Murielle Ahouré:
This Ivorian has a talent that makes her a strong contender. Ahouré is a double silver medallist which she won on the back of a big performance at the 2013 World Championship in Moscow. Interestingly, she wasn’t considered as one of the favourites to finish with a medal in either the 100m or 200m, but she defied the odds and went on to become the first to win a World Championship medal for her country.
Last year, Ahouré secured another double Silver: one at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland with the other medal coming at the 2014 African Athletics Championships (AAC) in Marrakech, Morocco, finishing 2nd in 11.03s. However, she claimed GOLD later in the 200m at that same AAC.
This year, she clocked the same time of 10.81s as Fraser-Pryce at the Prefontaine Classics, but narrowly lost out as the Jamaican was adjudged winner. However, she did set a new National Record (NR) for Ivory Coast with that time.
If there is anything that is going for her, she always starts very well in races, which explains why she is the seventh fastest woman in the 60m, running 6.99s in 2013. Simply put, she is explosive off the blocks.
At the Oslo Diamond League this year, she comfortably won the 100m race, beating the likes of Veronica Campbell-Brown, crossing the line in 11.03s to earn all four points that sees her rise up to 3rd in the Diamond Race contest. At the Anniversary Games in London she clocked 11.01s and finished 3rd behind Dafne Schippers and Blessing Okagbare.
Judging by how she won double Silver two years ago, it will be foolhardy not to put Ahouré in the equation again.
