Top 10 African Athletes in 2015 (Part 2)

 1) Genzebe Dibaba:

Where does one start in enumerating the successes of this Ethiopian? Let’s commence from the fact that she was crowned the best female athlete for 2015 by the IAAF. To get to that summit, one must have had an incredible season and surpassed other contenders to emerge as the pick of the cherries.

In a year that she ran two World Records (indoors and outdoors), Dibaba is undoubtedly the undisputed No.1 athlete on the continent.

Coming from the dynasty of the great Dibaba family of accomplished runners, Genzebe emerged from the shadows of her elder sister, Tirunesh, to forge her own greatness with breathtaking performances.

First in Stockholm, she stormed to a world indoor 5000m record of 14:18.86, her first for the year, but it was the 1500m WR at the Monaco Diamond League that really caught the eye. She was imperious and executed an astronomical race that saw her bolt away from the rest of the field in an unprecedented time of 3:50.07.

The performance saw the stadium erupt in thunderous applause in appreciation for what she did. This incredible feat stands out as she erased a record that has stood for 22 years, also chalking off 4seconds from her own African Record of 3:54.11 set in Barcelona in July.

When the World Championships came by, there was no doubt who would win by a canter; Dibaba took the 1500m title in style to increase her bulging accolades this year. Though it was not a WR, she was never threatened surging through the heats to glory, clocking 4:08.09 in the final.

Though outgunned by her compatriot Almaz Ayana in the 5000m, Dibaba still finished on the podium with a Bronze to add to her GOLD in the 1500m.

Laurels didn’t stop rolling in for Dibaba, as she ended the year on a high winning the Diamond Race trophy in the 3000m to add to her impressive tally.

It’s hard to see any African athlete whose performance equates Dibaba’s this year; in fact she has had a surreal year and deservedly tops our pick as No.1 on the continent in 2015.  Interestingly, she was second on our 2014 rankings, but has now moved to the top spot.

These are our Top 10 African athletes in 2015. Do you agree with us, or would have wanted someone else in the mix?