Rwanda has never won a medal in standard athletics at the Olympics or World Championships. However, the country has achieved success in Paralympic athletics: Jean de Dieu Nkundabera won a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, and Cliff Muvunyi secured gold at the 2013 IPC World Championships. Despite Rwanda’s high-altitude terrain, athletics development continues to face significant hurdles, including limited infrastructure for elite training and a shortage of professional role models. It does not take foreigners or AI to recognize that Rwanda’s rolling hills, thin air, and temperate climate make the country one of Africa’s most promising regions for producing long-distance runners. Northwestern Rwanda’s high-altitude terrain is particularly favourable for endurance training. Much of the country sits at elevations that provide ideal conditions for the physiological adaptations needed to enhance performance at lower altitudes. Musanze (6,070 ft) and Rubavu (5,650 ft) feature hilly slopes that mirror the conditions found in Iten, Kenya—the famed altitude centre that has produced countless Olympic and world champions. Yet while Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda regularly celebrate medals on the global stage, Rwanda continues to watch from the sidelines—its athletics promise largely unfulfilled. Even Tanzania has produced a few global winners. Rwandan athletics continues to lag behind its neighbours, and the reasons are not mysterious. The country does not lack natural advantages or political goodwill; what it lacks is a complete production chain for elite athletics. Successful running nations follow a clear and unrelenting pathway: early talent identification, continuous competition, professional coaching, high-performance infrastructure, and role models who demonstrate that success is possible. Unfortunately, Rwanda’s chain breaks at several points. One overlapping gap is the scarcity of elite role models. Kenya has legends like Eliud Kipchoge (marathon GOAT), Beatrice Chebet (Olympic double 5k/10k winner and world 10k record holder), Ferdinand Omanyala (sprinting), Faith Cherotich (steeplechase), and Faith Kipyegon (1500m and 5000m), while Ethiopia boasts Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Abebe Bikila. Uganda boasts stars like Joshua Cheptegei (world record holder in the 5k and 10k, multiple world and Olympic champion) and Jacob Kiplimo, while Tanzania has Alphonce Simbu, who won gold at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. These athletes do more than win medals—they inspire belief. Interestingly, the majority, if not all, have trained at the High-Altitude Training Centre in Iten, which is equipped with modern facilities ideal for a successful training camp. Rwanda’s athletics history has had bright moments. Dieudonné Disi’s feats offered hope in the post-genocide era, while Gervais Hakizimana’s work with the late marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum briefly placed Rwanda on the global coaching map. Paralympic bronze medallist Jean de Dieu Nkundabera, Olympian Epiphanie Nyirabarame, and national record holder Mathias Ntawulikura have carried the flag with distinction. However, their stories remain isolated rather than part of a continuous tradition that young runners can clearly follow. Infrastructure presents another major limiting factor; high altitude alone does not produce champions. Modern athletics depends on the “live high, train low” model, as well as access to tracks, gyms, sports science, nutrition, medical care, and frequent competition. Rwanda’s athletes often train hard under excellent natural conditions but lack access to nearby low-altitude venues for speed work, synthetic tracks, and recovery facilities. In contrast, Iten is not just a place. It is a complete system, combining altitude, dense competition, coaching expertise, and athlete support services. Meanwhile, Rwanda’s grassroots development is equally fragile. While participation is relatively strong at the amateur and secondary school level, the drop-off rate between amateur and professional athletics remains too high. The Rwanda Athletics Federation (RAF) has acknowledged the challenge of retaining and developing talent from the starting age through to the point where athletes can fulfil their potential. Unlike Kenya or Ethiopia, where village races, school competitions, and club systems overlap seamlessly, Rwanda’s pathway beyond school remains narrow. Too many promising athletes are lost due to academic pressure, economic necessity, or simply a lack of structured opportunities. Coordination and resources further complicate the picture. It is no secret that Rwandan government policy strongly supports sport as a tool for development, unity, and international visibility. Unfortunately, whether by design or otherwise, athletics has not received the attention needed to bring it on par with disciplines such as football, basketball, or volleyball. Admittedly, investments in stadiums and mass-participation initiatives, such as Car-Free Day, have helped build a sporting culture. However, mass participation does not automatically translate into elite success. The missing link is a coordinated national talent identification and development system that connects districts to high-performance centres, supported by adequately trained coaches and consistent funding. Funding does not necessarily need to come solely from the government—it can be a partnership between the government and private firms or individuals, or even a fully private initiative, much like Iten in Kenya. Regional comparisons are instructive. Uganda, with less government focus on sports, has invested heavily in targeted elite programmes, sending athletes abroad for competition and exposure. Kenya’s dominance in international athletics is well known. Even smaller and poorer Burundi has punched above its weight through focused investment in distance running. Rwanda, by contrast, spreads its efforts broadly, sometimes at the expense of depth. This raises an unavoidable question: why not deliberately develop world-class athletics training hubs in high-altitude regions like Musanze or Rubavu? With proper tracks, accommodation, sports science support, and professional management, regions like Musanze and Rubavu could serve dual purposes—developing Rwandan athletes while attracting international runners seeking high-altitude training camps. Such facilities would not only accelerate local performance but also generate revenue, positioning Rwanda as an East African training destination rather than a mere spectator. Musanze or Rubavu could become viable alternatives to Iten for international athletes seeking world-class training environments. The fans’ frustration is understandable. Watching neighbouring countries mount podiums at the Olympics and World Championships is painful when Rwanda’s natural conditions are equally favourable. But envy alone will not close the gap. What is required is a shift from potential to clarity: fewer scattered initiatives, more targeted elite pathways, and a bold commitment to high-performance infrastructure. Rwanda has the hills, the policy will, and talented runners like Félicien Muhitira, Yves Nimubona, Celine Iranzi, Emeline Manizabayo, and many more. Whether we can finally turn favourable altitude into medals depends on our ability to build not just runners, but a complete system that allows them to rise. Kenya’s Iten began as an idea by multiple world champion Lornah Kiplagat—today, the entire athletics world knows about it. Rwanda, with clear government policy, can build an alternative to Iten. Perhaps the Rwanda Athletics Federation (RAF) can learn from the cricket federation, which has grown its sport and infrastructure largely through partnerships with private entities. It will take years, resources, commitment, dedication, and a passion for the sport—but it can be done. If Rwanda can build an F1 track, it can certainly build a multi-purpose, world-class training facility for athletics to prosper.
