Moise Ntirenganya carried Rwanda’s hopes in the men’s junior road race at the UCI World Championships on Friday, September 26, where Britain’s Harry Hudson claimed victory. The 18-year-old, who failed to finish in the same category last year in Zurich, had set himself the goal of completing all eight laps of the 119.3km course. This time, he achieved it, crossing the line in 66th place as the last finisher. ALSO RED: Britain’s Harry Hudson wins junior gold at UCI World Championships “It is an honour to be the first Rwandan to complete this great race. I owe this result to the eight-month camp I spent in France,” Ntirenganya told Times Sports. Born in Kayonza District, Eastern Province, Ntirenganya began cycling professionally in 2015 with Les Amis de Sportif cycling team. Earlier this year, he trained in France alongside Jazilla Mwamikazi ahead of the 98th edition of the World Championships. He and Jackson Nkulikiyinka represented Rwanda among 141 junior riders from 71 nations. Reflecting on his performance, Ntirenganya admitted the course proved more challenging than expected. “This wasn’t what I hoped for. The main obstacle was the cobblestone, which I wasn’t used to. I believe that if the route had been different, I could have performed better.” Among other African riders, Eritrea’s Efriem Nahom impressed with an 11th-place finish, just 24 seconds behind Hudson. South Africa’s Josh Johnson placed 35th, Eritrea’s Keven Eri Teklemariam 47th, and Uganda’s Paul Miro 49th. In total, seven African riders completed the race.
