9) Marie Josée Ta Lou
In the last three years, Ivorians have been enamored with Murielle Ahouré, but they might have unearthed another female gem in Marie Josée Ta Lou who could be the next shining light of Cote d’Ivoire’s Athletics.
She has been around since 2011 but could be said to have had a breakout this year. At the 2014 African Championships in Marrakech, she won Bronze in the 100m, finishing behind Ahouré and Blessing Okagbare who won Silver and GOLD respectively.
However Ta Lou burst on to the scene at the World Championships, running a Personal Best of 22.56s in Beijing in the women’s 200m semifinal.
If the World Championships was a snippet of what to come from the Ivorian, she took full advantage as she dominated at the African Games in Congo Brazzaville where she did the double to win GOLD for her country.
It was a particularly daunting task for the dimunitive sprinter in the 200m where she stumbled at the finish line, exhausted from the demands of big competitions and had to be stretchered out, but she had done the job. Ta Lou ended the Games as the big star, equally helping their 4x100m team to win Bronze behind a Nigerian team that had Blessing Okagbare in their ranks.
Indeed Ta Lou is one of the standout African athletes, and Ahouré will no longer rest on her oars as another person is now equally laying claims to becoming Ivory Coast’s golden girl.
Well done our continent,when it comes to athletics..Africa is the best!!!Big ups to my country Botswana!!