Middle and long distance runner Felicien Muhitira has intensified his preparations as he gears up for the forthcoming 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

The 43rd edition of the annual event is slated for March 30 in Denmark.

Muhitira, 24, qualified for this year’s World Cross Country Championships last month after clocking 31 minutes, 14 seconds and 86 microseconds to finish third in the national cross country championship staged at Kicukiro Stadium.

Speaking to Times Sport on Tuesday, the Mountain Classic athlete said that his main target in Denmark will be to do better than how he performed during his 2015 debut at the event when he finished 35th out of 111 runners from all over the world.

"It’s been two weeks since I started personal training before we report to residential camp as a team next month. I want to represent my country in the best way possible in Denmark,” he said.

Muhitira, who made his first appearance in an IAAF sanctioned competition six years ago during the 2013 African Youth Games in Mauritius, is doing daily training in Ngoma District before he joins teammates in boot camp in Gicumbi on March 10.

"A podium finish is a bit overambitious, but that’s what I’m looking for. I am not the athlete I was four years ago, hopefully I can prove that with a medal in Denmark,” added Muhitira. 

At this year’s world championships, Rwanda will be represented by five runners led by US-based James Sugira and Noel Hitimana who is the reigning half-marathon champion in Kigali International Peace Marathon.

The two athletes are Theophile Bigirimana and Christophe Tuyishime.

editorial@newtimesrwanda.com