African female sprinting experienced one of its ground breaking seasons this year in terms of feats, inclusivity and depth. These crop of sprinters not only made history for their respective nations but also cemented Africa’s place on the global scene as one of the leading continents in sprinting.
Some of these sprinters were featured in Part 1 of this series, while Part 2 will look into our Top 5 African Female sprinters in 2024.
5. Rosemary Chukwuma
Ever since Rosemary Chukwuma announced herself to the world at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games where she anchored Nigeria to a bronze medal placement, she has been a familiar name in the African scene. Chukwuma started the season as a Texas Tech senior, meaning that was her last eligibility year competing in the NCAA circuit, and she definitely made it count. She won the Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor titles in the 60m and 100m respectively.
She did something unprecedented at the NCAA West Regionals, running a time of 10.88s, which is the second fastest time recorded by a Nigerian over the 100m, behind Blessing Okagbare’s Nigerian Record of 10.79s, doubling as a Personal Best (PB) and School Record to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Chukwuma finally got to stand on the podium at the NCAA Championships, placing 3rd with a wind-aided time of 10.90s. She represented Team Nigeria at the Paris Olympics, competing in the 100m and 4x100m, reaching the semifinals in the former event. Chukwuma’s PB of 10.88s saw her ranked among the top 10 fastest time in the women’s 100m by the end of the 2024 season.
4. Gina Bass
The Gambian was a force to reckon with when it came to competitions on the continental level. She was Africa’s only female representative in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow where she got to the semifinals. Few weeks later, Bass competed at the 13th edition of the African Games held in Accra, Ghana, dominating the competition by winning the sprint double, defending her 200m title and upgrading her Silver medal position in the 100m from the previous edition. She was the only athlete to win two individual GOLD medals at the competition.
Competing at Meeting de la Martinique, Bass made history for her country by becoming the first woman to go sub 11s after she won the women’s 100m in a National Record (NR) and Personal Best (PB) of 10.93s. Roughly a month after, She defended her 100m crown at the African Athletics Championships held in Cameroon. Bass competed at her third consecutive Olympics at Paris 2024, getting to the semis in both the 100m and 200m. She closed her season at the Brussels Diamond League Final, placing 6th in the women’s 100m.
3. Jessika Gbai
From a World semi finalist to an Olympic finalist, Jessika Gbai had a breakthrough season in 2024. Based in the US, the Ivorian opened her season in few meets such as the Florida Relays and Tom Jones Invitational. Her first major international competition was at the World Relays where she helped her team in punching their Olympic ticket. Days later, Gbai competed at the Jamaican Invitational where she came close to winning the 200m but got edged by Dina Asher-Smith in 22.51s to 22.53s.
She competed at her maiden African Championships, winning the 200m title with a time of 22.84s, returning the title back to her country after her compatriot, Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith last won it at Asaba in 2018. She made her Olympic debut at the Paris Games where she bettered her Personal Best (PB) to 22.36s in the semis, advancing to the final as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. She eventually placed 8th in the final with a time of 22.70s. Gbai was also a part of the Ivorian 4x100m quartet in Paris.
2 Favour Ofili
After being hampered by an injury that took a toll on her performances in the latter phase of the outdoor season last year, Ofili bounced back to the form she was known for that earned her the name ‘Star Girl’ by her fan base. The Delta State native headlined her indoor season by smashing the 14-year-old African 300m Record previously held by Botswana’s Amantle Montsho with a superior time of 35.99s, ranking her 10th on the all-time list. She started her individual outdoor campaign with a wind-aided 10.85s, her fastest season opener under all conditions.
Weeks later, she ran the 3rd fastest time ever recorded by a Nigerian under any conditions, where she won the women’s 100m in a photo finish at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, with a marginal wind-aided time of 10.78s (2.2m/s). Ofili qualified for the Olympics after roaring to victory in a sublime 22.33s in the 200m at the Tom Jones Invitational.
She was a part of the successful quartet that qualified Nigeria for its 9th consecutive Olympics in the women’s 4x100m dating back to 1992, at the World Relays in The Bahamas. She once again shattered the African Record by running the joint 2nd fastest time on the 150m all-time list. Ofili won the 100m at the New York Grand Prix in 11.18s, defeating the likes of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Aleia Hobbs, Gabby Thomas, Mikiah Brisco, and Morolake Akinosun. Fresh off her win, she competed at the Nigerian Olympic Trials, claiming her first 100m National title in 11.06s, qualifying her for the Olympics.
Unfortunately, Ofili was not registered for the 100m in Paris but the 200m National Record holder translated the disappointment into resilience as she created history by becoming the first Nigerian since the legendary Mary Onyali to qualify for an Olympic 200m final since Atlanta 1996, placing in the top three overall in the heats and semis. She ultimately placed 6th with a time of 22.24s, just 0.04 from Bronze medallist, Brittany Brown. She ran one of the fastest splits of 10.09s in the 2nd leg of the 4x100m, where Nigeria placed 9th overall, narrowly missing the final. Ofili’s 22.05s recorded in the semis at the Olympics placed her as the 7th fastest overall across the 200m in the 2024 season.
1 Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith
Never in doubt, Ta Lou-Smith is one of those few athletes who make the popular catchphrase, ‘Aging like fine wine’ feasible in the sport of Athletics. She has been a dominant sprinting figure in Africa and the world for close to a decade.
The multiple-time world medalist played a monumental role in qualifying her nation to their first Olympics in the women’s 4x100m for the first time in 24 years, running the anchor leg. She competed at the Jamaican Invitational, winning the 100m in 10.91s to the delight of the Jamaican spectators. She came in 2nd place in the 100m and 200m at the Stockholm and Oslo Diamond Leagues respectively, running times of 11.16s and 22.36s.
Ta Lou-Smith earned a trailblazing achievement by becoming the first African female sprinter to make three consecutive 100m Olympic finals. Sadly, she ended up in 8th place after she pulled her hamstring. She returned in time for the 4x100m but after a lane violation, her team got disqualified. She bounced back from the mishaps to finish 2nd in the Silesia Diamond League, running a wind assisted 10.83s.
Ta Lou-Smith placed 3rd in the women’s 100m with a time of 11.05s at the Brussels Diamond League Final. She closed her season with a victory in the inaugural Athlos Meet, a competition used to celebrate the hard work and dedication of female athletes, taking the 100m crown in a time of 10.96s.
