Rwandan athlete Sonia Abizera has qualified for the women's 400m final at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games, providing a major boost for Team Rwanda as its athletes continue to compete across several sporting disciplines.
Abizera secured her place in the final after finishing fifth in her semi-final heat in 57.29 seconds, setting a new personal best and improving on her previous mark of 58.33 seconds.
She will return to the track on Monday, November 9, at 16:50 GMT (18:50 CAT) at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, where she will compete for a place on the podium.
Her qualification marks another opportunity for Rwanda to make an impression on the international stage as the country's young athletes gain valuable experience at the global multi-sport event.
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Beyond athletics, Team Rwanda has also been represented in swimming, Kung-Fu Wushu and cycling, with athletes recording encouraging performances and gaining valuable international exposure.
Swimming
Rwanda's swimmers concluded their competitions with several personal bests and a national record.
One of the standout performances came from Aragsan Mugabo, who set a new national record in the women's 50m freestyle, clocking 29.94 seconds. She also registered a personal best of 36.33 seconds in the 50m backstroke.
Jayden Ntwali recorded personal bests in both the 50m freestyle, improving to 27.15 seconds, and the 50m butterfly, finishing in 28.66 seconds.
Kalisa Keza also achieved personal bests in the 50m butterfly, clocking 36.11 seconds, and the 200m backstroke, where she posted a time of 3:06.58.
Meanwhile, Kean Murenzi Sheja competed in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle. He registered a personal best of 1:03.89 in the 100m butterfly, improving his previous time by 4.75 seconds.
Kung-Fu Wushu
In Kung-Fu Wushu, Francois Mugisha represented Rwanda in the Changquan and Gunshu events.
He scored 7.966 in Changquan and 7.863 in Gunshu, combining for 15.829 points to finish ninth overall. He narrowly missed qualification for the final, finishing just one place outside the top eight.
Cycling
Donatha Akimana and Emmanuel Shema represented Rwanda in the road race events.
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Akimana finished 22nd out of 41 competitors in the women's race despite suffering a crash while attempting a sprint attack.
In the men's race, Shema crossed the finish line in 29th place among 39 competitors.
Their participation provided valuable experience against a competitive international field as they continued Rwanda's representation in cycling.
The way ahead
Team Rwanda's campaign continues on Monday, November 9, at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, with two athletes scheduled to compete in their respective events.
At 11:20 GMT, Uwamahoro Francoise will take part in the women's -49kg Taekwondo event, where she is scheduled to face Australia's MacDonald Mackenzie.
Later, at 16:50 GMT, attention will turn to the athletics track as Abizera Sonia Eli-Elohe competes in the women's 400m final following her impressive performance in the semi-finals.
Team Rwanda will conclude its competition on Tuesday, November 10, when cyclists Donatha Akimana and Emmanuel Shema return to action for the Individual Time Trial (ITT).
Both riders will tackle one lap of the Corniche Ouest course, covering a distance of 8.5 kilometres.
