Three Rwandan athletes have qualified for next year’s CAA Africa Junior Athletics Championship which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to the Rwanda Athletics Federation, the athletes include James Sugira, Venantie Mukandayisenga and Beatha Ishimwe, all competing in the 1500m category.

Sugira qualified to compete in the 1500m boy’s category based on his performance of 3:47:88 which is within the 3:49:00 required mark for the championship.

Sugira, who runs for Ruhango Athletics Club, registered a personal best of 3:47:28 in 1500m in Nanjing Youth Olympic Games and also has a personal best of 8:40:78 in 3000m.

Mukandayisenga and Ishimwe aged 17 and 15 respectively, qualified under the minimum required standard of 4:29:00 as they both have a best time of 4:28:68 and 4:23:39 respectively.

Others aspiring to qualify for the championship but are yet to hit the qualification mark include; Ildephone Nkejumuto (800), Salome Nyirarukundo (3000m & 5000m) and Jean Marie Vianney Myasiro (3000m & 5000m).

Nkejumuto has a personal best of 1:53:01 but needs to be under 1:51:50 in 800m by February next year.

Nyirarukundo has a personal performance of 10:06:11 instead of the required 9:40:00 in 3000m and 17:15:43 instead of 16:40:00 in 5000mm, while Myasiro will need to be under 8:00:00 in 3000m as he currently has a best time of 8:32:44 and 14:19:00 for 5000m in which his best is 15:05:00.

The African Junior Championship scheduled for March 5-8, is open to Junior (men and women) athletes aged 18 or 19 years.

In the previous edition held in South Africa, Felicien Muhitira was Rwanda’s lone representative at the championship. He managed a fifth-place finish in the 10,000m final clocking 29.31.55 in the men’s category.