A few performed so exceptionally that their entire careers had to be recalibrated, as 2025 proved to be a defining year for them.
By Afrocritik’s Sports Board
At the start of 2025, sporting expectations were all over the place. Some power structures had already formed, and some champions were predictable, while others were not, making it difficult to know who would ultimately prevail. By December, many of those assumptions had collapsed. Some athletes remained competitive, won titles, broke records, and explored new territories, both on the continent and in the diaspora.
Some elite athletes confirmed their status over the course of the year, while others broke and set new records. A few performed so exceptionally that their entire careers had to be recalibrated, as 2025 proved to be a defining year for them. Across football, athletics, combat sports, and other disciplines, the year was remarkable for many athletes.
Afrocritik’s sports department has put together a list of the top 25 athletes of 2025, aiming to audit the year’s most decisive performances, measured by the weight of achievement relative to the sports they compete in and the environments in which those results were produced.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya)
In his first outing since being crowned Olympic champion in Paris 2024, Emmanuel Wanyonyi spent the entire 2025 World Championship season reminding everyone who the 800m belongs to. He finished the year with four of the six fastest times of the season, five Diamond League victories, and another Diamond League crown. At the World Championships, he became the first man ever to run under 1:42, delivering Kenya’s eighth world title in the event.
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Letsile Tebogo carried Africa’s sprinting flag with distinction despite injury setbacks. He produced a world-leading 19.76s in the 200m and competed across three sprint distances.
While individual medals did not end up around his neck, he and his nation claimed historic gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2025 World Championships.
Bassant Hemida (Egypt)
Bassant Hemida enjoyed a record-breaking season. She dominated regional meets, winning the 100m (11.52) and 200m (23.81) at the Arab Championships in Oran, Algeria, and also helped her team secure second place in the 4x100m relay (47.89).
Bayapo Ndori (Botswana)
A mid-season hamstring injury threatened to derail his year, but he peaked perfectly for Tokyo. He claimed bronze in the 400m and played a vital role in Botswana’s relay triumph. His ability to recover, adapt, and deliver under pressure defined his 2025 campaign.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Achraf Hakimi is widely recognised as one of football’s standout successes of 2025. He was named in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI and also dominated Moroccan individual honours, winning the UMFP Best Moroccan Player Abroad award for the third time.
He was honoured at the 2025 CAF Awards of the African Men’s Player of the Year.
In France, Hakimi was included in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year for a third consecutive season. Off the back of these performances, he also claimed the prestigious Prix Marc-Vivien Foé for the 2024/25 season, an award he had been tipped to win as early as May 2025.
Busang Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana)
Kebinatshipi emerged as a breakthrough figure in world athletics in 2025. He ran 43.61s in the World Championships semi-final, breaking Botswana’s national record, before following it up with gold in 43.53s to become the country’s first male 400m world champion. He later anchored the 4×400m relay team to gold, completing a historic double and marking a significant moment for Botswanan and African quarter-miling.
Jessika Gbai (Côte d’Ivoire)
Although she did not win any medals, Gbai showcased impressive versatility, competing across distances from 100m to 400m throughout the season. While she did not reach a global final, her steady progression and strong semi-final showing at the World Championships underlined her reliability as a top-level African sprinter.
Jean Jacques Boissy (Senegal)
Individually, Boissy’s year was equally decisive. He won the Basketball Africa League (BAL), was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, and finished as its leading scorer with 18.9 points per game. He also earned a place on the BAL All-Defensive First Team.
His impact extended beyond the continent when he helped Al Ahli Tripoli secure a bronze medal at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, the first podium finish by an African club in the tournament’s history.
Thelma Davies (Liberia)
She represented Liberia at the World Athletics Relays in China, competing in the women’s 4×100 metres relay, before stepping onto the global invitational stage as a short sprints challenger at the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia, where she placed third in the 100m with a time of 11.14s.
Davies also won the 200 metres at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm and, at the Golden Spike Ostrava, set a Liberian national record of 10.91 seconds to win the 100 metres. She carried that form into the season’s climax, reaching the semi-finals of both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Temwa Chawinga (Malawi)
Temwa Chawinga had a year of rare consistency and impact in 2025. After signing a three-year contract extension with Kansas City Current in January, she led the club through a record-setting campaign that culminated in the NWSL Shield. Chawinga finished the regular season with 15 goals in 23 appearances to clinch the NWSL Golden Boot and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive year, a first in NWSL history.
Along the way, she became the fastest player to reach 25 regular-season goals, achieving the milestone in just 34 matches. Although a late-season injury ruled her out of the play-offs, her influence had already carried the team there, as Kansas City set league records for most points, most wins, and fewest goals conceded.
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria)
After a period of uncertainty, Tobi Amusan returned to consistent top-level form, repeatedly running among the fastest times in the world and finishing the year with silver in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships.
The medal, earned in a tightly contested final, marked her strongest global championship performance since her record-setting peak and confirmed her continued relevance at the highest level of the event.
Beatrice Chebet (Kenya)
Beatrice Chebet’s 2025 began in Rabat, where she ran 8:11.56 for the 3,000 metres, a performance officially second only to a long-contested world record. In June, she produced the second-fastest 5,000 metres in history at the Golden Gala. By July, at the Prefontaine Classic, she crossed a threshold the event had never seen, closing with a ruthless final lap to run 13:58.06, break the world record, and become the first woman to dip under 14 minutes on the track.
At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, she dominated the 10,000 metres final to claim gold, delivering Kenya’s first title of the championships and closing the year as the defining distance runner of the season.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya)
Faith Kipyegon opened her 2025 campaign in Xiamen with a meeting-record 2:29.21 over 1,000 metres, finishing just fractions shy of a long-standing world mark. In June, she turned her attention to the mile, fronting a specially staged attempt to break the four-minute barrier.
The performance fell short and remained outside World Athletics recognition, but it drew global focus to how close the event now sits to a once-unthinkable threshold. By July, at the Prefontaine Classic, she returned to sanctioned racing to lower her own 1,500m world record to 3:48.68, becoming the first woman to break 3:49. She closed the season in September by claiming a fourth world championship title in the 1,500 metres, equalling the all-time record.
Birke Haylom (Ethiopia)
Early in the year, Haylom broke the world U20 indoor 3,000m record in Liévin and dipped under four minutes indoors over 1,500m at the 2025 Meeting de Paris.
She went on to post several strong Diamond League performances across the 1,500m and 5,000m, reached the Diamond League Final in Zurich, and impressed at the World Championships. The season ended with a nomination for the World Athletics Rising Star Award, confirming her status as one of Africa’s, and Ethiopia’s, brightest emerging talents.
Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco)
Ghizlane Chebbak enjoyed a standout 2025. She became the first Moroccan and only the second African player to be named in the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World XI. She was also named CAF African Women’s Player of the Year, becoming the first Moroccan woman to win the award.
Having finished as the top scorer at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, she narrowly lost in the finals to Nigeria, with Morocco ultimately finishing in second place.
Akani Simbine (South Africa)
Akani Simbine had a superb 2025, a season that kept rising with each major appearance. It began indoors in March, when he won bronze in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships, securing his first-ever global individual medal.
Outdoors, Simbine moved into historic territory. In April, he became the first athlete to run sub-10 seconds in the 100m for 11 consecutive years, breaking Usain Bolt’s long-standing mark with a world-leading 9.90s in Gaborone.
He followed that with a win at the season-opening Diamond League in Xiamen, served as South Africa’s team captain for the World Relays, and anchored the team to gold in Guangzhou. By late May, he had added another Diamond League victory in Rabat, capping a stretch of dominance that underlined his longevity and elite consistency.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
For Victor Osimhen, 2025 ended on a mixed note at the international level. Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup for a second successive edition, first missing out on automatic qualification before being eliminated in the playoffs. It was a bitter outcome, particularly given Osimhen’s contribution. He scored in every victory the Super Eagles recorded during the campaign, consistently delivering when Nigeria found momentum, even as the broader effort ultimately fell short.
At club level, the picture was far brighter. Osimhen finally settled into Galatasaray’s rhythm, growing increasingly decisive as the season progressed. By mid-2025, he had played a central role in delivering the Süper Lig title to the Turkish giants, finishing the campaign as the league’s top scorer.
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria)
Chiamaka Nnadozie had an outstanding 2025. Beyond winning the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, she earned a nomination for the Ballon d’Or and finished fourth in the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year rankings for the Yashin Trophy, becoming the first African women’s goalkeeper to be nominated.
The year also brought a major club move, as she left Paris FC to join Women’s Super League side Brighton & Hove Albion, where she has been a consistent top performer this season. On the international stage, Nnadozie capped off a remarkable year by lifting the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a strong finish to 2025, particularly in the second half of the season. In September, he scored a Springbok-record 37 points in a Rugby Championship win over Argentina, surpassing the previous mark set by Percy Montgomery. He also started the final match of the tournament, contributing from the tee as South Africa secured the championship.
During the Autumn Nations Series, he continued to make an impact, scoring tries against Japan, France, and Ireland. He was named in the World Rugby Dream Team of the Year at fly-half and ended the year by scoring twice against Wales, taking his tally to nine Test tries at fly-half, a national record.
Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
Esther Okoronkwo had a remarkable 2025 at both club and international level. After joining AFC Toronto in February, she scored both goals in the club’s first-ever win, finished the NSL regular season as top assist provider, and netted a playoff hat-trick to reach the final.
For Nigeria, she was instrumental at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, contributing to over 60% of her team’s goals, including a decisive goal and assist in the 3–2 final win over Morocco. Across the year, Okoronkwo recorded 29 goal contributions in 30 matches, the highest of any African player in 2025. Her omission from African Women’s Player of the Year drew widespread criticism, with many arguing her performances merited the award.
Childe Dundão (Angola)
Childe Dundão of Angola was named MVP of the 2025 FIBA Men’s AfroBasket, leading the host nation to a record 12th title and their first championship since 2013. The 167cm point guard delivered standout performances throughout the tournament, including 30 points in the quarter-finals against Cape Verde and 16 points in the final against Mali, earning the Tissot MVP award.
Dundão was also named to the 2025 All-Tournament Team. At club level, he and Petro reached the BAL finals in the 2024/25 season but fell to Al Ahli Tripoli. Nevertheless, he was named to his fourth BAL All-Defensive Team, underscoring his consistent impact on both ends of the court.
Simone Kruger (South Africa)
At the 2025 New Delhi Para Athletics events, world record holder, Simone Kruger, won gold in the women’s F38 discus throw with a season-best mark of 37.39m. China’s Na Mi (36.53m) and Yingli Li (36.10m) completed the podium, with both also recording their season-best performances.
Amy Okonkwo (Nigeria)
Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket for the second consecutive time. She was instrumental in leading D’Tigress to another historic continental triumph, having first won the award in 2023, and cemented her status as one of Africa’s top players.
On the professional front, Okonkwo joined the WNBA’s Dallas Wings on a seven-day hardship contract on 21 August 2025.
Aymane El Haddaoui (Morocco)
Morocco’s Aymane El Haddaoui won gold in the men’s T47 400m at the 2025 Para Athletics events in New Delhi, clocking 47.14 and adding to Morocco’s overall medal haul.
The T47 classification is for athletes with a low-to-moderate impairment in one arm, or the absence of a limb, allowing them to compete fairly against athletes with similar physical challenges.
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo)
Fiston Mayele finished as the 2025 CAF Champions League top scorer and was decisive in Pyramids FC’s continental success, as they won the CAF Champions League. He scored a hat-trick to secure the African–Asia Pacific Cup in September and netted the winning goal in the CAF Super Cup a month later, ending the year with three major continental trophies.
Tuka Letura is an experienced sports writer with over five years of experience in the craft. He uses data and statistics to provide analysis and commentary. From regional to worldwide competitions, he has covered a wide range of sports-related events and topics. He is devoted to sharing his enthusiasm for sports with his audience and engaging them with interesting anecdotes and viewpoints.