Africa’s Top Achieving Athletes

Africa continues to produce some of the finest athletes the world has ever seen. Most of these players compete internationally but maintain strong connections to their home countries. And whether by watching them or betting on their performances on Betway, African fans continue to support African players. Here is a review of some of these athletes and how they are making waves in the sporting world. 

Sadio Mané, Senegal (Football)

Sadio Mané is an ever-present favorite on betway zm and other sportsbooks. Currently playing forward for Bayern Munich, he is widely regarded as among the best football players of all time, both in Africa and the world. Mané holds the record for the fastest Premier League hat-trick at 176 and is the third African to score 100 goals in the league. In 2019 and 2022, the Senegalese national was also a runner’s up for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.

Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya (Athletics)

Africa, particularly Kenya and Ethiopia, remain unbeaten in the athletics department. Arguably the most notable athlete from the region is Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge holds the current world marathon record, won the Olympic marathon in 2016 and 2020, and has run four out of the six fastest marathons in history. He is widely regarded as the greatest marathoner of all time.

Irene van Dyk, South Africa (Netball)

Irene van Dyk has done more for Netball than any other player in the history of the game. The New Zealand player was born in South Africa and is single-handedly responsible for the positive change in how the sport is viewed and played across both countries. Primarily a goal-shooter, van Dyk is the most capped international Netballer of all time. She has consistently scored over 90 percent in all her games.

Ons Jabeur, Tunisia (Tennis)

Jabeur started playing tennis when she was three. The 28-year-old Tunisian national currently ranks second in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is the highest ranked Arab, Tunisian, and African in both the WTA and ATP. Moreover, last year, Jabeur became the first Arab and Muslim player to enter the Grand Slam final. 

Asamoah Gyan, Ghana (Football)

Gyan previously captained the Ghanaian national football team. While he no longer holds the title, he remains the highest goalscorer for the team at 51 goals. He played for his country in the 2006, 2020, and 2014 World Cups, scoring six times. This makes him the African with the most World Cup goals. Gyan last played professionally for Legon Cities FC.

Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigeria (Basketball)

Nigerian-born Olajuwon is currently retired but his achievements are too remarkable not to mention. Lovingly nicknamed “the Dream” by his fans, Olajuwon led his team, the Rockets, to the NBA title in 1994 and 1995. He is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball and FIBA Halls of Fame in 2008 and 2016.

Francois Pienaar, South Africa (Rugby)

Another retiree, Pienaar is best known for leading his country to the win during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The South African is hailed as one of the most successful captains in his country’s history, having one 29 international caps between 1993 and 1996. Matt Damon played Pienaar in Invictus in 2009.

Wrapping Up

Sports in the African continent is constantly improving. The goal is to attain international standards so that less great African athletes feel the need to seek greener pastures abroad. Meanwhile, Africans continue to be proud of the great talent the continent produces.