RWANDA’S athletes to the IAAF/Caixa World Half Marathon Championships depart for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil today ahead of the event set for this Sunday.

The two-man team comprising of athlete Slyvain Rukundo and coach Emmanuel Murenzi departs aboard Kenya Airways at 6.am local time.

The two will later be joined by Dieudone Disi, Gervais Hakizimana and the only lone athlete on the team Angelline Nyiransabimana.

Rukundo who has been undergoing intensive training in Ruhengeri, Northern Province is while the trio has been camping in Europe.

The team that leaves Kigali today morning is expected to connect to Johannesburg from Nairobi aboard South Africa Airways before making a direct flight to Brazil’s largest city Sao Paolo where they are expected to arrive on October 10 before connecting to Rio de Janeiro.

The athletics federation Secretary General Appolinaire Munyangoga told Times Sport before departure that financial constraints have forced the selectors to drop budding talent Alexis Nizeyimana a chance of making his debut on the international scene.

"We have failed to raise enough money to purchase his (Nizeyimana) ticket and that is the reason he will not take part in this year’s championship,”

Munyangoga who was also supposed to head to Brazil as the head of the traveling delegation failed to meet the ticket funds.

"Initially, an air ticket to Brazil was around $1700 but it shoot up rapidly to $2500 which the federation could not afford despite getting sponsorship from the Sports Ministry,” Munyangoga said.

The four-man squad will be aiming to stage an improved performance better than sixth overall finish last year in Italy.

In last year’s, Disi finished posted a national record by clocking 59:32 to finish sixth in a race which was won by Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadeese in a time of 58:59.

Rukundo clocked his personal best time of 1:01:59 thus finishing in 26th position while Hakizimana also clocked his personal best time of 1:02:43 and finished in 38th position.

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