Marathon ace returns to Italy

SYLVAIN Rukundo, one of Rwanda’s long distance athletes has returned to Sienna athletics training camp in Italy to continue his preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Like many athletes, Rukundo is eager to beat the minimum qualification standards for the Games.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Gervais Hakizimana is one of the local athletes hunting for minimums to take part in the 2012 London Games

SYLVAIN Rukundo, one of Rwanda’s long distance athletes has returned to Sienna athletics training camp in Italy to continue his preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Like many athletes, Rukundo is eager to beat the minimum qualification standards for the Games.

"I am going back to Sienna to continue my preparations for the London Games, IAAF World Half Marathon and Commonwealth Games,” he said before adding, ""In Sienna, we get many opportunities to participate in many competitions which improves on our performance and experience because we run against some of the world’s best athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Jamaica.”

This year’s IAAF World half marathon will be held in Nanning, China on October 16 while the Commonwealth Games are scheduled for Pune, India from October 3-14.
Rukundo will be joined in Italy by APR runner Jean Baptista Simuceka.

Last September, Rukundo finished 37th in Barletta championships (10000m) after clocking 1:03:59 while Simuceka, 27, finished two places behind the former.

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