PARIS 2024: African stars to look out for

With the Olympic Games around the corner, we present to you the African athletes to look out for in Paris.

FAITH KIPYEGON

After back-to-back Olympic gold medals, some might’ve thought that Faith Kipyegon might struggle to maintain those standards as time went on.

As it turned out, the Kenyan has set her own bar even higher.

Her 2023 season was extraordinary as she broke no less than three world records in the calendar year, namely the 1500m, the mile and the 5000m (which has since been broken by Gudaf Tsegay).

At the World Championships in Budapest, she created more history by becoming the first woman to win the double of the 1500m and the 5000m.

As for this Olympic year, while most top athletes are busy steadily improving themselves in order to peak at the right time, Kipyegon makes an extraordinary statement by beating her own 1500m world record three weeks before the start of the Games.

More history beckons as she looks to become the first athlete to complete a hat-trick of 1500m Olympic golds. She won’t settle for that though. She’s made it clear that she’s eyeing upgrading her World Championship double into an Olympic double.

In all of the illustrious history of Kenyan athletics, Kipyegon could well turn herself into the greatest of them all.

TOBI AMUSAN

She holds the 100m hurdles world record that she set on her way to winning the in the World Championships and she’s won multiple golds in the African Championships, the African Games and the Commonwealth Games.

The glaring omission from Tobi Amusan’s career is an Olympic gold (or any Olympic medal for that matter).

No doubt her agonising finish of fourth in the Tokyo 2020 final has haunted her with “what ifs” ever since.

Narrowly missing out on a medal was one thing. A year ago, it seemed like the Nigerian had bigger problems as she faced a suspension after being charged with missing three anti-doping tests.

This was cleared up relatively quickly by a Disciplinary Tribunal who cleared her name and lifted her provisional suspension was lifted.

That controversial period of her career journey has no doubt added to her steely determination to set records straight in Paris.

JOSHUA CHEPTEGEI

His legendary status in Uganda has already been secured by concurrently holding world records in the 5 000m and 10 000m.

In Tokyo 2020, he came so close to joining an elite group of those who have completed that Olympic double.

He left with gold in the 5 000m but had to settle for silver in the 10 000m. It makes his goal for Paris 2024 quite obvious.

For someone who’s been driven to achieve so many wins, Cheptegei attributes a loss early in his career as a key motivating factor in his career.

When his home nation hosted the 2017 World Cross Country Championships, Cheptegei was the favourite and held a significant lead in the 10km race only to fade away dramatically through fatigue and ended up struggling his way into 30th.

Motivated to be stronger and more consistent, he pulled off the first of his high double golds in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Then he was, as the saying goes, up and running.

Uganda has never had a double gold winner at a single Olympic Games and that’s just the type of achievement Cheptegei would love to make.

PATRICK CHINYEMBA

Patrick Chinyemba became an influential Zambian figure for those looking to qualify for this year’s Olympics as he became the first from the country to secure his spot for Paris 2024.

When he defeated Tunisian Ala Eddine Zidi in the African qualifiers, the dream of being a back-to-back Olympian had been confirmed and it led to him being named Zambian sportsman of the year.

He followed up with gold in the African Games in March this year where he won his final by default after his South African opponent Lubabalo Lusizi withdrew.

While claiming gold was a moment of pride, Chinyemba made it clear that he would have preferred to have won it by proving his worth with a final in the ring.

It’s been 40 years since Keith Mwila won Zambia’s last boxing Olympic medal. With Olympic experience already under his belt going into Paris, Chinyemba is their best hope to repeat the feat.

ELIUD KIPCHOGE

Back-to-back Olympic marathon gold medal wins, 11 World Marathon Major wins and the first person to break the two-hour barrier (albeit unofficially). No less than five of the ten fastest marathon times belong to him

Despite all these achievements as he nears the age of 40, there’s clearly no sign of Kipchoge letting up any time soon.

He’s made it clear that he’s still hungry to run fast, to push his physical limits and to manage any race challenges thrown at him.

His management of his schedule has understandably become more skewed towards recovery after races where he’s brought in longer complete breaks from running into his life.

That takes a different type of discipline normally associated with athletes. When running is the source of so much personal joy, one must be motivated by great goals to spend substantial time away from it completely.

Hopefully Paris sees him achieve those goals.