Rwanda send athletes to their first World Champs

African nation send three athletes to Lyon following the Agitos Foundation 2013 Athletics Technical Courses in Nairobi. 18 Jul 2013

The delegation from the Rwandan Paralympic Committee (NPC Rwanda) held a Sitting Volleyball training and theory session from 28-29 April. in Rumbek, South Sudan.

ⒸNPC Rwanda

By IPC

"I have one wish, win a medal and make a world record in 400m.”

Rwanda will send a delegation of three athletes to the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships for the first time, adding to their entry list from London 2012.

Following work completed with the Rwandan National Paralympic Committee (NPC) by the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee – the Agitos Foundation – Hermas Muvunyi, Herni Kirwa and Theomeste Nsengimana have travelled to Lyon, France along with around 1,100 athletes from around the world.

Muvunyi will compete in the men’s 400m T46, whilst Kirwa will enter the men’s 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon T12 and Nsengimana the men’s 1,500m T46.

"I have one wish, win a medal and make a world record in 400m.” Said Hermas

Athletes will be accompanied by a team of coaches who have attended the Athletics Technical Courses, to enable them to improve on their training skills and raise the standard of athletics in Africa.

Last weekend (14 July), Rwanda held their second national championships which will form the basis for future selection for the national team.

The visual and physical impairment national classifiers trained at the recent courses in Kenya, have conducted national classification of the athletes that did not yet undergo international classification. Applying the newly acquired knowledge is essential for the Rwandan classifiers to understand their training.

"In 100m and 200m there is hope to have some [athletes] in the international tournaments in the future, but in 800m we still have to improve more in training and as we have trainers who are trained for that, there is no doubt that what they learned will give us the best athletes in coming days” said Eric Karasira, the Secretary General of NPC Rwanda.

Karasira, who is also the head athletics coach for Rwanda and internationally trained himself, was also involved as an assistant coach instructor at the courses in Kenya to support the instructors from Canada and USA.

The Agitos Foundation was launched at the last Paralympic Games in London 2012, with the aim of developing sport opportunities for people with impairments from a grass roots level right through to improving elite sport in developing countries.