The 2024 Paris Olympics is underway and African athletes from different backgrounds in track and field will be eyeing records and a place in history.
This quadrennial competition has had African icons from the past like Nigeria’s football legend Nwankwo Kanu, Kenya’s David Rudisha, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrsellasie and South Africa’s Caster Semenya in the Athletics events, all living up to expectations by making the podium and securing medals. This edition is expected to be no different.
Kenya lead the standings as the nation with the most medals in the Games history (113) with South Africa and Ethiopia coming second and third with (89) and (58) respectively. Some African talents have been in great shape and are set to make a strong impression at the Games.
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Here are five African Athletes to keep close tabs on at the ongoing Olympics.
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
One of the names from Africa that many will be keeping a close eye on is Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. The 21-year-old will be making his debut Olympics appearance and is expected to make a strong finish despite facing immense competition from some of the world’s best athletes in the 100m and 200m men’s events.
Tebogo, sponsored by Nike, has in his lockers a good shot at the podium after clinching silver and Bronze medals in the 100m and 200m events at the World Championships in Budapest, 2023.
The 21-year-old also had four gold medals in his locker prior to this competition. One from the World Relays in the 4×100 events in 2024, with two others from the World U20 Championships and another from the 2022 African Championships. Tebogo holds a 9.88s finish as his personal best in the 100m and a 19.50s finish in the 200m, a good time he must slightly improve if he eyes a spot at the podium.
Gina Bass (Gambia)
Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye, widely known as Gina Bass, is a 29-year-old 100m and 200m sprinter from Gambia and one of the fastest women on the continent.
Bass made her first appearance at the Rio 2016 Games and her second at Tokyo 2020. She had broken two national records before her first Olympic appearance and is the first female athlete from Gambia to qualify for the Games. Bass ran a personal best of 10.93 this year in the 100m events and had a 22.58s best finish (200m) at the 2019 African Games in Rabat.
She has a haul of medals in her locker but will be aiming for her first Olympic medal, as she already clinched gold in the 100m events at the 2023 African Games in Accra, and won silver in the 200m events in 2019 in Rabat. She is also the 200m gold medalist from the 2023 African Games and obtained two gold and bronze medals from the African Championships.
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria)
The current Commonwealth, African and World record holder in the Women’s 100m Hurdles will also be aiming to maintain her place as champion in Paris. Tobi Amusan is the first-ever Nigerian world champion, and since 2018, she has secured 16 medals.
Amusan was also at the 2023 African Games in Accra earlier this year and earned a personal best finish of 12.12s in the 100m hurdles events. Amusan, 27, became Nigeria’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Games, a feat attained since Mary Onyali at the 2004 Games in Greece, Athens.
Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya)
Kenya’s flag bearer at the Olympics this year is one of the fastest men on the continent and in the world. Ferdinand Omanyala is regarded as one to keep a close eye on at the Games, after the 28-year-old secured three gold medals in 2022 at the African Championships and Commonwealth Games altogether.
Omanyala’s personal best came in 2022 when he ran 9.77s in the 100m events. He is Kenya’s 100m national record holder and is the first man from the nation to run a sub-10. Omanyala made the semi-finals of the World Championships in 2022, but narrowly missed out on the final. However, he will be eyeing a place in the final of the events at the Olympics this time around.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya)
Long-distance runner and world record holder for the 1500m events, Faith Kipyegon will hope to keep her place as champion at this edition of the Olympics after winning gold in Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
She is also the former record holder for the 5000m events. Having reached over three different finals in the history of the Olympics, Kipyegon’s experience of winning over 13 gold medals in her career could play a crucial role in her chances at the Games. Although she is 30 years old and delivered a daughter in 2018, one that many thought would slow or hinder her progress in Athletics, Kipyegon has not looked back and eyes further glory at this edition. She will be one of many athletes expected to rise to the occasion on the biggest stage.
Other notable names to also keep an eye on are Africa’s women’s high jump gold medalist from Ghana Rose Yeboah, and two-time Olympian from Liberia, Emmanuel Matadi.
