From Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele in 2008 to Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon in 2020, Africans have set and continue to hold onto Olympic records in athletics that may need a ‘good run’ from current and future athletes to break.
By Oliver Ochieng, bird story agency
The 2024 Olympic Games are in full swing in Paris, France, with athletes from across the globe giving their all to claim medals in over 300 sporting disciplines.
The games that started on Friday, July 26 will see the curtain come down on August 11, 100 years since France last hosted the Olympic Games in 1924. The event will close with the women’s marathon – which is likely to be won by African woman.
Throughout the Olympic journey, African athletes have consistently made the continent proud with their unforgettable and record-breaking performances.
From the early days of the Games to recent editions, these athletes have not only showcased their exceptional talents but also highlighted Africa’s sports resilience and determination on the global stage.
Here are 10 Africans whose Olympic records remain unbroken:
1. Samuel Kamaru Wanjiru – Kenya The late Kenyan marathoner Samuel Wanjiru set the Olympic marathon record at the 2008 Beijing Games, clocking in at 2:06:32 as a 21-year-old.
Tragically, he passed away at 24 on May 16, 2011, after falling from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu, leaving his Olympic title unchallenged at the London Games four years later.
2. Kenenisa Bekele – Ethiopia Long before graduating to the marathon, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele was a specialist in the 5000 and 10000m races.
He set the 10000m Olympic Games record of 27:01.17 during the Beijing games in 2008. Incidentally, the World record of 26:11.00 is held by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, set during the Valencia marathon in 2020.
3. Kenenisa Bekele – Ethiopia After smashing the 10,000m record in Beijing, Bekele set his sights on London with a single mission: to conquer the 5,000m race. And conquer he did, clocking an incredible 12:57.82.
Now 41, Bekele is in Paris, competing as part of Ethiopia’s marathon team.
4. Tiki Gelana – Ethiopia Kenenisa Bekele was not the only Ethiopian athlete to come out of London with an Olympic record, as his compatriot Tiki Gelana set the Women’s marathon record of 2:23:07.
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia holds the World Record of 2:11:53, achieved during the Berlin Marathon in 2023.
5. David Lekuta Rudisha – Kenya The retired Kenyan middle distance runner set both the Olympics and the World 800m records with his 1:40.91 run, at the London Olympics in 2012.
He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, and a two-time World champion in the 2011 and 2015 World Championships.
Rudisha is the only person to ever run 800m under 1:41, and he holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever run in the event.
6. Wayde van Niekerk – South Africa South African Wayde van Niekerk had the race of his life during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016.
With his 43.03 time in the 400 m race, he set both the Olympics and the World Record, in a classic case of using one stone to hit two birds.
7. Vivian Cheruiyot – Kenya Vivian Cheruiyot’s plan during the 2016 Olympics was to finish top and win gold for her country Kenya. Her run of 14:26.17 however ended up setting the Olympics record in the 5000m category.
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay is the holder of the World Record of 14:00.21, set during the Prefontaine Classic, Oregon in 2023.
8. Almaz Ayana – Ethiopia The Ethiopian formed part and parcel of African athletes that not only won gold in Rio, but set Olympic records along the way.
Ayana’s Olympics record stands at 29:17.45 in 10000m, but Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet is the holder of the World Record at 28:54.14, set during the Prefontaine Classic, Oregon in 2024.
9. Conseslus Kipruto – Kenya With 1,2,3 finishes in various Olympic and World Athletics Championships, the 3000m Steeplechase men race has severally been a preserve for Kenyans, which contributed to Kipruto’s dominant run in Rio.
He set the Olympic Games record at 8:03.28. However, the World record of 7:52.11 belongs to Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, which was set during the Paris Diamond League, in 2023.
10. Faith Kipyegon – Kenya Faith Kipyegon will be competing on two fronts in Paris. She is set to defend her 1500m Olympic gong and for the first time, she will line up for possible gold in the 5000m race.
Kipyegon set the 1500m Olympic record of 3:53.11, during the Tokyo 2020 Games, delayed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kipyegon also holds the World record with a time of 3:49.04, set during the Paris Diamond League, in 2024.
bird story agency
