Meeting de Pezenas3000m Steeple chase resultsGervais Hakizimana (Rwa) 8:39:27Romain Collenot-Spriet 8:40:48Bedrani Djilali (Fra) 8:42:67Gosse David (Fra) 8:58:49RWANDA’s national steeplechase champion Gervais Hakizimana fell short of the Olympic mark despite winning the Meeting de Pezenas in France on May 26.Hakizimana clocked 8:39:27 to win gold in this year’s edition but his time could not guarantee him a place in the summer Olympic Games. His time was short of the official minimum standard B time of 08:32.0 needed for London.Despite losing out of the spot, Hakizimana is yet to hang up his search for the minimum qualification.“I have not lost hope, I want to try my final luck with one more race (yet to be known) in France due in June and if I fail, then I will call it quits for London games,” added Hakizimana.Apart from two IOC (International Olympic Committee) swimming wildcards given to Alphonsine Agahozo (50m) and Jackson Niyomugabo (50m free-style), Jean Pierre Mvuyekure (full marathon) and professional cyclist Adrien Niyonshuti are the only athletes guaranteed a ticket to London.With 57 days left, eight athletes are still grappling to qualify. Among them are two-time Olympian Epiphanie Nyirabarame, Robert Kajuga, Felix Ntirenganya (full marathon), Mukasakindi, Gervais Hakizimana, Sylvain Rukundo (10,000m) and Rwanda’s most celebrated athlete Dieudonné Disi, who was recently forced out of retirement.
