After giving birth at a young age, Innocente Ingabire was uncertain of what will happen not only to her newborn baby but also, how she will pull it off as a single parent.

Having a baby at 18, she says the anxiety and uncertainty hit her hard to the point of thinking that giving birth was the end of her life.

In 2019, after high school, the now 20-year-old says she was fortunate enough to secure a job at Future Vision Agency Company – Rwanda, which is headquartered in Rubavu District.

The company is composed of a team of professional Circus artists and inline Roller Skaters who train young people aged between 8 and 28 from vulnerable backgrounds in the said games to perform in national and international events and competitions.

When she joined the company, Ingabire recalls that her position was not anything related to playing nor players, which isolated her from getting involved in the sports at first.

Many a time, she would see most of her company members being active and enjoying being fit. And, this, is what motivated her to be like her colleagues.

"Most of the people doing these were girls and young mothers. This gave me confidence that I joined the training, I could be like them or even do better. That’s how I started,” Ingabire told Weekend Sport this week.

Last year, Ingabire conquered her fears to take up inline speed skating. Here, she says is where she managed to find peace of her mind.

Inline speed skating is a sport of the roller sport discipline where athletes use inline skates to race around tracks.

"It’s through this particular game that I realised all the negative thoughts I had in my mind had started disappearing and I actually started feeling good about myself. On top of this, I was able to regain my self-esteem,” she says.

After joining the sport, she also took up the role of performance artist, which is also part of the game.

As they say ‘the doors of opportunity are unlocked but you will never know unless you try and open the first’, after joining inline speed skating, Ingabire realized that there is much needed to be done to get more girls in this area.

"At the moment, I am striving at being a role model to other young girls out there who would want to make it in this game but haven’t gotten an opportunity to try out. This came after realizing that there are few of them willing to participate in the sport, the thing that I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t tried it out.”

Through the game, Ingabire notes that it has as well helped her stay healthy, fit and active.

Besides, she goes on to add that at the moment, she is preparing for the next 2021 World Inline Cup Rollers, which will take place this year in different countries including Italy, China, France, Czech Republic, Portugal, Germany, and even Rwanda.

Her parting shot, she says, young girls and women should be on the lookout for opportunities and always give anything a try without fearing what they will be expected of, or if they would make it or not.

Ingabire’s ambition is to be the best roller woman in Rwanda, and take her game to international level.