African Sports Monthly International Women's Day Special Edition | Page 38

AFRICAN FEMALE SPORTS STARS
WHO HAVE SHAKEN THE WORLD
By Farai Diza
omen’s power and

influence over sports
in Africa has been
pretty minimal until
recently. In previous
decades they gave birth to famous sportsmen
but now they are doing it for themselves.
A galaxy of African women stars has made a
name for themselves on the global sporting arena and they are making the continent proud.

Names such as Nigerian footballer Nkwocha who has been a key figure with her national
team for about a decade and was three times African footballer of the year and Vivian
Cheruiyot, who won a Laureus Award for her sterling performance in the 2011 IAAF World
Championships where she won double Gold at (5000 and 10000m).
Then is the Malian basketballer Djenebou Sissoko who was instrumental in her team’s

qualification for the London Olympics. Lets take a look at some of these star in no specific
order

Maria Mutola, Athletics and Soccer – Mozambique

It seems hard to believe that The Maputo Express only
attained her first Olympic gold medal at the Sydney
Olympics in the year 2000. Since winning her first
international gold at the World Indoor Championships
in 1993, this 800m track champion was on the scene
long before her first Olympic accolade. At 15 she was
already on the world stage, placing 5th at the 1988
Summer Olympics. In 1990, at 17, she took gold at the
African Championships. In subsequent years, Mutola
ruled the 800 meters event, earning herself
acknowledgement as the “greatest female 800m

athlete of all time”.