Africa has produced a diverse array of athletes who have dominated various sports worldwide. From track and field to football, basketball, and even rugby, the continent’s athletic prowess continues to impress on the world stage. This 2025 is already shaping up to be a year of fresh talent and game-changing performances from athletes who have held their own in the previous years. Sportblot hereby brings you the names you need to be on the lookout for. These are African athletes whose impressive records and expressed strong resolve will come with the shattering of previous records and setting of new ones.
1. Elias Osei (Ghana) - Basketball
Elias Osei has already built an impressive record in Ghana’s national development league, where he’s been dominating both ends of the court. In the 2024 season, he averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks per game, leading his team to the league finals. Osei also set a league record with a 35-point, 15-rebound performance in that single game, demonstrating his ability to take over under pressure. Defensively, he’s consistently led the league in blocks and defensive rebounds, earning him recognition as one of the league’s top defensive players. Known for his dominant presence on the court, he’s already caught the attention of NCAA scouts and is poised to join a top U.S. college program in 2025.
2. Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) – Middle Distance Running
Kenya has long been a powerhouse in distance running, and Faith Kipyegon is leading the charge in the women’s 1500 meters. She cemented her legendary status in 2024 with a series of historic accomplishments in athletics. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she became the first woman to secure three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 1500m, breaking her own Olympic record with a time of 3:51.29.
The Olympic champion and World Champion, Kipyegon is known for her exceptional speed, stamina, and tactical acumen. In 2025, she is expected to shatter records, including the 1500m world record, which currently stands at 3:50.07. Given her resilience, unparalleled consistency and ability to perform in major competitions, Kipyegon will be aiming to solidify her place as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time.
3. Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) – 100m Hurdles
Tobi Amusan, who is the reigning world record holder in 100m hurdles, became a household name in track and field following her gold medal win at the 2022 World Championships in Athletics. Her Oregon victory not only made her the first Nigerian woman to win a World Championship gold in the event, but her world record of 12.12 seconds was an extraordinary feat.
She however had a poor 2024 season which culminated in her failure to make it to the final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This made Amusan to return to training in September 2024 under a new coach, Glen Mills, who coached Usain Bolt to multiple 100m and 200m world records and back-to-back Olympics 100/200m wins at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Amusan’s decision to change from Lacena Golding-Clarke, the former Commonwealth 100m hurdles champion to Mills who also coached Bolt to win multiple World Athletics Championships gold medals, indicates her desire to return to the top of athletics. She even put out a cryptic message to the effect, writing on her X page, @Evaglobal01 ahead of the 2025 track and field season that: “I don’t care if it sounds unrealistic, it’s gonna happen…”
4. Mohammed Salah (Egypt) – Football
The outstanding player in the Premier League - if not the world - so far this season, and on course to inspire his beloved Liverpool to another title, all seems to be going well in the world of Mohamed Salah.
Of course, that's not the case, with one of the Reds legend's finest hours coinciding with an apparently degrading relationship with the Merseyside giants amidst an ongoing contractual impasse.
At the time of writing, the 32-year-old hasn't agreed to Liverpool's latest offer, and now entering the final six months of his contract, he's at liberty to speak to foreign suitors.
"It's my last year in the club so [I] want to do something special for the city," he told Sky Sports last week, indicating strongly again that he was bound for the departure lounge. It's the last six months, there is no progress there.
"We are far away from any progress, so we just need to wait and see."
As 2025 unfurls, Salah would be expected to dominate the headlines again, with collective and individual honours coming his way. The transfer saga he is also enmeshed in will only intensify until he puts pen to paper... with Liverpool or someone else.
5. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) – Marathon
Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic marathon champion, is the record four-time winner of the men’s race in London, where he last competed in 2020. He has now registered his intention to compete for a fifth victory in London during the 2025 London Marathon taking place on Sunday, April 27th.
The Kenyan star is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history, with 11 World Marathon Major wins, including a record four from London, taking titles in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. He is also a two-time Olympic marathon gold medallist from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, in 2021.
However, in his last race at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Kipchoge failed to cross the finish line for the first time in his career, dropping out after the 30km mark due to discomfort.
“Sport is full of challenges and what happened in Paris is one of the challenges in sport,” he said during a recent news conference. "It was demoralising but above all it was sport. You need to wake up, go again and push on every day." With this declaration, the former record holder seems poised to best his previous achievements this year.
6. Caster Semenya (South Africa) – 800m/1500m
Caster Semenya has long been one of the dominant figures in middle-distance running. The South African clocked a pedestrian 2:06.58 to win the women’s 800m race at the Lahti Games in Finland – her first competitive outing since last year’s London Olympic Games, after recovering from a long-term knee injury.
Despite the challenges she has faced both on and off the track, including controversial decisions regarding her eligibility due to hyperandrogenism, Semenya remains a force to be reckoned with. With two Olympic gold medals and multiple World Championship titles under her belt, Semenya is expected to continue her journey towards breaking both the 800m and 1500m records in 2025.
Semenya’s agent, Jukka Harkonen recently disclosed that the athlete had previously confirmed she would attempt to meet the 2:00.00 standard for the World Athletes Championship in Moscow, Russia, before the July 29 deadline.
The 22-year-old Olympic silver medallist is hoping to step on the podium at the biennial world championships for the third time in succession, after winning gold in Berlin in 2009 and silver in Daegu in 2011. With this as the case, she would be expected to break new records this year. Her exceptional fitness, tactical brilliance, and raw talent make her one of the most likely candidates to set new records in her discipline.
7. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) – Football
On the whole, it was something of a quiet 2024 for Osimhen who, like Salah, was completely overlooked for the CAF African Footballer of the Year award.
Amidst recurrent fitness and injury problems, the 26-year-old didn't hit the heights of his Scudetto-winning season with Napoli, although he did nonetheless play a role in Nigeria's run to the Africa Cup of Nations final, and has impressed since moving to Galatasaray on loan.
Osimhen’s lifting performances in Turkey for Galatasaray has heighten his market value and already trigger
With this year bringing an end to his temporary stay in Turkey, he will be securing a permanent move away from Napoli and Aurelio De Laurentiis. Top European clubs teams such as PSG, Man United, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Gala are already angling for him.
There isn’t any doubt that the Super Eagle has earned the respect and price tag of 75m Euros on him and the media will be awash with that transfer to permanently end the Osimhen/Napoli show.
As is to be expected, transfer talk will dominate the Osimhen agenda until the summer - alongside goals, one hopes - before he should be able to focusing on the next chapter of his career, and re-establishing himself as one of the world's top strikers, at one of Europe's genuine giants.
8. Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) – Long-distance runner
Kenya’s golden girl, Beatrice Chebet is the first woman in history to run under 29 minutes over the 10,000m. She went ahead to clinch the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 5,000m and 10,000m races, becoming the third woman in history to win both events at the same Olympic games.
Chebet has now expressed her quest to add a gold medal to her glittering career during the 2025 World Athletics Championships set for Tokyo in Japan. The championships will be held from September 13th to 21st, 2025 with more than 2000 athletes from some 200 countries expected to take part in one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
“My focus now is on the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, and my main target is to win gold medal, because I have never won a gold medal at World Championships, I only have silver and bronze, so my target is to add gold to the list and if I succeed, it will help grow my profile and my career,” the 24-year old told Flashscore.
This means that the long-distance runner should be expected to shatter new records this year.
9. Cheptegei Joshua (Uganda) – Long Distance Running
Joshua Cheptegei cemented his status as one of the greatest long-distance runners in history with an outstanding performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His world records in the 5000m and 10,000m have earned him a place among the all-time greats.
The Ugandan star claimed the 10,000m gold medal in record-breaking fashion, setting a new Olympic record of 26:43.14 at the Stade de France. This victory marked his third Olympic medal and second gold, adding to his titles from Tokyo 2020 in the 5,000m and 10,000m events.
At just 27, Cheptegei is still in the prime of his career, and in 2025, he will be gunning for new records in both distances beyond the current world records he holds in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events. His combination of speed, endurance, and mental fortitude make him a serious contender for even faster times, and there is every expectation that he will continue to break records for Uganda and Africa.
10. Kelvin Wangaya (Kenya) – Football
Kelvin Wangaya’s exceptional playmaking have captured the attention of football enthusiasts.
Currently plying his trade at Apollonia FC in Albania, he had in the 2024 CECAFA U20 AFCON qualifiers, scored four goals and delivered several assists, cementing his reputation as a creative midfielder.
Wangaya’s performance in Albania has further elevated his profile, with pundits praising his ability to control the tempo of the game and unlock defenses. His adaptability has allowed him to thrive in a competitive European league.
In the course of this 2025, the influence of the playmaker on the pitch will undoubtedly grow, making him a vital asset for both his club and Kenya’s national team.
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