This next group of athletes represent the pinnacle of African male excellence in 2025 athletics. They didn’t just compete against the world, they often led it. In continuation of our series on the Top 10 African male athletes, here are the men who made the strongest claims as the continent’s very best.
5. Soufiane El Bakkali
Though Soufiane El Bakkali raced sparingly in 2025, it remained difficult to imagine a men’s 3000m Steeplechase podium without him on top. Few athletes in the world have shown his level of consistency and composure, even when not at peak form.
El Bakkali competed in only three steeplechase races before the World Championships, the standout performance coming at the Rabat Diamond League, where he clocked 8:00.70 in front of a home crowd, the fastest time in the world this year.
He also impressed over the flat distance, running 12:55.49 for 5000m in Paris, one of the quickest times by a Moroccan since the era of Hicham El Guerrouj.
At the World Championships, El Bakkali seemed well on course to complete a historic three-peat in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase. He timed his move perfectly heading into the final lap, but was caught and outsprinted by a surging Geordie Beamish over the last 100m.
That defeat marked his first loss at a global championship since 2021, yet it also extended his remarkable record — five World Championships medals, having reached the podium at every edition since 2017!
4. Letsile Tebogo
Letsile Tebogo has led a new wave of sprinting excellence for Africa. Following his Olympic GOLD-winning triumph in Paris, he may not have carried the same explosive momentum this year, but he remained the continent’s standout sprinter on the global stage.
As is his tradition, Tebogo opened the season over 400m, winning his early races with ease. His only defeat came in Australia, where he finished behind his compatriot Bayapo Ndori in a Season’s Best of 45.26s.
He soon switched focus to the shorter sprints, claiming early wins in the 200m. At the Rabat Diamond League, he attempted the 100m/200m double but pulled up midway through the 100m, later revealing he had been managing an injury.
After more than a month on the sidelines, Tebogo made his return at the Prefontaine Classic, storming to a World Lead of 19.76s, a time he would match at the Diamond League final where he finished 2nd. The 200m proved his stronger event of the season; while he hovered around the 10.0s range in the 100m throughout the year, he dipped under with 9.94s to reach the World Championships final.
However, in a dramatic turn, Tebogo, the 100m Silver medallist from Budapest, was disqualified for a false start in the final. He returned for the 200m, finishing 4th in 19.65s, the fastest non-podium time in World Championships history.
Tebogo ended his season on a high, playing a pivotal role in Botswana’s historic GOLD in the men’s 4x400m relay – Africa’s first-ever title in the event at the World Championships.
3. Bayapo Ndori
Bayapo Ndori’s season was nothing short of a rollercoaster. He opened the year in fine form, stringing together victories both at home and on the international circuit, excelling at World Athletics Continental Tour and Diamond League meets.
Everything seemed to be clicking until the Rabat Diamond League in May, where while leading, he suddenly pulled up, clutching his left hamstring and collapsing to the track in visible pain.
The injury sidelined him for nearly two months, halting what had been a promising campaign. His return wasn’t immediate fireworks; he looked short of his early-season sharpness. But as the season progressed, so did his form, from an 8th-place finish in Brussels to a strong 2nd-place showing at the Diamond League Final in Zurich.
At the World Championships in Tokyo, Ndori had found his rhythm again. He won his 400m heat and semifinal in commanding fashion, and in the final, inspired by the remarkable run of his countryman Collen Kebinatshipi, he claimed Bronze in 44.20s.
Together, Ndori and Kebinatshipi delivered Botswana’s finest moment at a World Championships and then elevated it further. In torrential rain, they anchored Botswana to a historic GOLD in the men’s 4x400m relay, dethroning the United States, who had dominated nine of the last ten editions. They became the first African nation ever to win the event!
2. Busang Collen Kebinatshipi
Just a little over a year ago in Paris, Collen Kebinatshipi must have really taken lessons from his outing for Botswana in the 400m. He narrowly missed the final and even though it was his first official senior outing for his country on a global scale, he must have hoped for better as he was having the season of his life and only missed out by 0.01s. However, he did leave with an Olympic Silver in the 4x400m relay.
Fast forward to 2025, Kebinatshipi did everything different. He ran the 200m more where he became the National Champion, posting a PB of 20.08s. He had no win under his belt internationally on the circuit, with his best placements being 3rd place finishes in Xiamen, Keqiao and Rome.
Infact, if we were going by his 400m heat at the World Championships in Tokyo, his performance wasn’t exactly screaming winner as he finished 4th behind a highly-favoured Jacory Patterson who had been flying all year.
But come the semifinal, there seemed to be a new Kebinatshipi on track as he turned the tables on a very high quality field, including Patterson. He seemed to trust himself more and this paid off heavily as he stormed to a massive PB of 43.61s! Just two days before, he was practically a no-name to casuals, but he put the world on notice with that performance, breaking Isaac Makwala’s National Record of 43.72s and becoming the 10th fastest man in history!
Many would have thought he had run his final as a semifinal, but all reasonable doubts were put to bed in the final as he struck GOLD in 43.53s, becoming the first Motswana man to win a World Championship title in the 400m.
He became the second youngest man after Kirani James, to win the 400m world title and then anchored a glorious Botswana team to GOLD in the 4x400m, another first for Africa as they became the first African country to win in the event.
1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Emmanuel Wanyonyi has continued to assert his dominance in the men’s 800m, an event that, over the past three years, has reached an unprecedented level of depth and speed across board.
As the Olympic Champion from Paris, Wanyonyi entered the season intent on maintaining his hold on the event and he did exactly that, recording four of the six fastest times of the year. He opened his campaign in Kingston with a commanding victory over the Olympic 1500m podium, clocking a Personal Best (PB) of 3:35.18 at Grand Slam Track.
Throughout the Diamond League season, he was consistent, winning five of his seven appearances and claiming a third consecutive Diamond League trophy in Zurich, just three weeks before the World Championships.
Then came a race that would not be forgotten so easily. Employing the same fearless front-running tactic that secured his Olympic GOLD, Wanyonyi went out aggressively, going through the first half of the race in 49.26s – even quicker than David Rudisha’s split during his World Record run. He knew the race needed to be fast for him to break the field and have a serious shot at the GOLD.
How fitting it was that Rudisha was up in the stands watching him as he held on brilliantly to take the title in a Championship Record of 1:41.86, beating Djamel Sedjati and Marco Arop who he had lost to at the 2023 edition.
The performance made him the first man to break 1:42 at the World Championships and earned Kenya its eighth world title in the event. It was also one of the fastest races of all-time with eight men running under 1:43 for the first time in a single race.
