Muvunyi seeks to make amends in World Championship

National champions Hermas Cliff Muvunyi wants to make amends for a failed Olympic campaign last year by winning the World Paralympic Championship due in Lyon, France from July 21-28. Speaking to Times Sport yesterday, Muvunyi who departs for Paris on July 17 is still hurt by failure to win any medal at the London Olympic Games last year despite having enjoyed much success on the continent. “I am still bitter with my performances in the London Olympic Games. I had invested a lot of energy from the onset but I had to admit the fact of not winning anything and lived with it,” “However, this is my chance to make amends at the World Championship. I want to build on the experience I got from the Olympics in a bid to make improvements and snatch a medal at the World Championship this month,” “With the help of Coach Eric Karasira, I have made drastic improvements in my speed and am fully focused on the mission ahead. I focused on returning back as a world champion,” added Muvunyi. The 22-year-old and Theoneste Nsengimana are the only athletes who will represent Rwanda at the World Championship. Nsengimana will compete in the 1500m while Muvunyi will vie for a gold medal in 400m and 800m respectively. Muvunyi holds the record for the fastest African Paralympian over 400m after clocking 49.75secs at the 2012 London Paralympics Games. He has since improved his time to 48.49 in 400m and 1 minute and fifty four seconds in 800m respectively. Despite finishing outside the medal bracket in the London Olympic Games, Muvunyi still managed to set a new African record (49.59). This was a continuation of his 2011 All Africa Games’ form were he won gold in 400m and silver in 800m. Return of Pistorius Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who faces a murder trial in South Africa, is expected to compete at the International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships in France this summer. In April, an internal report which circulated within senior ranks at the IPC, the world governing body for Paralympic sport, cleared the athlete, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Feb 14 at his home in Pretoria, to run at the event in Lyon in July. The belief within the IPC is that Pistorius should not be stopped from competing before his trial. Pistorius, who denies the charge of murder, holds several IPC World Championship titles over 200 metres, 400m and 4x400m. He won three gold medals at last year’s 2012 Paralympic Games in London and holds several Paralympics world records. The 26-year-old’s last competitive race was his victory in the 400m final at the London Paralympics in September last year.

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Muvunyi seeks to make amends in World Championship