Maria Mutola
Mozambican Maria Mutola is now the coach and mentor of another excellent female runner, Caster Semenya. Mutola in her heydays was so good over middle distances that they called her The Maputo Express.
Until her protege, Semenya, started claiming gold, Mutola was the only woman to have won four world or Olympic titles over 800 meters.
What perfectly puts Mutola on this list is that Mozambique does not have a stellar athletic history. And that means in every sense of the word, The Maputo Express was a pacesetter.
