Ndayisenga eyes Rio ticket at Berlin Open Grand Prix

Rwandan Paralympian Jean Claude Ndayisenga has set his sights on attaining minima time at the forthcoming Berlin Open Grand Prix set for July 16-17 in Germany to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil. The 25-year-old will compete in the men’s 400m-T47 category. Having already attained the Olympic Selection Time (OST) also known as minima B, Ndayisenga will be vying to attain the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) also known as minima A which is currently set at 50 seconds and 30 microseconds. “I have been undergoing intensive training for the past one month to reduce my time, which currently stands at 51 seconds. If the weather is friendly, I am confident I can cut the 30 seconds in Berlin,” Ndayisenga told Times Sport on Sunday. The Musanze-born athlete put on an impressive performance at the 9th Tunis International Meeting, Africa’s only IPC Athletics Grand Prix of the year in March where he won a bronze medal, and is keen to replicate the same form in Berlin. In Tunis, Hermas Cliff Muvunyi, who has already qualified for the Rio Paralympic Games, won two medals-gold in 400m T-46 and bronze in 1500m T-46. “This is a great opportunity for me to compete at the world’s biggest event and I am going to try all I can to qualify, I’m very optimistic, I will make it,” Ndayisenga added. He will jet off to Berlin on July 14, along with Muvunyi, who will be using the competition to boost his preparations. Muvunyi, who also won gold in the Men’s 400m T-46 category at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville managed to qualify for the Rio Paralympics in 400m and 1500m T-46, and his dream is to win a medal. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Ndayisenga eyes Rio ticket at Berlin Open Grand Prix