African Sports Monthly International Women's Day Special Edition | Page 11

Africa’s 2016 Top Women
Sprinter Rankings
1

Blessing Okagbare
Country: Nigeria
Events: 100m, 200m, Long
Jump
Best Marks:
10.79sec/22.23sec/7.04 m
2015 Seasons Best:
10.80sec/22.67sec

2

Muriel Ahoure
Country: Cote D’Ivoire
Events: 60m, 100m, 200m
Best Marks:
6.99sec/10.81sec/22.24sec
2015 Seasons Best:
10.81sec/22.29sec

3

Marie Jose Ta Lou
Country: Cote D’Ivoire
Events: 100m, 200m

By Joel Chirwa

Kigali, Rwanda: Rwanda is located in the Central/Eastern part
of Africa which is also known as the Africa, Great Lakes region.
It shares boarders with DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and
volatile Burundi.

The mention of the country’s name conjures up the images of
ethnic killings, hatred, insecurity that once reigned supreme
within its borders. That description still remains in the minds of
quite a number of people around the world.

Best Marks: 11.02
sec/22.56 sec
2015 Seasons Best: 11.02
sec/22.56 sec

4

Gloria Asumnu
Country: Nigeria
Events: 60m, 100m, 200m
Best Marks:
7.07sec/11.03sec/22.70sec
2015 Seasons Best:
11.42sec

5

Carina Horn
Country: South Africa
Events: 60m, 100m, 200m
Best Marks:
7.02sec/11.06sec
2015 Seasons Best:
7.02sec/11.06sec

President Graca of the FIVB (in phot above) lays a wreath at a memorial in
Rwanda to remember the lost victims of the 1994 genocide

But since 1994 when the country experienced the worst ethnic
killings in its history and that of the world which left 800,000
Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead, the leadership of President
Paul Kagame has since used sports to encourage national unity
and reconciliation.

The promotion of sports by the authorities in a tiny country
that has a population of 11 million has been institutionalised in
the country’s 2003 Constitution which ensures government
support for sports as a vehicle for social change.