Seven World X-Country places up for grabs

RWANDA will field a team of seven athletes at the 39th World Cross Country Championship slated for March 20 in Punta Umbria, Spain. This was revealed yesterday by the technical director of the local athletics federation (RAF) Jean Pierre Ernzen. The team will comprise of four senior male athletes, one senior female athlete and two junior athletes.

Thursday, February 10, 2011
Steeple chase specialist Gervais Nizeyimana is one of the contenders

RWANDA will field a team of seven athletes at the 39th World Cross Country Championship slated for March 20 in Punta Umbria, Spain.

This was revealed yesterday by the technical director of the local athletics federation (RAF) Jean Pierre Ernzen. The team will comprise of four senior male athletes, one senior female athlete and two junior athletes.

Ernzen also confirmed that two local cross country events would be used as a benchmark for who makes the final team.

"There are two cross country events between now and mid-March so it is up to the athletes to prove that they deserve to be on the team,” Ernzen explained.

The first event will be held this weekend in Kicukiro.
Some of the athletes contending for the slots include Godfrey Rutayisire, Gervais Nizeyimana and Sylvain Rukundo. Last year, Rwanda missed out on grounds of poor preparations.

The team flew to Addis Ababa only to be denied entry into UK, a connection route to Bydgoszcz, the venue for the championship.

11-time champion Kenenisa Bekele remains a doubt for this year’s edition following a calf injury.

Ends