu, last August. What do teammates say about her? Nzayisenga has been Hakizimana’s teammate since 2014, first at RRA until 2018 before the two crossed to UTB. “She is a thoughtful and kind woman. She is also a good leader.”

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Judith Hakizimana: The making of a volleyball legend