The 2025 Athletics season saw numerous African sprinters overcome adversity and deliver outstanding performances throughout the year. Now, let’s dive into the first part of our list of Africa’s Top 10 Female Sprinters in 2025, featuring Nos.10 to 6.
10. Maboundou Koné
Maboundou Koné’s season started at the Meeting de L’Eure Val-de-Reuil where she ran 7.35s in the 60m. At the World Athletics Indoor Tour in Karlsruhe, she set a Personal Best (PB) of 7.22s.
Koné was part of the Ivorian women’s 4x100m relay team at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou where the team finished 6th in 44.85s but Did Not Finish (DNF) in the final. In Savona, she placed 3rd in the 100m heats and 5th in the final with wind-aided times of 11.42s and 11.45s respectively (+2.8).
Her crowning moment came at the Meeting Troyes-Aube. Koné clocked a PB of 11.09s (+1.9) in the heats, moving her up the Ivorian all-time list, behind only Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith and Murielle Ahouré-Demps. She won the final in 11.17s. Kone finished 6th and 5th in her 100m and 200m heats respectively at the World Championship in Tokyo.
9. Destiny Smith-Barnett
Liberia’s Destiny Smith-Barnett opened her season with a time of 7.28s over 60m at the Nevada Invitational, earning 2nd place. She then set a new National Record (NR) of 7.14s at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, after posting 7.20s in the heat.
Smith-Barnett took part in the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing where she exited the competition in the semis after placing 7th. She set Season’s Bests (SB) of 11.35s and 23.39s respectively at the Mt. SAC Relays in California. She improved her SB to 11.29s at the Kip Keino Classic where she placed 2nd, then further lowered it to 11.11s at the MVA HP and Para Born to Run Invite in Chula Vista, matching that time at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational as well.
Making her first appearance at the World Championship, the Liberian sprinter settled for 5th in her 100m heat in Tokyo with a time of 11.33s.
8. Rosemary Chukwuma
7. Marioné Fourie
South Africa’s Marioné Fourie has shown great strength since losing her coach, who helped her transform from a 14-second hurdler into a 12.49s performer, early on in the year. She resumed her season at the CMCM Indoor Meet in Luxembourg, where she set a new NR of 7.91 in the 60m hurdles.
She then won the 100m hurdles at the ASA Grand Prix in Pretoria with 12.77s and secured another victory at the ASA Grand Prix 2 with an SB of 12.69s. Fourie placed 3rd with a time of 12.62s at the Xiamen Diamond League, and replicated the same performance at the Shaoxing/Keqiao Diamond League. She ran her fastest time of the season at the FBK Games in Hengelo, finishing 2nd with 12.60s (+1.0m/s).
However, she suffered a collarbone injury afterwards. That notwithstanding, the African Championships Silver medallist showed up at the World Championship in Tokyo but her medal hopes ended after she was disqualified in the semis for knocking down a hurdle, after placing 2nd in her heat in 12.86s.
6. Mercy Oketch
Mercy Oketch is the reigning women’s 400m Kenyan Champion. The former football striker turned sprinter, undoubtedly had the best season of her career. She clocked an impressive 51.64s in her first 400m of the season and was part of Kenya’s mixed 4x400m Bronze-winning team at the World Relays Championships in China.
Oketch broke the Kenyan 400m record at the Kip Keino Classic, winning the race with her time of 50.14s to surpass Mary Moraa’s previous record, defeating Leni Shida, who set a new Ugandan Record of 50.93s. She also set a new PB of 23.10s at the Kenyan Defence Forces Championships in the 200m and went on to win the 400m at the Kenyan Championships in 50.32s.
At the Meeting de Marseille, the Kenyan won the 400m with a new Meeting Record (MR) of 50.89s. She also won the Women’s 400m Invitational at the Brussels Diamond League with 51.26s. Making her World Championships debut, Oketch placed 3rd in her heat in 50.76s and finished 7th in the semis.
