Dusingizimana: A record breaking patriot, family man and leader

In the city suburb of Gikondo, in Kigali city, is a legend who undertook one of the world’s most challenging tasks, to break the Guinness World Record of batting, Eric Dusingizimana, 29 years was unstoppable on May, 13 when the almost fully-packed Petit Stade cheered him on as he finally accomplished the task of batting for 2 days and 3 hours non stop. At his home, in a medium sized sitting area adorned with medals and trophies accumulated over the years, sitting next to his wife Sonia Uwimana and with friends around him, the captain of the cricket national team revealed that although it was a difficult task, his mind was focused on accomplishing his goal. “I was only focused on one thing, to set the record. If I didn’t have that mindset, I don’t think I would have made it. Secondly, my motivation came from the fact that I wanted to raise awareness about the game of cricket in Rwanda, to break the chain of Asians dominating the game and lastly to raise funds for the Rwanda cricket stadium but above all, it was for my country,” he said. Although these factors motivated him, he says that his inner spirit is his biggest asset. His persistence and focus help him achieve many things. He likens his character to that of a Lion, once he goes after something, he has to achieve it. Breaking the record was a daring act which worried his wife, Uwimana. “I was worried for him of course; being on his feet for 51 hours is not easy. But, I know how much he loves the game of cricket and as his spouse; my duty was to support him in every way possible. That’s why I was there with him every day and would oversee his meals and encourage him,” she said. Uwimana said that when he first told her that he would like to attempt to break the world record, she was surprised because that’s the last thing she expected to hear from him. But later, knowing how persistent he can be, she resigned herself to fully support him. Although Dusingizimana had the support of his wife, it was only half of what he needed. Preparations would be intense. “Preparations started in January because undertaking this task doesn’t only require one to be physically fit. It probably accounts for 30%, so a lot of work was put towards strengthening my mental toughness which probably accounts for 70%. I also worked on my feet, back and my hands and I was spending at least 8 hours batting for four or five months,” Dusingizimana. Eric Dusingizimana and his wife Sonia Uwimana speak about breaking the world batting record. (Timothy Kisambira) His schedule included 5 mins rest to eat something and then he would go back to the game. He was advised to eat soft things, salads and also the wife prepared his breakfast and made the orders for his food. His schedule was also monitored by doctors whom he had to first seek advice from and also have certain tests done. “It was difficult to find anyone willing to support me because no one believed that I could spend 51 hours non-stop without sleeping. Even the Ministry of Sports and Culture (Minispoc) was doubtful that I would achieve this fete. I visited King Faycal hospital and met Dr. Joseph Ntarindwa who conducted my tests. He motivated me and even gave me a certificate to prove that I was ready to undertake the task,” he says. The tests included checking his body parts, neck, back and the arms. They also checked my blood pressure and heart beat rate. He took the results to Minispoc and then started planning. Dusingizimana says that night time was especially difficult for him but his friends and fellow cricket players kept him going. One of his friends and cricket player, Audifax Byiringiro was with him for three days, it wasn’t easy but never at once did they feel like telling him to give up. Byiringiro says that Dusingizimana’s passion overrides any challenge that could try to derail him. “It was for our country and the game and I tried my best to motivate him. I know how difficult batting can be but we had prepared through intense practice sessions. His biggest asset is how he manages to multitask and still focus without losing his target. I was the night time keeper but he would focus on the batting and still know how many minutes he has accumulated. This coming from someone who hadn’t slept in hours was amasing,” he says. Byringiro also said that one of his happiest moments was when the clocked ticked towards the final seconds and the stadium was counting down. Dusingizimana says that he was feeling strong in the last hour and could go on playing. He emphasizes that it’s difficult to describe the feeling, he felt like five different emotions all at the same time. Whenever his wife was whelmed, her sister Cynthia Juru was on hand to help her. She describes Dusingizimana as a hardworking man and whose selfless act of helping the game of cricket in Rwanda will always be memorable not only to his family and to the whole country. Dusigizimana broke the record but what next for the game of cricket in Rwanda? To this, he said the federation needs to put in more effort with the help of others to raise the game of cricket. Secondly, they need to embark on the project of constructing the stadium since they already have land at Gahanga. “There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. People know about cricket but now it’s up to me, fellow players and the federation to put in place more initiatives like visiting schools to train young players, participating in regional tournaments and identifying more talented players. I will also help the federation if they need my contribution,” he said. However, there were numerous reports that Guinness World Book of Records (GWR) would award him $1M but according to the General Manager of Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA), Robert Mugabe, GWR doesn’t reward anyone. “Guinness World Records doesn’t reward any record-breakers or those making an attempt. There’s no such thing as being rewarded by GWR, however we have big plans for him as a team. Currently, we are working around the clock looking through applications from corporate companies that want to work with him, we shall consult with him and find the best way possible to work with corporate companies,” he said. Mugabe also elaborated on the construction of the cricket stadium which will be built by Rwanda cricket stadium foundation. He says they already have some substantial amount of money, over 600,000 pounds (around Rwf 649 355 700.00) for construction of the stadium. The money was raised through Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, an NGO which is registered in Rwanda and the United Kingdom (UK) and has patrons that include UK Prime Minister David Cameron. “Fundraising is still ongoing here and in the UK. The Government of Rwanda has also tremendously supported us by giving us land worth 4.5 hectares and Minispoc has also given us tax exemptions of over Rwf 165m for construction process. Basically out of 1.5m Pounds (around Rwf 1 69m) needed for the construction, we have 700,000 pounds,” he added. Dusingizimana is yet to get recorded in the Guinness World Record; however Mugabe said that there are processes that first have to be verified. “He was doing an attempt and passed it and he’s waiting for certification. Also the footage has to be verified to confirm that he indeed spent 51 hours batting and lastly we have to acquire signatories from witnesses to confirm that actually he passed the attempt and we already have them,” he added. Dusingizimana and Uwimana met in 2010 while she was a student at Lycee de Kicukiro (APADE) and he was a student at IPRC Kickiro. Dusingizimana says that he noticed that she was a good bowler and decided to strike up a friendship that has blossomed into a family. Although he adds that other factors played a big part in bringing the two of them together, it all started with cricket.