Ta Lou-Smith: Carrying Africa’s hopes
Most things went smoothly for the Ivorian in 2024. After qualifying for the 100m final, she had the same hope — could this finally be the year an African athlete reaches the Olympic podium in a sprint event?
She had been at this for so long. The three-time world medallist left a lot behind, choosing to pursue a track career instead of attending medical school. At 35, Paris was her best chance for success after previous Olympic near-misses.
She finished fourth in both the 100m and 200m at Rio 2016. In Tokyo, she again placed fourth in the short sprint, behind Elaine Thompson-Herah, and fifth in the 200m.
Ta Lou-Smith has suffered from back pain for most of her career, and it came back at the beginning of the Olympic year. Her spine has an irregular curve, which makes her prone to knee, hamstring and shoulder injuries.
Despite this, she has bravely carried the hopes of the continent.
In Paris, Ta-Lou-Smith was forced to put an end to her Olympic quest early in the competition and for the first time since Beijing 2008, Africa had no representative in the women’s 200m final.
“Every time that I fail, I feel like I let down the country, the continent, so many people who trust and believe in me,” said Ta Lou. She also knew that no African had ever clinched a medal in the modern Games’ men’s or women’s sprints before Botswana’s star Letsile Tebogo took gold in the 200m final in Paris.
“But seeing all the comments, and all the people who still tell me that I’m an inspiration for them, gave me the strength to continue and not give up.
“After the 100m, I remember I also talked to Shericka Jackson. She was really helpful, she encouraged me. We talked for about 20 minutes just around the track. Jackson and everyone else I spoke to told me that maybe I need time for myself, to think, rest my body and my mind and then come back slowly, slowly. They told me, ‘Don’t rush, take your time and fully enjoy what you are doing’.”