African women have truly made their mark in the world, capturing attention and respect from fans everywhere. They proudly carry their country’s flags, and in 2025, their names are more respected than ever.
In Part 1 of this article, we covered ranks 10 to 6. Now, let’s dive into the Top 5 athletes on our list, which is dominated by Kenyan athletes. Kenya made history in 2025 by becoming the first country ever to win all the middle and long distance events at the World Championships. This impressive achievement helped Kenya secure 2nd place on the medals table.
5. Peres Jepchirchir
Peres Jepchirchir’s 2025 season is a story of determination and success. After a two-month break due to a foot injury in April, she returned to competition hungry for victory. The two-time World Half Marathon Champion focused solely on the World Championships this year.
The Tokyo 2021 Olympic Champion once again dominated the streets of the Japanese capital in 2025, winning the women’s marathon title in a time of 2:24:43, beating World Record (WR) holder Tigst Assefa in the process and winning Kenya’s second GOLD medal of the 2025 World Championships.
Jepchirchir’s spectacular performance earned her a finalist spot for the Female Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year, where is going head-to-head with Spain’s María Pérez. The Kenyan’s 2025 season isn’t over yet as she’s listed to compete in the Valencia Marathon in December.
4. Faith Cherotich
Faith Cherotich has quickly become the world’s top 3000m steeplechase runner, going from World U-20 Champion in 2022, World Bronze medallist in 2023, Olympic Bronze medallist in 2024, to becoming World Champion in 2025.
She started the season strong with a dramatic win over Olympic Champion Winfred Yavi at the Doha Diamond League. Yavi led the race, but Cherotich surged ahead after the final barrier, finishing with a World Lead of 9:05.08. She maintained an unbeaten streak for the rest of the season, except at the Prefontaine Classic where she set a massive Personal Best of 8:48.71 despite placing 2nd, making her the 4th fastest woman ever in the event.
Cherotich then defended her Diamond League title with a time of 8:57.24 in Zurich. But her crowning achievement came at the World Championships in Tokyo where she smashed the women’s 3000m steeplechase Championship Record (CR) with a time of 8:51.59, beating Norah Jeruto’s previous record of 8:53.02 from 2022. Cherotich outpaced Yavi once again, securing Kenya’s fourth GOLD medal at the event.
3. Lilian Odira
Lilian Odira won her first 800m indoor race of the season in Lyon and reached the semis of the World Indoor Championships, finishing 6th in her heat with a time of 2:16.12. She then raced in the 1500m at the AK Track and Field Weekend in April, winning both her heat and final. At the Kip Keino Classic, the Paris Olympics semifinalist showed great determination, holding off Botswana’s Nowe Oratile to win the women’s 800m in a new PB of 1:58.31.
She extended her victory to the Kenyan Championships and World Championships Trials and lowered her PB at the Silesia Diamond League where she settled for 2nd in 1:56.52. At the World Championships in Tokyo, Odira made a statement by running the fastest time across all heats, winning Heat 5 with a quick 1:57.86.
In the final, the African Silver medallist produced one of the biggest upsets of the championship, storming to GOLD with a new lifetime best and CR of 1:54.62 to beat Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson, taking down the 42-year-old mark of 1:54.68 set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. Following her triumph, the middle distance runner was promoted to the rank of Sergeant by the Kenya Prisons Service.
2. Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon continues to cement her status as one of the greatest middle distance runners ever. She opened her season with a Meeting Record (MR) of 2:29.21 over 1000m at the Xiamen Diamond League. She then surged to a new 1500m WR of 3:48.68 at the Prefontaine Classic.
The three-time Olympic GOLD medallist impressed again in the women’s 3000m at the Silesia Diamond League where she clocked an Area Record (AR) and National Record (NR) of 8:07.04 to win, missing the WR by whiskers. In June, Kipyegon aimed to become the first woman to run the mile in under four minutes. The race, called Breaking 4, was meant to help her beat her own WR of 4:07.64, set in 2023. Although she didn’t break the four-minute mark, Kipyegon ran a great race and finished with a time of 4:06.42.
The six-time Diamond League Final winner added to her legacy by winning her fourth World Championships GOLD in the 1500m with a time of 3:52.15 and then claiming Silver behind teammate Beatrice Chebet in the 5000m with a Season’s Best (SB) of 14:55.07. Kipyegon ended her season with a triumph in the women’s mile at the Athlos Meet. Her winning time of 4:17.78 was the fastest women’s mile ever run on US soil.
1. Beatrice Chebet
Topping our list of Africa’s best athletes in 2025 is Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet who brought her impressive 2024 form into the 2025 season. She ran a dominant 5000m at the Xiamen Diamond League, clocking 14:27.12. At the Rabat Diamond League, she ran 8:11.56, becoming the second-fastest woman ever over 3000m. The double Olympic champion continued her winning streak by winning the women’s 5000m at the Rome Diamond League with a fast time of 14:03.69.
At the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Chebet made history, shattering the 5000m WR with a time of 13:58.06, becoming the first woman to break 14 minutes and erasing Gudaf Tsegay’s previous record of 14:00.21. She then ran the 1500m at the Silesia Diamond League, placing 2nd with a new PB of 3:54.73.
Chebet delivered another unforgettable performance at the World Championships in Tokyo. She won the women’s 10,000m final with a perfectly timed late kick, crossing the line in 30:37.61 to secure GOLD. Two days later, she clinched another GOLD in the 5000m final with a time of 14:54.36.
Chebet’s remarkable achievements in 2025 earned her the title of Best African Female Athlete of 2025 by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).
