As the 2023 Athletics season drew to a close, we’ve experienced iconic performances on the track and field. World records crumbled, champions rose, and fresh stars shone brightly on the horizon. African Track and Field Athletes In 2023 athletes continued to dominate track and field, both men’s and women’s races. The popularity of black’s short and long-distance events has surged with increasingly fierce competition. Among the numerous black track stars, the debate persists: who truly reigned in 2023? And who will continue the perfect season as and be ranked as African Track and Field Athletes to Watch Out for in 2024?
1. Faith Kipyegon – a Remarkable African Track and Field Athlete
Where do you start with Kipyegon? In a single year 2023, she shattered the 1500m, 5000m, and one-mile world records. But that wasn’t the end of it. The 29-year-old Kenyan went on to claim gold in both the 1500m and 5000m events in Budapest.
The Kenyan athlete had an impressive start, marking a triumphant debut in 2010 at the World Cross Country Championships held in Poland.
Faith’s Gold Medals collection includes:
- Securing two Olympic medals in the 1500m event at both the Rio and Tokyo Games.
- Claiming two medals at the World Championships.
- Garnering five medals in the Diamond League competitions.
Her season’s inaugural race offered a preview of what lay ahead. In Eldoret’s Sirikwa Cross Country, Kipyegon dominated the women’s 10km, seizing victory by over a minute. She defeated many of Kenya’s top distance runners. Her off-season efforts had made her stronger.
1500 world Record
Three months later, she started her track campaign at the Wanda Diamond League event in Doha. She won comfortably with a time of 3:58.57 in the 1500m. This served as a mere start to what unfolded a month later.
Stepping onto the track for the 1500m at the Diamond League meeting in Florence, her aim was to shatter the world 1500m record of 3:50.07. This is after coming within 0.30 of the mark the previous year. This time, she maintained pace with—and then surged ahead of—the track’s interior. Pulling away from the competition, Kipyegon clinched victory in a staggering 3:49.11. She slashed almost a full second off the world record and left her rivals eight seconds behind in an astounding display of dominance.
5000 meters World Record
Despite having competed in only two 5000m races at that distance previously, both in 2015, Kipyegon boldly faced some of the globe’s top contenders at the Diamond League event in Paris. Her pace didn’t align with a world record until the last couple of laps.
In a stunning display, Kipyegon powered through the final kilometre in 2:43.2, crossing the finish line in 14:05.20. This feat slashed 1.42 seconds off the prior world record, leaving Letesenbet Gidey, the then-record holder, trailing by two seconds.
I’m beyond grateful for this incredible year,” she expressed.
“To put my name in history, securing two gold championship medals, was my biggest aspiration for this season. Patience has been my ally as I aimed to set world records and claim double gold. To see this dream, materialize—it’s simply unbelievable.”
Following an undefeated streak in all track season finals, Kipyegon redirected her attention to road competitions towards the year’s end, seizing another global accolade by securing the bronze in the mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga 23. Without a doubt, Faith Kipyegon remains among the most Remarkable African Track and Field Athletes in 2023
2. Tobi Amusan – a Remarkable Nigerian Athlete
As the 2023 season approached, Tobi Amusan emerged as a key athlete to follow, courtesy of her explosive and historic showing at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon. Her remarkable achievement as the 100m Hurdles World Record holder and World Champion thrust her into the spotlight.
Amusan remained relevant throughout the year, overcoming setbacks like an early injury and an Athletics Integrity Unit test case. Despite these hurdles, she was cleared before the World Championships in Budapest. She capped off the season triumphantly with her third consecutive Diamond League title, solidifying her status as the Nigerian track queen. Her win in the Diamond League establishes her as a top female hurdler to watch, as we head into the Olympic year.
3. Letsile Tebogo
The young sprinter from Botswana undoubtedly concluded the season as the top male sprinter in Africa. At the London Diamond League, Tebogo made history as the fastest 200m sprinter in both his country and the continent, clocking in at 19.51s, securing second place behind Noah Lyles.
He made history by clinching the 100m silver medal and added to his achievements with a 200m bronze medal just five days later in Budapest, solidifying his position among the world’s elite sprinters this year.
4. Kelvin Kiptum – an Upcoming African Track and Field Athlete in 2023
In just two races, long-distance runner Kelvin Kiptum swiftly took the spotlight this year. Initially, he won the London Marathon, clocking the second-fastest time in history at 2:01:25. Less than six months later, he achieved the extraordinary feat of breaking Eliud Kipchoge’s world record at the Chicago Marathon. He finished with an incredible time of 2:00:35, shaving off 34 seconds from the previous record.
The record Kelvin Kiptum set this year 2023, made him the pioneer to break the 2:01 barrier. Kiptum’s groundbreaking performance has swiftly placed him at the forefront of discussions as the future face of marathon running in the upcoming years. To think he is only 23, is a remarkable feat to achieve, at such a young age.
5. Ferdinand Omanyala
Ferdinand Omanyala, the reigning Commonwealth Games 100m champion, revealed that the standout moment of his 2023 season was securing a place among the top five in the global rankings. At 27 years old, he currently holds the fourth position, trailing behind Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and the American pair of Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles, all clocking the same impressive time of 9.83 seconds.
Omanyala secured the fourth spot after clocking a world-leading time of 9.84 during the Kip Keino Classic, part of the Continental Tour Gold Series held in May.
In an interview with Pulse Sports, he highlighted, “Securing fourth place in the world rankings this season… that’s been my standout achievement of 2023.”
Omanyala returned to the Diamond League Meetings, beginning with the Rabat Meeting in Morocco, where he clinched third place behind former World Champion Fred Kerley and the former African record holder Akani Simbine.
Following this, Africa’s fastest man competed in the Diamond League Meeting in Florence, Italy, finishing second behind Kerley. He replicated this second-place finish at the Paris Meeting in France as well. After that, he participated in the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco, securing a historic win as the first Kenyan to triumph in the 100m at a Diamond League event.
Subsequently, he advanced to the World Championships, where he landed in seventh place in the final. However, he made a strong comeback at the Prefontaine Classic, the final Diamond League Meeting, securing third place behind Coleman and Lyles.
Expressing his sentiments, Omanyala shared: “Returning to the Diamond League Meetings was also gratifying for me. My first Diamond League experience was in 2021, so this year, I was reacquainting myself with it, especially after a year packed with numerous championships”.
6. Sisay Lemma
The Ethiopian athlete secured yet another significant victory at the 2023 Valencia Marathon held on Sunday, 3 December 2023.
Having previously claimed the 2021 London Marathon title, the Ethiopian runner surged ahead of compatriot Dawit Wolde and Kenya’s Kandiwott Kandie with 7km remaining in the challenging 42.195km race.
The trio maintained a pace well within reach of the world record at the 30km mark. However, Lemma concluded the race in 2:01:48, surpassing Kelvin Kiptum’s mark from October in Chicago by over a minute. Despite missing the world record, the soon-to-be 33-year-old Lemma did manage to set a new course record. He has eclipsed Kiptum’s time from a year ago by five seconds.