Thirteen karatekas, including a 14-year-old debutant, will represent Rwanda at the 2025 African Karate Championships, scheduled to take place from July 22 to 27 in Abuja, Nigeria. It is a big step in the right direction, officials from the karate federation admitted, since the team is more than two times bigger than the squad that won three medals at the 11th Commonwealth Karate Championships 2024, in Durban, South Africa. ALSO READ: Renowned South African instructor San Pillay ‘truly impressed’ by Rwandan karatekas The final national team squad was chosen from 41 karatekas picked during the pre-selection phase, on June 22, across three divisions: cadets (14–15 years), juniors (16–17 years), and seniors. Rwanda’s delegation will head to Abuja early morning on Sunday, July 20, to join more than 400 other athletes from the continent. ALSO READ: Rwanda's Commonwealth silver, bronze medals signal 'so much potential' The 2025 Union des Fédérations Africaines de Karaté (UFAK) Championships which will feature competitions in kata (forms) and kumite (fighting, or sparring) contests will also serve as a qualifier for this year’s World Karate Championships. In such big stage karate tournaments, a country is allowed to field at least one player in each category – in the various individual kumite, kata, and team events – so as to maximize the chances for winning as many medals as possible. This means that a country can register as many as 54 players in the tournament – 27 seniors, 17 juniors, and 10 cadets. Two Rwandan referees, Dieudonne Mwizerwa and Onesphore Ndayambaje, were invited by UFAK to officiate at the games. ALSO READ: Karate: Yezakuzwe’s sudden rise speaks to country’s untapped potential Under the guidance of national team coach Christian Kamuzinzi, the squad includes one cadet level youngster Renatus Cyusa, 14, from Kamikaze, a Kabuga-based club under the wing of Japan Karate Association Rwanda (JKA-Rwanda). One of the players making their first appearance on the national team, Cyusa, a senior two student at Petit Seminaire St Kizito de Zaza, in Ngoma District, is the youngest player on the team. He will compete with Africa’s best karatekas in individual kata and individual kumite bouts in the cadet division of the tournament. ‘Got his black belt at age 10’ His mother, Claudine Uwamahoro, a business woman who encouraged him to practice karate ever since he was four was delighted when she heard that her son made the national team. From her hardware shop in Kabuga, in the suburbs of Kigali, Uwamahoro told The New Times: “We were so happy when we heard the news last week! We were not surprised because he was always doing well and he loves the sport so much. “He got his black belt at the age of 10, in 2021, and he showed promise right from a tender age. I am, indeed, optimistic about our entire team’s chances during this event. These kids are dedicated and there are chances that they will bring medals. There is no doubt that they will make us proud.” The youngster’s black belt was eventually officially confirmed after he passed a JKA exam last August. Credo Armand Byusa Kabagema from the Huye-based The Great Karate Academy and Aline Irakoze from Kigali’s (Kagugu) Flying Eagle, both aged 16, also made it into the national team, for the first time. They are set to challenge for medals in individual kata and individual kumite matches, in their respective categories. The seniors’ female squad has Razia Uwase and Sandrine Ishimwe, both from APR Club, as well as Lucie Yezakuzwe from Agahozo Shalom, in Rwamagana District. Their male colleagues are: siblings Khalifa Niyitanga, Sharifu Dushime, and Sidike Niyonkuru, as well as team captain Fiston Ntwali, Maic Shyaka Ndutiye, Jean Claude Munyaburanga, and Paul Kagimbi. Ntwali, Shyaka, and Munyaburanga, are from The Great Warriors. Niyitanga, Dushime, Niyonkuru, as well as Kagimbi, are from APR. ‘We will respect our opponents but not fear them’ The team leader, Ntwali, an experienced fighter and second-year student pursuing a degree in business management at Mount Kigali University, will fight in the under 67 kilo individual kumite category, as well as in the equally taxing team kumite bouts. He has been inspiring his teammates “to make Rwanda proud.” Ntwali urged Rwandans, “especially those living in Abuja,” to come out and support the team. “We had ample time to prepare for this championship. One of the countries we expect strong competition from is Egypt. However, with the young talent that has joined the squad, we believe we can go far,” he said. Egypt boasts some of the world’s best karatekas in the world today and it will aim to grab all the medals during the tournament. Nonetheless, Ntwali and his colleagues are unafraid, especially after having been tested before. “We will be humble but fearless. We will respect our opponents but not fear them.” In 2018, when the continental championships were held in Kigali, Maic Shyaka Ndutiye, then 17, won gold, marking the first time a Rwandan athlete had achieved this feat in an international karate tournament. Seven years later, Shyaka who is now pursuing a bachelors degree in business information communication technology at Mount Kigali University, has gained some more experience and is positive. In Abuja, the second-year university student will aim to do better than the silver medal he bagged during last year’s 11th Commonwealth Karate Championships, in Durban, South Africa.
