African Olympians to watch
A round up of Africa’s most exciting Olympic prospects.
Firdose Moonda
Over three weeks in Paris, athletes from around the world will be running, jumping, throwing and generally exerting themselves in pursuit of small golden discs. Here’s a round up of Africa’s most exciting Olympic prospects.
Tatjana Smith
The holder of the 200-metre breaststroke record, Tatjana Smith (née Schoenmaker), took gold in Tokyo in 2021 and silver in the 100-metre event. Since then, she also won the South African national championship and got married. Former world champion Ryk Neethling says she is on the brink of becoming the country’s greatest Olympian.
Biniam Girmay
Biniam Girmay, 24, has become the face of continental cycling. This month, he became the first black African to win a Tour de France stage. He followed it up with two more, taking home the iconic sprinter’s green jersey. At the Olympics, he could become Africa’s first cycling medallist since 1956.
South Sudan’s Basketball Team
A country that only came into existence 13 years ago has understandably never won an Olympic medal – but South Sudan could change that. They are the only African men’s basketball team in contention and have already challenged the world’s best. They lost to the United States by one point in a friendly and will meet them again on 31 July. The US holds 25 basketball golds.
Eliud Kipchoge and Tigst Assefa
At 39, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge is chasing a hat-trick of Olympic marathon golds and perhaps the perfect end to his stellar career. He won this event in 2016 and 2021 and unofficially ran the 42.2km distance in under two hours, but since standard competition rules did not apply to that race in Vienna, it did not set a new world record. Expect him to push for that in Paris.
The women’s favourite is Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, who holds the world record for her time. She ran a two-hour, 11-minute and 53-second marathon in Berlin last year and could outrun Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, another strong contender.
Djamel Sedjati
A continental contest awaits at the men’s 800 metre with Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati expected to show out after missing Tokyo. Sedjati is the third fastest man in history over this distance and will have to see off the Kenyan pair of Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Wyclife Kinyamal to win.
Faith Kipyegon
Look no further in the women’s 1,500 metres than Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon. The 30-year-old took gold in this distance in the last two Games and set a new world record of 3.49:04 at the Meeting de Paris earlier this month. Kipyegon is considered one of the greatest 1,500m athletes the world has ever seen.
Soufiane El Bakkali and Beatrice Chepkoech
Moroccan defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali won back-toback gold medals at this event after his victory in Tokyo. The 28-year-old will compete with Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, 23 – an all-African rivalry in action.
The same applies to Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech, 33, who will want to make up for an injury-ridden performance at the last Games with a statement win. She is up against Ethiopia’s 19-year-old star Sembo Almayew, who set an under-20 record last year.