The sportspeople to watch in 2023

Kamaru Usman wants his belt back

Kamaru Usman suffered a major setback in 2022. The Nigerian lost his world welterweight title, knocked out by Englishman Leon Edwards. It was his first defeat since 2015. Next March, the Nigerian could face the English giant again in a bid to reclaim his belt. After the loss, in a post on Twitter, Usman said he fully intended to “bounce back and come back for revenge”.

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Zango, gold in Budapest?

Hugues-Fabrice Zango is progressing slowly but surely. Burkina Faso's first Olympic medallist will be much anticipated at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. After taking bronze in Doha and silver in Eugene, the triple jumper has gold in his sights. The third-best performer of 2022 (17m55) could finally become world champion in the Hungarian capital.

Joel Embiid, MVP at last?

Joel Embiid was pipped at the post by Serbia's Nikola Jokic for the NBA regular-season MVP award. The Cameroonian centre had everything going for him to win the trophy. Embiid unfortunately finished second with 13 votes behind Jokic (37). This year, Embiid will not let slip the award, which now bears Michael Jordan's name. And he is off to a good start. He keeps impressing game after game. He racked up a triple-double in his last game of 2022. A good omen for the Philadelphia Sixers man.

Ferdinand Omanyala, going for a first world title in Budapest

Ferdinand Omanyala was simply stratospheric this year. African 100m and Commonwealth Games champion, the Kenyan smashed the African record over the distance. Despite those performances, he was absent from the Diamond League circuit. At the World Championships in Eugene, he made it to the 100m semi-finals despite arriving late in the American city. It is only a matter of time for Omanyala, who can try to win a first world medal in Budapest, as he aims to dethrone Usain Bolt.

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