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Africa hopes to break the record of winning 50 medals for the first time at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With 329 events across 32 sports, the African continent will have ample opportunities to take to the podium in the French capital.
While some athletes have already achieved Olympic success and aim to continue their legacy, others may be making new history for their country or sport.
Here, BBC Sport Africa picks six players to watch during the Olympics.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, track and field)
Kipiyegun, who has won two world titles and set four world records in the past 13 months, is in top form heading into Paris.
The 30-year-old is aiming for a third consecutive Olympic gold in the women’s 1500m. No African athlete has ever won three consecutive gold medals in the same event.
Kipyegon set a new 1500m world record at the Diamond League in the French capital earlier this month and will compete in the 5000m at this year’s Olympics.
After winning two titles at last year’s World Championships, can the Kenyan repeat the feat at the Olympics and cement her status as the queen of track and field?
Competition dates: Friday, August 2 (5000m preliminaries), Monday, August 5 (5000m finals), Thursday, August 8 (1500m semi-finals), Saturday, August 10 (1500m finals).
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana, track and field)
Tebogo is the first Botswana male athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m, having won two medals at last year’s world championships, earning him a place in the senior category.
He took 100m Silver Medal He also won a bronze medal in the 200m, becoming the first African male athlete to win a world medal in a short-distance race.
Away from the court, the 21-year-old also had to deal with the death of his mother, Serativa. In May, he developed a close relationship with the organization.
Tebogo could become the first African male to win an Olympic medal in the 100m or 200m since Frankie Fredericks in 1996, but he will have to do his best to go one step further and stand out from the stiff competition to win his country’s first ever Olympic gold medal.
Competition dates: Saturday, August 2 (100m preliminaries), Sunday, August 3 (100m semifinals and finals), Monday, August 5 (200m preliminaries), Wednesday, August 7 (200m semifinals), Thursday, August 8 (200m finals).
Biniam Girmay (Ethiopia, cycling time trial and road race)
Just won the Tour de France – making history as the first Win a stage Winning the world’s most famous cycling race and topping the standings – Girmai has become a national hero in Eritrea.
If the 24-year-old finishes in the top two in either the cycling time trial or the road race, he will have achieved the East African nation’s best result at the Olympics, surpassing its 2004 track and field bronze medal.
First up is the individual time trial, which looks like Gilmès’ best chance of a medal, with the race covering a flat 32.4km route starting at the Place des Invalides and ending at the Pont Alexandre III.
A week later, the 273km road course will be even more challenging – first through the countryside west of Paris, then along cobbled streets and winding sections before finally climbing up to the Montmartre district.
Without the support of his team of riders, Guilmay’s chances of winning at the Trocadero were slim. However, from the beginning of his career, he was accustomed to overcoming obstacles.
Race dates: Saturday, August 27 (time trial), Saturday, August 3 (road race).
Blaise Oborududu (Nigeria, freestyle wrestling)
Oborududu, a Nigerian and African wrestling icon who has won 14 continental titles and four Commonwealth medals, was her country’s best performer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning a silver medal in the 68kg category.
At 35, she’s returning to the same weight class for what could be her final Olympics.
Oborududu is sixth thanks to ranking points earned since last year’s World Championships. France’s Kuumba Larroque is ahead of her and will have the support of the home crowd.
Oborududu, who made her senior debut in 2009, can she make a glorious exit to finish on the podium and claim a fourth Olympic gold medal for the West African nation?
Competition dates: Monday, August 5 (68 kg round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals), Tuesday, August 6 (68 kg medal finals).
Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso, athletics)
The 31-year-old player brought First Olympic Medal Three years ago, he won a bronze medal in the men’s triple jump at the Tokyo Olympics.
Last year, Zango surpassed that feat when he won the world title in Budapest with a clearance of 17.64m.
He was welcomed back to Ouagadougou by cheering crowds and became the first athlete to receive the country’s highest honour, the Officer’s Order of the Stallion, for his achievements.
Zango is also a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. Aims to be a “symbol of hope” A tribute to the people of my homeland in West Africa. The next goal is to make more history for Burkina Faso in Paris.
Competition dates: Wednesday, August 7 (triple jump qualifying), Friday, August 9 (triple jump final).
Fatima Zahra El Mamouny (Morocco, broke)
The Moroccan competitor, better known as B-girl El Mamouny, made history by becoming the first-ever competitor to qualify for the breakdancing competition at the Olympics.
this New sports introduced at Paris 2024 Olympics The IOC hopes to attract a younger generation.
The 24-year-old began breakdancing on the streets of Rabat, although her parents did not support her new hobby at first.
Dancers will compete in a series of one-on-ones, taking turns to showcase their moves and be scored on technique, variety, execution, musicality and originality.
The Place de la Concorde, the main public square at the end of Paris’ most famous street, the Champs-Élysées, was where the African champion made Olympic history.
Action date: Friday, August 9.
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