Handball: Rwanda U18, U20 teams storm to Zone 5 finals
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Rwanda reach the men’s first U18 final in the country’s history after beating Kenya 27-24 in a crunch semifinal held at at 4 Killo Hall on Thursday. Courtesy

Thursday, May 16

Semifinals

Rwanda U18 27-24 Kenya U18

Rwanda U20 29-28 Ethiopia U20

Rwanda’s U18 and U20 handball teams have advanced to the Men's IHF Trophy Zone 5 Africa 2024 finals after edging Kenya and hosts Ethiopia respectively in the semifinals.

The semifinals of the competition, which is taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saw Rwanda reach the men’s first U18 final in the country’s history after beating Kenya 27-24 in a crunch semifinal held at at 4 Killo Hall on Thursday.

Rwanda was leading Kenya with 14-12 at halftime before winning the game 27-24.

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Meanwhile, the U20 team sailed through to the final after seeing off Ethiopia with a nail-biting 29-28 victory in a semifinal game held at Ethiopian Sports Academy.

In the final, Rwanda U18 will face Ethiopia while the U20 team will take on Uganda who knocked Burundi out of the semifinals. The finals and third-place games will take place on Friday, May 17.

Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania are represented at both U18 and U20 competitions, while Somalia and Uganda only play at the junior (U18) event.

The winners at both age categories will book tickets to the 2024 IHF Trophy Continental Phase Africa.