Athletes aim higher

NATIONAL athletics team is hopeful on salvaging Rwanda’s image on the international scene when they compete in Saturday’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championship in Bulgaria. The four-man team, comprised of Robert Kajuga, Cyriaque Ndayikengurukiye, Sylvain Rukundo and Jean Marie Vianney Uwajeneza, will be handled by trainer Jean Pierre Ndacyayisenga.The delegation departs for Bulgaria tonight aboard SN Brussels. They are expected to jet in Karvana on Thursday and spend Friday acclimatizing to the weather.Ahead of the trip, Times Sport caught up with two lead athletes Kajuga and Uwajeneza. Olympian Kajuga said, “We have had good preparations and everyone is determined to perform to his best and bring pride to Rwanda.”“The experience I have gained in the past months leading up to the Olympics will be crucial as I try to aim for a good performance in Bulgaria. I am hopeful we will do well against the world’s best,” noted Kajuga.His counterpart, Uwajenza, said, “The main objective is to finish among the top six teams in the world. The task is difficult but possible.”“Unless weather conditions affect us, everyone is in good shape physically and mentally. We are determined to impress and put our country back on track as serious competitors in world athletics,” he stated.Rwanda will be banking on Kajuga to steer his colleagues to success after gaining massive experience en-route to the London Olympics.Last year, he competed in two high-profile races which confirmed his raw talent: the All Africa Games in Mozambique, where he finished 9th in the 5000m.He followed up those performances with a 9th spot finish in the 2012 African Cross Country Championship which was held in South Africa back in March.The following month, he finished 6th in the Morocco Half Marathon and followed it up with a podium finish (3rd) in the International Peace Marathon and a 5th spot finish in the 18th African Senior Championship in Benin which consequently qualified him for the 2012 Olympic Games.In the Olympics, he took on a strong field which included the likes of Mo Farah of Great Britain, the Bekele brothers Kenenisa and Tariku of Ethiopia and USA’s Galen Rupp in the 10,000m race, to finish 14th clocking a personal best of 27:56.67.Two years ago, Team Rwanda finished in sixth place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the current team will be aiming for an improvement.In 2010, Dieudonné Disi, Gervais Hakizimana, Sylvain Rukundo, Alexis Nizeyimana and one female, Angeline Nyiransabimana made the team.Disi finished in sixth position in the 10,000m after clocking 1.03.03 to pocket $3000, while Rwanda men’s team walked away with the same amount for finishing sixth overall.Overall, the event has been dominated by Kenyans, Eritreans and Ethiopians but one athlete who stands out is Eritrea’s Zersenary Tadese who rewrote history after winning four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009.

Sports

Athletes aim higher