Track and field is dominated by black athletes in both men’s and women’s races. Women’s short and long-distance races are more famous now than ever as the competition amongst runners becomes stiff. Over the years, we have seen a lot of black female track stars, but who among them is the best?
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Look no further than our list of the best black female track stars to have graced the sports world. From Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price, and Faith Kipyegon to Shaunae Miller-Uibo and many more!
Let’s get started!
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1. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price
Shelly-Ann is one of the most well-known female track stars of our time. She began her running career at a young age and excelled at the school games.
She stepped into the national and international arena at aged 20 but missed out on the 100m World Championships in 2007. But she didn’t miss out completely on the race; she was part of the 4X100m relay team.
Having set impressive times throughout 2007, she finally got her chance in an Olympic year and qualified for the Beijing Olympics.
She won her first Olympic gold medal in the 100m, a feat she has repeated twice. And these were the London 2012 in the same category and Rio 2016 in the 4X100M.
Here’s what the Jamaican has won so far:
- 10 golds in the World Championships
- one in the World Indoor Athletics Championships
- 5 Diamond League.
Shelly-Ann’s personal best time stands at 10.60 seconds in the 100m.
2. Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix, nicknamed ‘chicken legs’ by her school teammates, was destined to be one of the best female track stars. She excelled at the school level. Her career skyrocketed when she began competing in professional races.
The 2003 Paris World Championship was her first international event. She finished sixth in the quarter-finals at a time of 23.33 seconds. The following year, she appeared in her first Olympic games in Athens and won a silver medal.
Since then, Alyson has been to multiple Olympic games and has won 7 gold medals and 14 golds in the World Championships. She also has a medal in the World Indoor Championships. Her personal best in the 100m is 10.89 seconds.
3. Sifa Hassan
The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete is a middle-distance runner and one of the best female track stars in the world. She competes in the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000 meters races. Her breakthrough came in 2013 when she won the 800 m race on Ostrava at 2:00:86.
Since then, Sifa Hassan has won multiple high-profile events, including two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in the 5000m and 10,000m events. She also clinched a bronze medal in the 1500m.
At the World Championships, she won two golds in Doha at the 1500m and 10,000m and three golds in the Diamond League.
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4. Elain Thomspon Herah
Having started running in school, it was only a matter of time before Elain Thompson became one of the best female track stars in the world. She rose to the international scene in 2015 and competed against Allyson Felix and Blessing Okagbare.
The Jamaican qualified for the 2015 World Championships, her first major competing in the 200m. She won gold with Jamaica in the 4x100m relay and silver in the 200m.
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Elain is a five-time gold medalist at the Olympics. She also won one gold medal in the World Championships and three in the Diamond League and Commonwealth Games.
5. Lynna Irby
From setting a high-school record of 54.57 in the 400m at age 12, it’s no surprise that Lynna Irby is one of the best black female track stars in the world. She has translated her junior success into her senior career.
This has seen her win an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 games in the 4x400m relay.
Here are Lynna’s personal best times:
- 100m- 11.20 seconds
- 200m- 22.55 seconds
- 400m- 49.80 seconds
6. Faith Kipyegon
Fresh from setting two world records at the 5000-meter race in Paris Diamond League clocking a time of 14:05:20, and at Florence Diamond League at a time of 3:49:11, she’s one of the best female track stars today.
The Kenyan international made a winning debut in 2010 at the World Cross Country Championships in Poland.
Here are Faith’s gold medals:
- Two Olympic medals in Rio and Tokyo in the 1500m
- Two medals in the World Championships
- Three medals in the Diamond League
7. Shericka Jackson
The Jamaican has built an impressive resume over the course of her career. She started out in the 400m and then added the 200m and 100m to her CV. Shericka has been wildly successful at these events.
She’s won gold in the Olympic games, World Championships, and Diamond League. Her personal best times at the 100m is 10.71 seconds, in the 200m is 21.45 seconds, and in the 400m is 49.47 seconds.
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8. Shaunae Miller-Uibo
The career of the Bahamian at the senior level has just been as successful as it was in her junior days, earning her a place in the best black female track stars list.
Shauner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who won one gold medal at the World Championships. She has also scooped four golds at the Diamond League.
Her personal best times are as follows:
- 100m – 10.98 seconds
- 21.74- 200m
- 48.36- 400m
9. Hyvin Kieng
Hyvin Kieng runs the 3000 metres steeplechase. The Kenyan international’s personal best time came in 2016 in Eugene when she registered a time of 9:00:01.
In the same year, she won the silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games and a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Her other gold medals came in the World Championships in Beijing and the All-Africa Games in 2011 in Maputo.
10. Almaz Ayana
The Ethiopian-born runner competes in the 5000m and 10,000m, in which she has won multiple medals. In the Rio Olympics, she won gold in the 10,000m race. At the World Championships, she clinched gold in Beijing and London in both distances. Her personal best time at the 5000m is 14:12:59 and 29:17:45 in the 10,000m.
Watching these women run some of the fastest times and break world records is lovely. With the Paris 2024 Olympic games coming up, we certainly look forward to seeing some, if not all, of these athletes compete.
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