It has been eleven years since the inauguration of Kigali International Peace Marathon and no local athlete had managed to secure a podium slot, until Jean Baptiste Ruvubi emerged first runner-up in the Men’s full marathon at this year’s edition held on May 24.

The New Athletics Stars (NAS) runner Ruvubi clocked 2:19:03 to finish second, behind Kenya’s Ezekial Kemboi who used 2:18:15 to claim the 42km race. Another Kenyan, Bernard Kipngetich (2:19:27) finished third, while Rwanda’s Fred Habakurama used 2:22:04 to finish in fourth place.

"Finishing in the second place is a great feeling for me, especially after registering such a history of the 11-year old competition. Truth to be said, I initially came into the race targeting top ten finish.” Ruvubi told Saturday Sport in an exclusive interview.

The time of 2:19:03 is also his personal best and he intends to keep training harder and improving every day so that he can secure qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Who is Ruvubi?

Born on January 1, 1989 in Byumba sector, Gicumbi district of the North Province to Bernard Ngarambe and Belina Nyirabagenzi, Ruvubi is the third-born from a family of five, three boys and two girls.

He attended EER Byumba primary school before going to Burera-based ESIKI Kirambo for O’level studies, from there, he switched to Kibogora secondary school for A’level but he ditched school for athletics in second term of senior five in June 2012.

Still single, Ruvubi looked up to veteran Disi Dieudonne on local scene and late Samuel Kamau Wanjiru, former Kenya’s international who won the Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Early days

Dreams are limitless yes, but Ruvubi admits the last thing he could dream about during his childhood was to become a marathon icon, neither was athletics his first love.

The 26-year old runner used to play football as a striker since his childhood and featured for his primary and O’level school football teams.

"Athletics was never among options, football was all I could dream about but all of the sudden I ended up in athletics and here I am today. The first competition in athletics I did it for amusement in inter-schools tournament in 2003 racing in 3km and I finished fourth,” he recalls.

After debuting in athletics just for fun to finish fourth, he started training in athletics and detaching himself from football slowly, he participated in the following (2004) year’s inter-schools championship to win a gold medal both in 3km and 5km categories and since then he never looked back.

The soft-spoken Rubuvi retained both medals in 2005 before switching from 3 and 5km categories to 10.000m and half-marathon in 2006.

Senior career

The history maker, Ruvubi made no notable appearances in 10.000m competitions but featured in half-marathon for quite a while, from 2007 to late 2011 before switching to full marathon in early 2012.

In 2009, Ruvubi raced in the Kampala marathon, competing in Men’s Half-Marathon to finish 5th and two years later, he finished 7th at the 2011 Nyerere Memorial Marathon also in Half-Marathon category in Dar-es-Salaam to mark his final Half-Marathon competition.

Ruvubi narrates, "I quit half for full marathon. After five years doing half-marathon I won not even a single medal and it felt like I was wasting my time. Thanks to Jean Damascene Nkezabo who advised me to move.”

Former Rwanda Athletics Federation (RAF) president, Nkezabo was at that time New Athletics Stars (NAS) club president.

In 2013, he had a couple of competitions namely; Kigali half marathon (formerly 20km de Kigali) where he finished 12th and Mont Cameroun where he represented the country to finish 20th out of over 200 contenders.

Full-marathon career

Since 2012, Ruvubi has been a full marathon runner and barely three years after starting the journey, he recently accomplished something that had not been done by anyone else in Rwanda, finishing in top three of full marathon in the annual Kigali International Peace Marathon.

His maiden full marathon competition was at the 8th Kigali Peace Marathon in 2012 where he finished in the 31st position and Ruvubi says not abandoning the race half-way as a beginner kept him going and believing he can do better in future.

Right after the 2012 edition, he headed to Kenya for professional training where he was training alongside Disi Dieudone and Alex Nizeyimana. He returned roughly a year later, coming for the 2013 Kigali Peace Marathon where he 17th.

Last year (2014), he again tried his chances at the 10th Kigali International Peace Marathon while making his third consecutive appearance to finish 14th.

Making history in 2015, future plans

Despite finishing in the historical second spot of the Kigali Peace Marathon, Ruvubi also takes the milestone as a new challenge and has pledged to work and train harder to win more silverware in future.

"For my own recognition and pride for my country, winning the silver medal at such a huge event was important. However it is also a challenge to me and to fellow local athletes, it shows that we can do even better if we prepare well.”

He also disclosed after this year’s Kigali Peace Marathon, that he is turning focus on earning qualification for the Olympic Games slated for 2016 summer in Brazil and he is confident he has the potential to qualify if the Rwanda Athletics Federation help him to participate in as many as possible qualifiers.

The long-distance runner is keen to represent Rwanda on the international level and hopefully win medals for the country.

Ruvubi, who clocked 2:19:03, is two minutes and three seconds off the qualification mark of the quadrennial event and will have to push harder enough, a price he is ready to pay.

Gratitude

The elegant runner paid tribute to fellow full marathon runner Robert Kajuga and coach Mathias Ntawurikura who closely followed him up for his preparations of this year’s Kigali Peace Marathon and advised him on a regular basis.

He also thanks his idols Disi Dieudonne, Alex Nizeyimana and Gervain Hakizimana who helped him to adapt to life in Kenya back in 2012, Jean Damascene Nkezaho and former NAS coach Angelus Mudenge for their respective contributions in shaping him.