EmmanuelNtakiyimana clocked 47.08 seconds to break a 20-year-old national record in 400m at the Uganda National Athletics Championships on Thursday.

The 2016 Uganda National Athletics Championships started on Tuesday at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole and will run through to July 10.

Ntakiyimana, 28, is Rwanda’s only representative at the week-long competition, and his impressive run saw him win a bronze medal. By press time, he was due to compete in the 800m final.

Speaking about Ntakiyimana’s performance, the Rwanda Athletics Federation (RAF) technical director Jean Pierre Ndacyayisenga said, "Ntakiyimana did very well in Kampala to break a 20-year-old national record. It’s an incredible achievement for the athlete and for the country.”

By running 400m in 47 seconds and 8 microseconds, Ntakiyimana broke the record of 48.80 which was held by Emmanuel Rubayiza on September 14, 1995. Ntakiyimana also set a new personal best, bettering the 49.75 he posted four years ago in Porto Novo, Benin.

Rwanda’s athletics has improved lately, resulting in the country qualifying four athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The four include three marathon runners namely; Claudette Mukasakindi, Jean Baptiste Simukeka and Ambroise Uwiragiye while Salome Nyirarukundo qualified to represent the country in the women 10.000m.

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