Niyonshuti targets a season’s best in London

Rwanda Olympic team captain and Mountain Bike rider Adrien Niyonshuti doesn’t himself winning a medal in the upcoming London Games but believes he can put on an excellent performance.

Sunday, July 22, 2012
FOCUSSED; Adrien Niyonshuti is training in Switzerland to be Rwanda's first Olympic mountain biker. The New Times; File

Rwanda Olympic team captain and Mountain Bike rider Adrien Niyonshuti doesn’t himself winning a medal in the upcoming London Games but believes he can put on an excellent performance.Niyonshuti, who has taken his pre-games training in Switzerland, admitted this week that winning a medal for Rwanda may be a little far for him, but is working hard to make sure he gets a good finishing position."It will not be an easy task to win a medal in London, considering the kind of (elite) cyclists who will compete in the Games."I have consistently improved my performances in every competition and my target for the London Olympics will be to improve even further,” stated Niyonshuti, who remains Rwanda’s only hope for a medal.The mountain biker joins his team mates at the Games Village of the 2012 London Olympic Games at Stratford on July 26 and the Men’s cross country mountain bike competition will be a fortnight after.Swimmers Jackson Niyomugabo and Alphonse Agahozo, marathon runner Jean Pierre Mvuyekure, Robert Kajuga and Claudette Mukasakindi (both 10,000m), judo player Yannick Uwase Sekamana are the other athletes who will represent Rwanda in the London Games which kick off next Friday.