Paralympian Hermas Cliff Muvunyi has started preparations for the 2021 Paralympic Games, where he will be one of the few athletes that will represent Rwanda. Scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan from August 24 to September 5 this year, the Paralympic Games are international multi-sport events for athletes with disabilities. They usually take place after every four years. Due to Covid-19, the 2020 edition of the games was postponed to this year. In the competition, Rwanda will be represented by only three athletes: Muvunyi, an athlete who competes in 5000 and 1000 meters races, Claudine Uwitije who plays shot-put, and the national sitting volleyball team. Speaking to Times Sport, Muvunyi said he had started training alone – due to the restrictive measures put in place to contain Covid-19. Muvunyi is the most decorated Paralympic athlete in the country. He won gold medals in T46 men’s 400 category at the 2011 Maputo All-Africa Games and the 2015 Brazzaville All-Africa Games. He also won a gold medal at the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie and struck bronze at the Marrakech Meeting Competition, after clocking 51 seconds and three microseconds in the T46 men’s 400m category. In a separate interview, Eric Karasira, who coaches Paralympic athletes, told this newspaper that Muvunyi and Uwitije have already been vaccinated against Covid-19, and that he is looking forward to permission from authorities for collective training sessions.
