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.
The 2024 Olympic Games are in full swing in Paris, France, with athletes from across the globe claiming 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 African women will likely win.
African athletes have consistently made the continent proud throughout the Olympic journey with their unforgettable and record-breaking performances.
From the early days of the Games to recent editions, these athletes have showcased their exceptional talents and 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
Before entering the marathon, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele was a specialist in the 5000 m and 10000m races. He set the 10000m Olympic record of 27:01.17 during the Beijing Games 2008. Incidentally, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei holds the world record of 26:11.00, 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 2023.
5. David Lekuta Rudisha – Kenya
The retired Kenyan middle-distance runner set 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 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. With his 43.03 time in the 400 m race, he set both the Olympic records and World Records, 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 Olympic record in the 5000m category.
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay holds the World Record of 14:00.21, set during the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in 2023.
8. Almaz Ayana – Ethiopia
The Ethiopians were part of a group of African athletes who not only won gold in Rio but also set Olympic records along the way.
Ayana’s Olympics record in 10000m is 29:17.45, but Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet holds the World Record at 28:54.14, set during the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in 2024.
9. Conseslus Kipruto – Kenya
With 1,2,3 finishes in various Olympic and World Athletics Championships, the 3000m Steeplechase men’s 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 7:52.11 belongs to Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, 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, which were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kipyegon also holds the World record, with a time of 3:49.04, set in 2024 during the Paris Diamond League.
By Oliver Ochieng, Bird Story Agency