After captaining the national sitting volleyball team at three Paralympic editions, a journey that has seen the country ranked first in Africa and fifth globally, Liliane Mukobwankawe has revealed plans to retire from professional play after the 2028 games to be held in Los Angeles. ALSO READ: Mukobwankawe: Steering Rwanda to new heights in women’s sitting volleyball “I believe that it's nearly time to give room for new talents. I plan to play my last Paralympic Games in 2028, then shift to coaching,” Mukobwankawe told Times Sport after earning her Level two coaching certificate during an international sitting volleyball course held in Kigali. The 35-year-old is expected to feature in the women’s national team squad for her fourth Paralympic Games next year. Her journey into the sport came after surviving a road accident that injured her right femur. After the achievements she has made in the game, Mukobwankawe says she now wants to inspire people living with disabilities to take on sports. “I’ve already started coaching, particularly in seatball, to prepare for this next chapter (in coaching),” she noted. Mukobwankawe currently coaches some seatball teams in Kamonyi District. Although seatball isn’t part of the Paralympic program, she says it brings together members of the community living with disabilities and provides an opportunity for developing future sitting volleyball players. “Sitball is like a foundation for sitting volleyball. It’s a sport that mainly brings together people with disabilities,” she explained. “I chose it because it plays a role in reaching out to them to shape another generation that will carry forward the legacy we’ve built on the world stage.” ALSO READ: Mukobwankawe targets top four at World Sitting V-ball championship Born in 1989 in Kamonyi District, Southern Province, Mukobwankawe grew up passionate about sports, especially basketball. However, her basketball dreams were cut short after a road accident at the age of seven left her with a disability in her right femur. Her sporting ambitions reignited in 2007 while she was in Senior Four, after meeting a coach who introduced her to sitting volleyball. In 2016, she was on the 12-woman squad that represented Rwanda in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, she has captained the national team through three consecutive Paralympic Games.
