Edouard Mendy, Ons Jabeur, Iron Biby… The ten African athletes who marked 2021

2022 will be a very rich sporting year, with in particular the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon and the World Cup in Qatar. Despite the health hazards, the past year still had some nice surprises in store and saw some athletes confirm their status.

The sporting year that is ending has above all been marked by the Tokyo Olympics, postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 epidemic. On Japanese soil, several athletes from the continent shone, winning the gold medal to everyone's surprise, like the young Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui. We will also remember the performances of his compatriot Ons Jebeur (tennis), those of footballers Édouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez and Mohamed Salah, or even that the strongest man in the world – Cheikh Ahmed Al-Hassan Sanou – is from Burkina Faso.

Edouard Mendy (soccer/Senegal)

In 2016, Édouard Mendy was only number 3 in the hierarchy of Olympique de Marseille goalkeepers. At 29, the Senegalese is now considered one of the best specialists in the world in his position. Revealed in Reims then in Rennes, he has been playing since the summer of 2020 at Chelsea (England), and he quickly established himself within the workforce of the prestigious London club, with whom he won the Champions League in the month of last May against Manchester City (1-0).

His absence among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or surprised and even shocked his staunchest supporters. Mendy was – a little – consoled by being elected Senegalese footballer of the year in December ahead of Sadio Mané. He is now aiming for the title of African champion, during the CAN 2021 which will take place in Cameroon (January 9-February 6).

Riyad Mahrez (soccer/Algeria)

He won with Manchester City the championship and the League Cup, but not the Champions League, the only major trophy missing from the Citizens' list, after a defeat in the final against Chelsea (0-1).

But Riyad Mahrez (30) can be satisfied with his collective and personal record. Brilliant with his club, whose avowed objective is to dominate Europe, he was also brilliant with Algeria, who will defend their continental title at the CAN in Cameroon, before trying to qualify for the FIFA Cup. World 2022 in Qatar. The 8 goals he scored for the national team in 2021 and the growing influence of the captain of the Fennecs make him one of the best right attacking midfielders in the world.

Mohamed Salah (soccer/Egypt)

No, Mohamed Salah hasn't won anything with Liverpool in 2021. But the Egyptian striker (29), who still won some individual accolades in England ^and finished 7th in the Ballon d'Or standings, achieved a very high level season.

With Egypt, he qualified for AFCON 2021 and the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. His statistics - goals and assists - are impressive and the Pharaoh shines in a team renowned for practicing one of the best football in Europe.

The Reds, where he earns 12 million euros per year, want to keep him, and are ready to offer him a contract with a substantial salary increase, while Paris-SG and FC Barcelona are interested in a player whose market value is estimated at 100 million euros.

Tatjana Schoenmaker (swimming/South Africa)

If South Africa was talked about during the Tokyo Olympics, it owes a lot to the young swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker (24 years old). She first won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke, then gold in the 200-meter breaststroke. Performances that had a big impact in his country and which earned him to be congratulated in person by Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of the Republic. The low-key South African athlete has also been nominated for the title of African Sports Personality of the Year 2021 by the BBC.

Makrem Ben Romdhane (basketball/Tunisia)

The Tunisian colossus (2.06m, 107kg), who turns 33 next March, is one of the most successful African players in history. The pivot of the Carthage Eagles and the Portuguese club Benfica, nicknamed the Gladiator, became African champion last September, in Kigali. Makrem Ben Romdhane, who had already won the Afrobasket in 2021 and 2017, was voted best player of the tournament.

Tunisia managed a perfect run from start to finish, beating successively Guinea, Egypt, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Cape Verde, before winning the final against Côte d'Ivoire (78-75 ), and his experienced pivot – he notably played in Spain and France – played a leading role.

Iron Biby (weightlifting/Burkina Faso)

The strongest man in the world would therefore be from Burkina Faso. From his real name Cheikh Ahmed Al-Hassan Sanou (29), the one nicknamed Iron Biby since his victory in a powerlifting competition at the age of 21, can claim this title thanks to the performance accomplished in Glasgow (Scotland), on September 18, during the Giants 2021.

That day, the native of Bobo Dioulasso lifted 229 kg during the log lift competition, a strength sport close to weightlifting. This mountain of muscles - 1.90 m, 155 kg - is not only a force of nature: he also succeeded in brilliant university studies at the University of Moncton (Canada), where he obtained a master's degree in administration. Business.

Soufiane El-Bakkali (athletics/Morocco)

For several years, this specialist in the middle distance with obstacles has regularly approached the top step of the podium. Fourth at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, third At the World Championships in Doha (Qatar) three years later, Soufiane El-Bakkali waited for the Tokyo Olympics on August 2 to achieve the best performance of his young career, since he is only 25 years.

The Moroccan has indeed put an end to the unchallenged domination of Kenyan athletes in this discipline since 1984 to offer his country a gold medal, the first in athletics since that of Hicham El Guerrouj, double Olympic champion in 2004 in Athens. over 1,500 and 5,000 meters.

Ons Jabeur (tennis/Tunisia)

On November ¹ , the Tunisian (27) obtained her best WTA ranking, settling in 7 ^th place in the world. A logical reward for Ons Jabeur, who won the Birmingham tournament in singles in 2021 and those in Charleston and Chicago in doubles. She also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon ^and the round of 16 at Roland-Garros.

The only downside to a very successful year was its elimination in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics by the Spaniard Carla Cavarro, when she was aiming for the podium. The right-hander, who plays arguably the best tennis of her life, has even become the most popular athlete in a country where football – a sport she enjoys – is nevertheless king…

Peres Jepchirchir (athletics/Kenya)

Winning the same year an Olympic gold medal and the New York marathon – the most prestigious in the world – by placing a decisive acceleration in Central Park, the Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir (28 years old) did it. She also achieved a better time on American soil (2:22:39) than on Japan (2:27:20). These successes in legendary cross-country races, which came after others that were certainly less flashy but just as revealing of her talent, made her the world number 1 in her specialty.

Ahmed Hafnaoui (swimming/Tunisia)

Olympic champions aged 18 are rare. And often unexpected. Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, who celebrated his nineteenth birthday on December 4, became the second Tunisian swimmer in Tokyo to climb to the top step of the podium after Oussama Mellouli, gold medalist in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. Hafnaoui won against all odds in the 400m freestyle final, beating Australian Jack Mc Loughlin and American Kieran Smith.

The Tunisian confided shortly after the final that he had trouble believing in his victory. “I didn't think I could win gold,” he explained. The native of Metlaoui, who still lives with his parents, has become a real star in his country, where he received the insignia of Grand Officer of the Tunisian Order of Merit.