Frankie Fredericks

Namibian sprinter and four-time Olympic silver medalist, the most successful sprinter Africa has ever produced and Namibia's first Olympic medalist.

Born Frank Fredericks on 2 October 1967 in a township of Windhoek, Namibia, Fredericks was unable to compete internationally until 1990, when his country gained independence from South Africa. He attended Brigham Young University in the United States and quickly established himself among the world's elite sprinters over 100m and 200m. At the 1991 World Championships, Fredericks won 200m silver behind Michael Johnson. The following year, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he became Namibia's first-ever Olympic medalist, finishing second in the 100m. He repeated the feat in the 200m at the same Games, and did so again in both events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, giving him four Olympic silver medals across two Games — an unmatched Namibian record until Christine Mboma's silver nearly three decades later. Fredericks did claim major gold during his career, winning the 200m at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, and adding three further World Championship silvers in the 200m (1991, 1995, 1997). He also won the 200m gold at the Commonwealth Games twice (1994, 2002) and completed a 100m/200m double at the 1991 African Games. After retiring, Fredericks was elected to the International Olympic Committee, where he has continued to shape global sport. He also runs the Frank Fredericks Foundation, supporting young Namibian athletes' academic and sporting development, and was nominated a Champion for Peace by the organisation Peace and Sport.

Smooth, technically efficient sprinting over 100m and 200m

A pioneering figure for African sprinting and long-serving member of the International Olympic Committee