Evidently, African athletes were not playing second fiddle to the world’s best in 2024, consistently showcasing their excellence on the global stage. To highlight this, we launched a series on the best African male sprinters of the year, featuring Nos. 10 to 6 in Part 1. Here is the concluding part of that series.
5. Bayapo Ndori
Bayapo Ndori, like many African athletes, opened up his season at the African Games in Ghana, winning two relay medals for Botswana in the mixed 4x400m and men’s 4x400m – a Silver on both occasions.
At the Kip Keino Classic in April, he ran a new Personal Best (PB) of 44.10s, the fastest time in the world at the time to win the men’s 400m race. As a part of the country’s men’s 4x400m team two weeks later at the World Relays in The Bahamas, he won GOLD.
While he competed on the Diamond League circuit, on one occasion, placing 3rd in Marrakech, he also showed up for continental competitions, winning a Bronze at the African Championships in Douala in the mixed 4x400m relay.
Ndori had competed at the previous Olympics in Tokyo where he came away with a Bronze in the men’s 4x400m. This time in Paris, he made his individual debut, running the 400m and bowing out in the semifinal.
He missed the final by two hundredths of a second, placing 9th overall and competed in the 4x400m, teaming up with Letsile Tebogo, Anthony Pesela and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi. The star-studded team broke the African Record, running a remarkable 2:54.53 to win Silver and thus becoming the second fastest country in event history.
4. Joseph Fahnbulleh
Joseph Fahnbulleh has consistently been a beacon for Liberian Athletics, representing his country on the grandest stages since his debut.
In 2024, he continued his remarkable journey, beginning with the African Games, where he anchored Liberia’s 4x100m relay team to a Bronze medal. A month later, Fahnbulleh played a pivotal role at the World Relays in The Bahamas, helping Liberia secure qualification for the Paris Olympics alongside other African powerhouses like Ghana and Nigeria.
While his performances on the Diamond League circuit yielded mixed results, Fahnbulleh delivered when it mattered most on the continent. At the African Championships in Douala, he dominated the sprints, winning double GOLD in the 100m and 200m. By doing so, he became the first man in a decade since Côte d’Ivoire’s Hua Wilfried Koffi, to achieve the prestigious sprint double.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Fahnbulleh made his second consecutive appearance in the 200m final, finishing 7th and further cementing his status as one of Africa’s finest track athletes.
3. Akani Simbine
In 2024, Akani Simbine brought a renewed sense of determination and brilliance to the track. He began the season in style, winning a 150m race at the Curro Classic, an event named after him. A month later, he claimed his 7th national 100m title at the South African Championships in Pietermaritzburg.
This momentum carried him to consecutive victories on the Diamond League circuit, triumphing in Suzhou and Oslo. In between these outings, he led South Africa to secure qualification for the Paris Olympics in the 4x100m relay at the World Relays and began to hit peak form at the London Diamond League, where he clocked an impressive 9.86s to finish 2nd, narrowly missing his 2021 Personal Best (PB) by two hundredths of a second.
At the Paris Olympics, Simbine delivered a performance for the ages. In his third consecutive Olympic 100m final, he shattered the South African Record, with a stunning 9.82s. Despite the amazing time, he narrowly missed the podium, finishing an agonizing 4th.
Redemption came in the men’s 4x100m relay. Months of preparation and perfecting baton exchanges paid off as Simbine anchored a South African team featuring two teenagers to a sensational Silver medal. The team broke the African Record with a time of 37.57s, cementing their place in history.
Simbine’s 2024 season showcased resilience and a legacy of leadership that continues to inspire South African Athletics.
2. Muzala Samukonga
Muzala Samukonga has solidified his place among the elite since bursting onto the scene with his unique 400m running style. His explosive late-race surges became a signature in 2022, though they often left him needing assistance off the track.
In 2024, following a hamstring injury, Samukonga returned with a more measured approach to the 400m, showcasing his maturity and ability to build momentum throughout the season.
He kicked off the year with a Silver medal in the men’s 400m at the African Games. Shortly after, he anchored Zambia to GOLD in the 4x400m, clocking a National Record of 2:59.12, ultimately securing Zambia’s Olympic qualification in the event after they missed out on an automatic spot at the World Relays.
Competing in two Diamond League meets, Samukonga secured 2nd place finishes on both occasions before heading to the African Championships, where he contributed to Zambia’s Bronze medal in the 4x400m relay.
At the Paris Olympics, Samukonga elevated his performance to new heights. He shattered Zambia’s National Record to qualify for the men’s 400m final and lowered it further to an astounding 43.74s to clinch the Bronze medal, winning Zambia’s first Olympic medal in 28 years since Samuel Matete’s 400m Hurdles Silver at Atlanta ’96 and becoming only the third African man to break the 44-second barrier more than twice in his career.
Rounding out a stellar season, Samukonga helped Zambia reach the men’s 4x400m final at the Olympics and captured his first-ever Diamond League victory in Rome within the same month.
1. Letsile Tebogo
Botswana’s pride, Letsile Tebogo, proved himself as Africa’s finest sprinter in 2024, building on his historic achievement as the continent’s first World Championships medallist in the men’s 100m the year prior. His meteoric rise has been fuelled by his versatility, seamlessly competing with the world’s best across distances from 100m to 400m.
Tebogo’s season began in spectacular fashion in South Africa, where he shattered the world 300m best at the Simbine Curro Classic Shoot-Out with a time of 30.69, erasing Wayde van Niekerk’s previous mark of 30.81 set in 2017. Shortly after, he clocked an impressive 44.29s in the 400m, a performance that till the end of the season, stood among the year’s fastest globally.
In The Bahamas, Tebogo anchored Botswana to GOLD in the men’s 4x400m at the World Relays, clocking 2:59.11, making Botswana only the second African country, after Nigeria, to win a sprint relay title at the event, securing their spot at the Paris Olympics.
However, Tebogo’s journey took an emotional turn when he lost his mother to a brief illness just a day after competing in Los Angeles. The devastating loss led him to step away from the track temporarily, but his return over a month later was nothing short of remarkable.
At the Paris Olympics, Tebogo made history as Botswana’s first Olympic champion in any sport. He stormed to victory in the men’s 200m final, defeating Kenny Bednarek and 100m champion Noah Lyles with a dazzling African record of 19.46s, a performance that elevated him to fifth on the world all-time list.
Tebogo also delivered an unforgettable anchor leg in the men’s 4x400m relay, clocking a blistering 43.03 split—the second fastest in history—and leading Botswana to Silver in a new African Record of 2:54.53. The time propelled Botswana to second on the all-time list in the event.
Despite limited training in the latter part of the year, Tebogo amassed four Diamond League victories and finished 2nd in the 200m final in Brussels.
