2013 was a golden year for Rwandan paralympians

2013 will be remembered by many Rwandans as the year during which the country won its first ever gold medal in any individual world championships. Rwanda, through paralympian Hermas Cliff Muvunyi, won gold at the 2013 IPC World Athletics Championships held in Lyon, France from July 19 to 28. Previously the national Paralympics team had also won gold. Competing in the Men’s 800m T46, one of the most competitive races in international Paralympic athletics, Muvunyi clocked 1:54:04, his personal best time. The national champion, who was making his maiden appearance at the sixth IPC Athletics World Championship, beat off stiff challenge from Algeria’s Samir Nouioua, who took silver in a time of 1:55:43, and Brazilian Alex Pires who claimed bronze in 1:55:45. Muvunyi enjoyed a brief spell in the limelight for having put his country on the world athletics map. He also holds the record for the fastest African Paralympian in the T46 400m men’s category after clocking 49.75secs at the 2012 London Paralympics Games. Although the 24-year old Muvunyi won gold at the World Championships, he admits his dream is to win it at the 2016 Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “I am happy but my main focus is to try and win gold at the 2016 Paralympics Games, to me that would mean everything because that is where you compete with the very best in the world,” Muvunyi told this paper in a previous interview. The APR athletics club runner plans to use the 11th edition of the All Africa Games to be held in 2015 Congo Brazzaville to test his form before the Rio Paralympics. Muvunyi won gold in T46 400m and silver in T46 in 800m at the 10th edition of similar games staged in Mozambique in 2011. Prior to Muvunyi’s record breaking achievements, Rwanda’s only international medal had been a bronze medal won by Jean de Dieu Nkundabera at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, in T46 mens 800 metre race, with a time of 1:58.95.

Sports

2013 was a golden year for Rwandan paralympians