RWANDA’S veteran long distance runner Dieudonne Disi on Tuesday headed to Kenya’s Iten to intensify preparations ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games due in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3.

Disi, who turns 34 years in November, has indicated his intention to win a medal in this year’s edition before retirement. The Glasgow Games are likely to be his last major international championships and he hopes training from Kenya’s  ‘home of champions’ will boost his chances of quitting the sport on a high.

"I hope to win a medal in Glasgow. And Iten is the place that can put me in a winning shape, both mentally and physically,” he told Times Sport on Wednesday.

He added: "There is no magical formula behind Kenya’s success in athletics; it’s all down to relentless hard work and focus which is what I need in the next couple of months.”

The former 10,000m national champion also said he plans to compete in different European marathon events between March and May before the Glasgow Games.

Last year, Disi trained in France and China.

Disi last participated in an international competition in 2010 during the Delhi Commonwealth Games. This year’s championships will mark Rwanda’s second participation in Commonwealth Games five years after its admission into the 54-member grouping.

Meanwhile, the Rwanda National Olympic Committee is planning to dispatch the national team to Glasgow for acclimatisation ahead of the Games.

The Rwandan delegation will be comprised of 40 athletes and officials, with teams in cycling, judo, swimming, boxing, athletics and Para-sports.