RNOC boss dreaming of Olympic medal in London

TO dream is one thing and realising the dream is another, but that isn’t stopping the National Olympic Committee chief from dreaming of Rwanda winning its first Olympic medal at the forthcoming London Olympics set for July 27-August 12.RNOC president Brig. Gen. Charles Rudakubana said in a news conference on Wednesday that ‘Rwanda’s target at the Olympics is to win medals’.“We have not had sufficient time to prepare for the Olympics because we assumed office amid wrangles a year after the Beijing Games.“But we managed to do everything we could in the shortest time possible and managed to have four athletes qualifying for London; two on wildcards and two on minimas (read minimum),” he stated.When asked, NOC’s target in London, “Rudakubana said, “What do you think would be our aim really? We will be going there to win medals of course.”However, the General was cagey when asked to mention his major medal hopeful among the four athletes that have qualified for London Games.Yet even with a poor prepared national team which at the moment is made up of Adrien Niyonshuti (mountain bike), Jean Pierre Mvuyekure (marathon), Fred Yannick Uwase Sekamana (Judo) and Alphonsine Agahozo (swimming), Rudakubana is optimistic.In 2004, retired athlete Jean de Dieu Nkundabera won for Rwanda a Paralympic bronze medal in the Men’s 800 m T46 clocking 1:58.95.Rwanda’s contingent to London Games will be seen off on July 4 at Lemigo hotel ahead of their departure set for the following day aboard SN Brussels.The team will spend two weeks at West Suffolk Athletics Arena at Abbeycroft Leisure’s Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre which was chosen by the country to host the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams as they prepare for London 2012.They will join the Olympic village in London on July 18 to fine tune ahead of the Games which kick off on July 27.

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RNOC boss dreaming of Olympic medal in London