Mvuyekure shines in Pyongyang marathon

RWANDA’S Jean Pierre Mvuyekure bagged a silver medal in the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon staged in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang on Sunday. The IAAF Bronze Label Road Race was won by local hero Pak Song-Chol, who was also the champion in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Chol took more than a minute off his previous best of 2:13:49 set when he finished fifth in the same race last year. Mvuyekure, third in Pyongyang 12 months ago, finished second in a time of 2:13:20, a frustrating one second outside his personal best, while Ukraine’s Ivan Babryka, the 2010 winner, took third place in 2:14:24. Mvuyekure will be part of a strong Rwanda national team lined up for Commonwealth Games due in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3. The 29-year-old Mvuyekure will compete in the marathon event alongside Dieudonne Disi, while Epiphanie Nyirabarame will compete in the women’s race. Disi, who turns 34 years in November, has indicated his intention to win a medal in this year’s edition before he retires. The Glasgow Games are likely to be his last major international championships and he hopes training from Kenya will boost his chances of quitting the sport on a high. Last month, Disi won silver in the Carnaval half marathon where he clocked one hour, four minutes and 43 seconds, 13 seconds behind Burundian Abraham Niyonkuru who won the race.

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Mvuyekure shines in Pyongyang marathon