Rwanda national athletics junior team yesterday morning left the country by road to Tanzania ahead of the East African Junior Athletics Championship that is scheduled to run from April 29 to 30 in the Indian Ocean Coast city of Dar-es-Salaam.

The team is composed of a total of seven athletes, three boys and four girls, under the guidance of coaches Anicet Kanyabugoyi and Innocente Uwamahoro .

The athletes will be vying for medals in the 4th regional track and field competition that is expected to  attract seven countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Rwanda.

The two day event will also act as qualifier for the IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland from July 19 - 24.

"Preparations have been pretty good and they (athletes) are focusing on winning medals and qualify for the world Junior Games,” said Rwanda Athletics Federation (RAF) Secretary General Johnson Rukundo in an interview with Times Sport yesterday

The seven athletes include the trio of Salome Nyirarukundo (5000m), Beatha Nishimwe (1500m) and Jean Marie Vianney Myasiro (10,000m), who have already booked tickets to World Championship.

The other four are; Jeannette Uwambajimana (5000m) and Honorine Iribagiza (800m) and two boys James Sugira (1500m) and Ildephonse Nkejumuto (800m). The team is set to return to the country on May 1.

This will be the first time for Rwandan athletes to compete in the World U-20 Championships after going through national trials and qualifications—initially local athletes have been participating through invitations.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw