Kajuga blames fatigue, snow for poor show in Bydgoszcz

Rwanda’s leading middle and long distance athlete Robert Kajuga said the country’s poor showing at the just concluded World Cross Country in Poland was a result of fatigue and harsh weather conditions in Bydgoszcs.Kajuga told Times Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday, “We are very disappointed with our performance, but it is not our fault because we left Kigali and reached Bydgoszcz on Saturday morning and we had a few hours to rest before the competition.”“Too much fatigue due to jetlag, snow and coldness [-6 celsius degrees] affected our concentration and even though we tried to adjust as a team, we still failed to reach our target of finishing inside the best six positions,” added Kajuga.The national team finished a distant 13th out of 15 countries at the 20th IAAF World Cross country Championships held on Sunday.Italian-based runner Jean Baptiste Simukeka was the country’s best performer in 66th position after clocking 35 minutes and 14 seconds.Kajuga managed to finish 73rd after clocking 35 minutes and 41 seconds, Eric Sebahire finished 75th in 35 minutes and 53 seconds, Cyriaque Ndayikengurukiye finished in 84th position after clocking 36 minutes and 49 seconds while Felix Ntirenganya came 86th after using 37 minutes and 18 seconds.The best ever position for Rwanda was in 2009 where Team Rwanda finished 7th in Jordan. Last year, Rwanda missed out on the world event due to visa hitches.Two years ago, Gervais Hakizimana braved the winter and muddy terrain in Punta Umbria, Spain, to emerge the best performing runner after finishing 33rd in the Men’s 12km during the IAAF 39th World Cross Country Championship edition.Kajuga, who competed in 10.000m at the 2012 London Olympics, noted: “World Cross country championship is now in the past. I want to shift my attention to other competitions lined up this year.” One of the International competitions that the 27-year old is set to take part in is the World athletics Championship which will be held in Moscow, Russia in August.

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Kajuga blames fatigue, snow for poor show in Bydgoszcz