20Km de Paris results

 Sunday

1. Samuel Tsegay (Eritrea) 58:23

2. Felician Muhitira (Rwanda) 58:35

3. Hassan Chahdi (France) 59:51

4. Alfred Cherop (Kenya) 1h 25’

5 John Njoki (Kenya) 1h59’

RWANDA’s long distance runner Felicien Muhitira won a silver medal on Sunday in this year’s 20km de Paris in France.

The annual race, with an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status and is always staged in October since 1979, takes place on the streets of the French capital of Paris, attracting top international athletes from around the world.

Muhitira, 24, won silver medal after covering the 20km in 58 minutes and 35 seconds and finishing behind Eritrean born Samuel Tsegay who won gold after covering the same distance in 58 minutes and 23 seconds.

Hassan Chahdi of France finished third after clocking 59:51 while Kenyan’s Alfred Cherop came in fourth with 1:00:25 ahead of his compatriot John Njoki who completed top five having used a time of 1:00:59.

Last year, Muhitira missed out on a podium finish by just three seconds after posting 58 minutes and 43 seconds, 15 seconds behind the race winner Collins Chebi of Kenya.

The middle and long distance runner was at the time beaten to the bronze medal by Frenchman Florian Carvalho, who posted 58 minutes and 40 seconds, and silver by Kenya’s Josphat Kiprono Menjo.

Dieudonne Disi, now retired, remains the only Rwandan to have won this race when he claimed it in 2009 after clocking 59 minutes and 33 seconds.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw