Each year, African athletes continue to impress with their performances, particularly in the sprints, making history on the track. In this two-part series highlighting Africa’s Top 10 Male Sprinters of 2024, we start with Part 1, featuring Nos. 10-6. Let’s dive in!
10. Ferdinand Omanyala
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, had a decent 2024 season. He raced to a new 60m National Record (NR) of 6.51s over 60m in February and the following month, competed in the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, finishing 4th in the 60m. Omanyala’s first outdoor race in the 100m was at the Kip Keino Classic on his home soil where he ran 10.03s.
The big moment came in May at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, where he clocked an impressive 9.98s to finish 2nd. The Commonwealth Games Champion stormed to his fastest time of the season at the Olympic Trials in Nairobi, a fast 9.79s, just 0.02s off his African Record. In the build up to the Olympics, the Kenyan won the FBK Games in Hengelo in 10.01s and making his second appearance at the Games, he won his heat and exited Paris 2024 in the semis.
Omanyala bounced back at the International JOSKO Laufmeeting where he posted 9.95s in the heat and won the final in 10.01s. He then raced to a brilliant 9.88s at the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in 2nd place, his fourth sub-10s of the season. He ended his season at the Memorial Van Damme, winning the 100m in 10.07s.
9. Makanakaishe Charamba
Makanakaishe Charamba had an impressive 2024 season, with his performances showing speed and precision. He won the men’s 200m at FSU Relays and extended his victory to the LSU Invitational where he ran a wind-aided time of 20.11s. He clocked a new lifetime best of 20.00s to finish 3rd at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships and qualify for the Olympics.
He lowered his lifetime best to 19.95s at the NCAA Division 1 East First Rounds and anchored Auburn to GOLD in the 4x100m at the NCAA Championships. Charamba made his Olympics debut at Paris 2024 and racing against the world’s best sprinters, he placed 2nd in his heat in 20.27s and 3rd in the semis with 20.31s, qualifying for the final as one of the non-automatic qualifiers and making history for Zimbabwe alongside teammate Tapiwanashe Makarawu who also raced in the 200m final in Paris.
8. Emmanuel Eseme
Emmanuel Eseme had a strong start to 2024, competing in several meets indoors including the World Indoor Championships where he raced to a new National Record of 6.52s over 60m in Glasgow. Moving outdoors, Eseme maintained an unbeaten streak to win the men’s 100m title in 10.14s at the African Games held in Accra, Ghana.
He also won the men’s 100m at the Rabat and Stockholm Diamond Leagues respectively and finished 3rd in Oslo in 10.01s. At the African Championships hosted by his country Cameroon, Eseme took Silver in the 100m with a time of 10.15s and settled for Bronze in the 200m with 20.66s.
August marked the peak of his season at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Eseme opened his 100m campaign with a blistering 9.98s to place 2nd in his heat, followed by 10.00s in the semis, narrowly missing out on the final in 4th place. He ended his season at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels where he finished 4th with a 10.09s clocking.
7. Samuel Ogazi
Samuel Ogazi showed his immense potential in 2024 and kicked off the outdoor season with a Personal Best (PB) of 45.35s in Baton Rouge, then improved it to 45.29s at the Tom Jones Invitational. Ogazi also played a key role in helping Nigeria’s mixed 4x400m relay team qualify for the Paris Olympics, clocking 3:12.87 at the World Relays in The Bahamas.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Ogazi stunned everyone by running 44.58s, a PB that made him the fastest Nigerian male quartermiler in 37 years, moving him to 2nd on the all-time list and securing his Olympic spot. He also became the first Nigerian to run a sub-45s since Orukpe Erayokan in 2015.
Ogazi continued to impress, winning the NCAA East Regionals in a new PB of 44.53s, which earned him a spot in the Outdoor NCAA Championships where he won the Silver medal in 44.52s. At his maiden outing at the African Championships in Douala, he claimed Bronze in the men’s 400m.
The Paris Olympics was his biggest test, but Ogazi rose to the occasion. He raced to 2nd place with a lifetime best of 44.50s to qualify for the semis. In the semis, he improved again, running 44.41s to finish 3rd and secure a spot in the final. Ogazi became the first Nigerian male to reach an Olympic 400m final in 36 years, finishing 7th in one of the greatest 400m races in Olympic history.
6. Tapiwanashe Makarawu
Tapiwanashe Makarawu had a promising 2024 season, with performances that showed his potential on the global stage. Makarawu made his outdoor debut in March at the Texas Relays, where he raced in both the 100m and 200m, placing 2nd in the former and winning the latter with wind-aided times of 10.08s and 20.03s respectively.
April saw him break his Personal Best (PB), running a brilliant 19.93s in the 200m at the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout and placing 2nd in the 100m in a wind-aided 10.02s. Competing at the African Championships in Douala, the Zimbabwean settled for 6th in the 100m final and then dashed to a Silver medal in the 200m.
Making his first appearance at the Olympics in Paris, Makarawu started strong, running 20.07s to place 2nd in his heat, followed by 20.16s in the semis where he settled for 3rd. He qualified for the final alongside compatriot Makanakaishe Charamba, posting 20.10s to finish a decent 6th position at his first Olympics. Makarawu’s performance in Paris shows that he’s on track for bigger things in the near future.
