Athletes from all over the world have been showcasing their talent and excellence on the global stage this year. To highlight their achievements, we’re sharing a series of our Top 10 performers across different spheres. Here’s Part 2 of our Top 10 Male Sprinters of the year, featuring our five best sprinters in the category.
5. Rai Benjamin
Rai Benjamin, the second fastest man ever in the 400m hurdles, had an amazing 2024 season, ending with his first Olympic GOLD medal. He kicked things off with a 44.42s in the 400m at the Mt. SAC Relays, then followed with a World-Leading (WL) 46.64s in the 400m hurdles at the LA Grand Prix.
Benjamin took his WL to a new level, running a stunning 46.46s to win the U.S. Olympic Trials title, setting a Meet Record (MR) and looking effortless while at in. In Monaco, he beat major rivals Karsten Warholm and Alison dos Santos, winning with 46.67s at the Herculis Meeting at Stade Louis II.
With the men’s 400m hurdles being one of the most anticipated races at the Paris Olympics, Benjamin rose to the occasion to claim GOLD in the event, racing to an equal WL of 46.46s to upgrade his Silver medal from Tokyo three years ago..
He also played a huge part in the USA’s GOLD-winning 4x400m relay. Despite Letsile Tebogo’s bold push on Botswana’s anchor leg, Benjamin held his ground and helped the U.S. set a new Olympic Record of 2:54.43. He ran a blistering 43.13s split, securing the victory for the team. He finishes the year as the global leader in the men’s 400m hurdles for the second year in a row.
4. Quincy Hall
Until 2022, Quincy Hall was focused on the 400m hurdles, setting a Personal Best (PB) of 48.10s that year. But after switching to the 400m flat, he’s made waves, winning Bronze at last year’s World Championships, and snatching his first individual global GOLD medal, the U.S. title and the World Lead (WL) in 2024.
Hall had clocked a time of 44.68s to win the Stockholm Diamond League and consistently bettered his times in the build-up to the Olympics. At the US Olympic Trials, he posted 44.60s, 44.42s and a brilliant 44.17s to win the title, then smashed his lifetime best with a blazing 43.80s to win the Monaco Diamond League.
In Paris, he breezed through his 400m heat in 44.28s, then powered to a time of 43.95s to win the first semifinal. Despite feeling a leg strain, Hall surged from fourth place to win one of the deepest 400m races in history to take GOLD with a new PB 43.40s, making him the fourth fastest man in history.
3. Noah Lyles
Three-time World 200m Champion Noah Lyles kicked off 2024 with some impressive performances over 60m, including a new Personal Best (PB) of 6.43s set in Albuquerque, and a Silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow where he returned a time of 6.44s.
He clocked a fast Season’s Best (SB) of 9.85s over 100m at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica and an impressive 200m SB of 19.77s at the USATF Grand Prix. He also anchored the US to GOLD over Canada in the men’s 4x100m at the World Relays in the Bahamas.
At the U.S. Trials, Lyles went on to sweep both the 100m and 200m titles, matching his 100m PB with a 9.83s clocking and storming to a World-Leading (WL) 19.53s in the 200m, breaking a 28-year-old Meet Record (MR). He wasn’t done yet! Whilst competing at the London Diamond League, he improved his lifetime best to 9.81s to take the 100m win.
At his second appearance at the Olympics, the American started his 100m campaign with a 2nd place finish in 10.04s, behind NCAA Champion Louie Hinchliffe. In the semis, he settled for 2nd once again, clocking 9.83s. The men’s 100m final was one for the books as both Lyles and Jamaican sensation KishaneThompson crossed the line with an identical 9.79s, with Lyles edging Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second, a new PB for the American.
It was a historic victory for him, becoming the first reigning World Champion to win the Olympic 100m title since Usain Bolt in 2016 and also making him the first American male sprinter in 20 years to win the Olympic 100m title since Justin Gatlin in 2004. He also took home a Bronze medal in the 200m in 19.70s.
2. Letsile Tebogo
Letsile Tebogo proved to be one of the world’s finest sprinters in 2024, building on his historic achievement as Africa’s first World Championships medallist in the men’s 100m in 2023.
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. 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.
Despite his journey taking an emotional turn when he lost his mother to a brief illness just a day after competing in Los Angeles, the African’s return to the track a month later was nothing short of remarkable.
At the Paris Olympics, Tebogo stormed to victory in the men’s 200m final, defeating USA’s duo of Kenny Bednarek and 100m champion Noah Lyles with a dazzling African Record (AR) of 19.46s, a performance that elevated him to fifth on the world all-time list and made him Botswana’s first Olympic champion in any sport.
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.
1. Grant Holloway
At No.1 of our Top 10 list of World Male Sprinters for 2024 is three-time World Champion in the 110m hurdles, Grant Holloway, who had a stellar season in 2024, proving once again why he’s on track to becoming a legend.
The year kicked off strong for Holloway who dominated the US Indoor Championships with a new National Record (NR), Area Record (AR) and World Record (WR) of 7.27s. He also claimed his second consecutive World Indoor Championships 60m Hurdles GOLD in Glasgow.
Holloway’s outdoor season heated up in May. At the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, he raced to a new Season’s Best (SB) and World Lead (WL) of 13.03s in the 110m hurdles. The following month, he extended his WL at the U.S. Olympic Trials, clocking a blistering time of 12.86s which remained the fastest time in the world for 2024.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Holloway showed why he’s the second fastest in history in the 110m Hurdles. He started with a solid 13.01s in his heat and improved to 12.99s in the semis. He stole the show in the final with an impressive 12.98s to win his first Olympic GOLD, an upgrade from his Silver in Tokyo and cementing his status as the undisputed king of the hurdles.
