Disi revives career with win in France

RWANDA’s most successful athlete Dieudonné Disi has brought his career back on track after winning the Sedan-Charleville race on Monday in France.The 32-year old long distance runner, who had spent two years in semi-retirement, clocked one hour, fourteen minutes and nine seconds to win the half marathon race.After the race Disi told Times Sport, “It’s still a surprise. Since my success at Marseille-Cassis in 2009, I was often injured.” “I came home to work with the athletics federation. At that point, I even thought my career was over; however, my coach never gave up on me. I resumed serious training this year. Now, I have proved to that I can still compete at the top level,” added Disi.Disi last participated in an international competition in 2010 during the Delhi Commonwealth Games.He bowed out of the marathon race after running 21km and spent the whole of last year engaged in administration issues with the local athletics federation before his team was kicked out of office last August due to mismanagement.He, however, had a successful stint in 2009 where he dominated the spot light with a series of top notch displays in Europe and Asia.Disi pulled out of the World Cross Country Championship in Amman, Jordan to concentrate on the 33rd Paris Marathon and where he finished 18th.In the same year, during the World Championships in Berlin, Disi, who was in the leading pack, dropped out halfway with a thigh injury.He finished second in the 32nd Paris-Versailles race (16 km) in France September after clocking 48minutes and one seconds. A few weeks later, he scooped gold in the Francophone Games in Beirut.For his heroics, he was named athlete of the Games and consequently awarded the ‘Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie’ medal by Lebanese first lady Wafaa Sleiman during the closing ceremony.On top of the medal, Disi also pocketed 9000 Euros (Rwf7.5m) and was given free air-tickets for the following two years.In October, Disi won another gold medal in the Reims Half marathon race in France. He set the course’s fastest time of one hour, one minute and thirteen seconds.

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Disi revives career with win in France