Athletes of African descent keep shining in Track and Field, with many of them making a big impact this year. In this first part of the series, we begin the countdown of Africa’s Top 10 Male Athletes for 2024, starting with Nos. 10 – 6.
10. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, or ‘Big Chuks’ as he’s fondly called, has been the continent’s best Shot put thrower for nearly a decade and one of Africa’s most formidable representatives on the global scene.
Enekwechi had a very busy indoor season, competing in five meetings before participating at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow where he placed 6th with a best effort of 21.60m. He made his second appearance at the African Games where he successfully defended his title with a throw of 21.06m. He threw a big Season’s Best of 21.78m at the USATF Grand Prix in 3rd place, and then bounded to a new Personal Best (PB) and National Record (NR) of 21.91m at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing 3rd and taking him to No.2 on the African all-time list.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist claimed his fourth consecutive National Shot put title with a 21.37m throw at the Nigerian Trials in Benin. This win marked his fifth National title, having first won GOLD in 2016. At the 2024 African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, Enekwechi made it a hat trick of titles, extending his dominance in Africa.
Competing in his second Olympic Games, Enekwechi was the only African who qualified for the final where he finished 6th with his best throw of 21.42m, a massive improvement from his 12th position from the Tokyo Games and his best finish in a major international competition.
9. Hugues Fabrice Zango
Hugues Fabrice Zango, the face of Athletics in Burkina Faso, has firmly claimed his place as the greatest male triple jumper to come out of Africa. His 2024 season kicked off indoors with a couple of meetings, and then in March, the world indoor Record holder jumped 17.53m to win GOLD at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, making history as the first athlete from Burkina Faso to win the World Indoor Title.
Later that month at the African Games in Accra, Zango retained his title from Rabat 2019 and also inspired a 1-3 for his country in the men’s Triple Jump as Yacouba Loue settled for Bronze.
Zango, who is a strong advocate for showing up at continental events, competed at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, where his 17.18m secured him another GOLD, making it his third successive title at the African Championships.
He won his event at the Oslo Diamond League and FBK Games in Hengelo, where he set a Season’s Best (SB) of 17.57m. Zango finished 5th at the Olympic Games in Paris and settled for 3rd at the Diamond League Final in Brussels.
8. Djamel Sedjati
Algerian middle-distance runner Djamel Sedjati, had an exceptional 2024 season. He kicked off the year in March with a 1000m race at the ACNW Track & Field League in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he clocked 2:13.97.
Sedjati went on to secure three Diamond League victories, starting with Stockholm where he clocked 1:43.23 for the win. He moved on to Paris where he stormed to a then World Lead (WL) of 1:41.56 to become, at the time, the third fastest man ever over the distance, replacing Taoufik Makhloufi’s former National Record (NR) in the process. Five days later at the Herculis Meeting in Monaco, he improved on his recently-set lifetime best and NR, racing to a new time of 1:41.46 to secure the win over another thrilling two laps.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Sedjati dominated both his heat and semi-final with times of 1:45:84 and 1:45.08, respectively. Competing in an electrifying final, he raced to a Bronze medal in 1:41.50, ending his unbeaten streak thus far. He closed out his season with a 2nd place finish at the Diamond League Final in a tight race, clocking 1:42.86, just behind Olympic Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
7. 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.
6. Berihu Aregawi
Berihu Aregawi’s 2024 season was an outstanding one, kicking off his quest for a global medal at the World Cross-Country Championships in Belgrade where he won Silver clocking 28.12s. He settled for another 2nd place finish, this time in the 5000m at the USATF Grand Prix, racing to a time of 12:52.09 which qualified him for the event ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Aregawi continued to push himself, setting a new Personal Best (PB) of 26:31.13 in the 10,000m at the Ethiopian Trials in Nerja. He raced to Silver behind Joshua Cheptegei at the Olympics, running 26:43.44 behind Cheptegei’s new Olympic Record (OR) of 26:43.14, a great improvement from his 4th place finish in Tokyo three years ago.
The Ethiopian posted two standout performances over 5000m at the Diamond League. Competing over 3000m at the Silesia Diamond League, he ran to a new lifetime best and National Record (NR) of 7:21.28, just behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s new World Record (WR) of 7:17.55, taking him to 3rd on the all-time list in the 3000m.
Heading to Brussels for the Diamond League Final, Aregawi clinched the men’s 5000m Diamond League trophy with a Season’s Best (SB) of 12:43.66, leading an Ethiopian sweep in the process.
