Volleyball coach Kigwari wins big in Rwanda as APR crowned Heroes Cup champions
Kenyan volleyball trainer Justin Kigwari has led Rwandan club APR Women Volleyball (VC) to the 2026 Heroes Volleyball Tournament title.
The Kenyan coach achieved the career feat after defeating arch-rivals Police VC in a dramatic five-set victory.
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APR bagged a hotly contested first set, edging Police 25-21, before the law enforcers hit back to level matters in the second set at 14-25.
Kigwari’s ladies came more determined to clinch the third set on a 25-18 scoreline.
A resilient police team, boasting Malkia Striker outside Kenyan hitter Meldina Sande, was not undone and fought back once more to level matters and force the tie to a decisive fifth set, in which APR showed their mettle to silence the hosts.
The victory not only crowned APR as champions but also handed the former Kwathanze coach his maiden trophy as the team’s tactician.
In the men’s final, the Kenya international duo Brian Melly and Elphas Makuto of Police VC also suffered defeat at the final hurdle against Kepler VC.
The Kenyans suffered a 3-2 loss in a tense final at the Petit Stade, losing in sets of 25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 19-25, and 11-15.
Police beat a bogey Gisagara team by three straight sets in the semifinals to storm the final against Kepler. Their run, however, came to a bitter end with the defeat .
Sande, the current Malkia Striker co-captain, was particularly influential in Police VC’s march to the final, spearheading a 3:2 victory over Kepler VC at the semi-final stage.
For APR, the victory came with its own moment to savour, ending the team’s long quest for maiden silverware on home soil that spanned almost a year.
