In recent times, women’s Athletics is getting a wider reach across the globe even as female sprinters are generating a higher volume of news search results, no doubt as a result of their growing popularity and impact in the sport. Without further ado, let’s take a close look at our Top 10 Female sprinters in 2024, beginning with Part 1 of the series which features Nos. 10 to 6.
10. Brittany Brown
One of the dark horses in the women’s 200m, Brown took the world by storm, grabbing the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. She opened her 200m campaign at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, running a Seasons Best (SB) of 22.35s.
She got her first win of the season at the Oslo Diamond League where she clocked an improved SB of 22.32. At the US Olympic Trials, Brown did just enough to qualify for her first Olympics after finishing 2nd in the 200m in a new Personal Best (PB)of 21.90s. Brown made a statement for herself at the Olympics when she came from behind to snatch the Bronze medal, dipping ahead of Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita.
Brown put an end to her season by defeating the newly crowned 200m Olympic champion, Gabby Thomas in the 200m and placing 2nd behind Marie Josée Ta-Lou Smith in the 100m at the Athlos Meet.
9. Sha’Carri Richardson
Entering the Olympic year as the reigning 100m World Champion, Richardson knew she had big shoes to fill if she wanted to become the first American woman to win the Olympic 100m title in 28 years. One of Richardson’s highlights of the season was at the Prefontaine Classic where she won the 100m in 10.83s. The next competition she took part in was the US Olympic Trials.
The two-time World champion had a good meet, clocking the World Leading time, 10.71s – which would eventually end up as the fastest 100m time in 2024 – in the semi-finals, and won the title to make her first Olympic team. She tried making the 200m team but unfortunately finished in 4th place, a spot shy from automatic qualification.
Richardson made it safely to the Olympics, competing in the 100m and 4x100m. She posted one of the fastest times in the heats, stamping herself among the top contenders to claim the blue riband event. Richardson came 2nd in the semis and replicated the same position in the final, placing behind Julien Alfred in a time of 10.87s, earning her first Olympic medal of any colour. She also anchored the US to their first 4x100m GOLD since Rio 2016.
8. Salwa Eid Naser
Eid Naser finally got the elusive medal that had been missing in her medal chest all these years: an Olympic medal. The Bahraini got her season rolling at the Felix Sanchez Classic where she dropped a 50.98s to dominate the meet.
Eid Naser’s next few meets raised some concerns about her fitness leading to the Olympics as she seemed struggling, running times in the high 51s and high 50s range. The 2019 World Champion silenced the narratives by finally going sub-50s to win the Meeting de Paris, placing 3rd with a time of 49.82s. She followed it up with victories at the Meeting Internacional and La Chaux de Fonds, churning out times of 49.88s and 49.66s respectively.
When the Olympics arrived, Eid Naser knew it was time to chase that elusive medal. The former World Champion breezed past her heats and semifinal in 1st position. In the final, she dashed to her 2nd fastest career time of 48.53s to claim an Olympic Silver medal. Her last meet of the season was the Athlos event where she finished 3rd in 50.40s.
7. Masai Russell
There is no greater redemption story than overcoming a mishap in your rookie season to end up as an Olympic Champion 12 months later. Russell had quite an interesting season. Participating at her first indoor as a pro athlete, she qualified for the World Indoors where she narrowly missed out on the medal podium in the 60m hurdles, placing 4th in 7.81s.
The women’s 100m hurdles was so stacked this season that the American wasn’t in the mix despite running a series of 12.6, 12.7 and 12.8 consistently. She started making waves after her superb performance at the Olympic Trials, running blazing times: 12.35s in the heats, 12.36s in the semis and a jaw-dropping 12.25s in the final to automatically secure her spot in the Olympic Games, which also ranked as the 5th fastest on the all-time list.
In the deepest and most unpredictable final in Olympic history, Russell edged out the reigning European Champion, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and reigning Olympic Champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn to claim the Olympic title at her maiden Olympics in 12.33s. Russell would later finish 3rd at the inaugural Athlos Meet in 12.44 to close out her season.
6. Natalia Kaczmarek
Kaczmarek’s meteoric progression in the last three seasons has been nothing short of commendable. From barely running a sub-51s in 2021 to running 48s thrice in 2024, the Polish athlete did incredibly well to bring pride to her country.
Kaczmarek opened her 400m campaign at the Xiamen Diamond League, an event where she is the reigning Silver medallist from the last edition of the World Championships, clocking a SB of 50.29, her fastest opener ever, to take 2nd place. She did just enough to qualify for her country’s women’s 4x400m to the Olympics at the World relays. They eventually won the Silver medal in the final.
Kaczmarek made history for Poland, becoming the first Polish woman to run a sub-49, obliterating Irena Szewinska’s 48-year-old National Record (NR) to claim the European 400m title with a sensational 48.98s. At the London Diamond League, she would later better her NR to a 48.90, finishing 2nd behind Nickisha Pryce who broke the Diamond League Record with a fiery 48.57s.
She carried on with her fine form to the Paris Olympics where she won her first individual Olympic medal, a Bronze, in another sub 49s time of 48.98s, completing a full set of medals, having won GOLD and Silver in the mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x400m respectively at the Tokyo Olympics.
