Disi Dieudonne and Sylvain Rukundo are among the eight members selected to represent Rwanda at the Francophone Games scheduled for August in Beirut, Lebanon.

Disi will run the 1500m, and 10,000m races. The 28-year-old will be running the 1500m for the first time.

According to the Technical Director of the local athletics federation, Emmanuel Murenzi, Disi running the 1500m does not mean he has switched from longer distance to shorter ones, but he’s doing it because he cannot run three marathons in the space of four months.

"He ran in the Paris marathon in April and is also set to run in the Berlin marathons in August, so there is no way he can again run in another marathon in Beirut. It’s too demanding,” Murenzi told Times Sport.

Sylvain Rukundo and Godfrey Rutayisire will race in the 10,000m and 5,000m while Felix Ntirenganya will do the full marathon (42km).

In the women category, Jeanne d’ArcUwamahoro will compete in 800m while Claudette Mukasakindi, Jacqueline Murekatete and Epiphanie Nyirabarame do the 5000m race.

The multi-sport Games are held every four years and bring together athletes and artists from French-speaking countries around the world for a week of competition and festivities.

In the last edition held in Niger, Disi scooped a gold medal in 10,000m and a bronze medal in the 5,000m. Nyirabarame also won a bronze medal in the women marathon.

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