JEAN Baptiste Simukeka and Sylvain Rukundo (Pic) were in sounding form as they registered a top-two finish in Italy.

The 11km race, which was staged in the Italian town of Pistore, saw Simukeka clocking 2hours, 32 minutes and 14 seconds, while his colleague Rukundo finished four minutes and two second off the pace.

The pair’s manager Mathias Ntawurikura could not hide his joy considering the fact that the athletes had only arrived in Italy three days before the race.

"It was a top class performance from the boys and I’m very happy and proud of them. At first, I was not sure they could take part after arriving late,” Ntawurikura said.

"The win is a huge boost for them and I hope they keep up with such performances.”

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