Sprinter Regina George (no, not Rachel McAdams’s character from “Mean Girls”) is an American-born Nigerian who has been running for Nigeria for years. Though she has been plagued by injuries throughout her career, she was able to represent Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and was one of the favorites to win the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships due to her incredible qualifying time, but she eventually had to withdraw before the race due to leg cramps.
Kenyan swimmer Talisa Lanoe has earned six medals in the 50-meter backstroke in Kenya, and has continued to impress during her time swimming for Florida Atlantic University in the U.S. She has been able to come back from several injuries, including tendonitis and a shoulder injury, and is hoping to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Meselech Melkamu, an Ethiopian long-distance runner, is ranked second in the world for the 10,000 meter run, only behind world record holder Wang Junxia. She is one of three Ethiopians to break the 30-minute barrier for the race, with a time of 29:53:80, and was the fourth woman in history to do so. Melkamu also represented Ethiopia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing in eighth place in the event final for the 5,000-meter race.
Sylvia Tanya Atieno Brunlehner is currently the fastest female swimmer in Kenya, and, she’s just 20 years old. Attending college in Manchester, U.K., she aims to compete for her country in the 2016 Summer Olympics in her specialties, freestyle and backstroke.
Nicknamed the “Baby-Faced Destroyer,” Tirunesh Dibaba is never one to underestimate when it comes to long-distance running. The winner of three Olympic gold medals, the Ethiopian track star is the current world and Olympic 10,000-meters champion, and benefited from being raised in the high-altitude Arsi Zone in the Oromia Region. Dibaba has competed at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Nichole Denby was previously known for competing for the American team in international competitions, but recently made the move to compete for Nigeria in May 2014 instead — her mother is Nigerian. She has competed and succeeded on the collegiate and Olympic levels, and has even managed to make a return to her sport after giving birth.
Blessing Okagbare, a master of the long and triple jump, is an Olympic and World champion in the long jump, as well as a world medalist in the 200 meter. She dominated at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, with a record time of 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter race, making her the African record holder for the event.
Marsha Cox — Marsha Mareschia before her marriage to Dutch hockey coach Alexander Cox — is the captain of the South African field hockey team, making more than 300 appearances for her country. She has been a member of the national squad in three separate Olympic Games and two World Cups, and is the daughter of hockey legend Marian Marescia. Marian was unable to play for South Africa due to apartheid.
Football star Nicole Banecki is of German-Cameroonian descent, and has represented both countries on the international stage. More recently, she was called up to represent the Cameroonian national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The knockout forward has become a household name in both of her homelands, and currently plays for FCR 2001 Duisburg.
Kenyan long distance runner Linet Masai won her first world title in 2009 at the World Championships in Athletics in the 10,000-meter, and has continued to make her mark. Masai has finished as the runner up at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships three years running from 2009 to 2011, and finally won her second world track medal at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
