Her full name is Gonézie Marie Josée Dominique Ta Lou. She is an Ivorian athlete Marie Josée Ta Lou was born on November 18, 1988, in Bouaflé. The sprinter is a source of pride for Côte d'Ivoire.
Ivorian sprinting sensation Marie-Josée Ta Lou, as well as being dubbed the Queen of African Sprinting, is also nicknamed the "pocket sprinter". Her nickname comes from her small stature. At 1.59m and 50kg, the athlete is now 35 years old. To be so fast at this age? The Ivorian champion proves with every race that "age is just a number". Her state of mind is such that she doesn't hesitate to answer you in these terms: "I still feel young, I tell myself I'm 20, not 34." Marie Josée Ta Lou is zen. "Age is just a number. Shelly-Ann Fraser has shown us that you can be old and still perform," says the sprinter. A true champion. The sprinter specializes in 100 m, 100 m hurdles, 150 m, 200 m and 60 m. She is affiliated with the Stade Français.
One thing is clear. The champion's trophy cabinet is lined with several small plaques. For this year 2023, to date, 2nd in 100m and 200m at the Diamond League; 3rd in 100m Diamond League in 2022; 1st in 100m and 3rd in 200 at the African Games. In the same year, 3rd in 100m at the World Championships and 3rd in 100m in the Diamond League. 1st in 100m and 200m, 2nd in 4X100m at the 2018 African Championships. In 2017, Francophone Games 1st in 4X100m; World Championships 2nd in 100m and 200m; Diamond League 2nd in 100m and 3rd in 200m. The Ivorian gazelle has done better before. In 2016 she was 1st over 200m and 3rd over 100m and 4X100m at the African Championships. In 2015, she won recognition on the continent. She was named "African Athlete of the Year" by the Association of African National Olympic Committees. She won gold in the 100m and 200m at the African Games that same year. Yet nothing predestined Marie Josée to reach such a high level in this discipline.
Ta Lou was more of a soccer fan. She played soccer in her neighborhood, Koumassi 05, a district of Abidjan. But her older brother objected. Being a physical education teacher, he encouraged her to join an athletics club. The former medical student at the University of Abidjan didn't really take up athletics until April 2007, at the age of 19. Here again, she faced a major obstacle. "As my only daughter, I have three boys and one girl, and this is the last one, and as I'm a mother, I preferred her to look after me and do her studies," her mother confided to a journalist.
Today, everything is back to normal, because Mom is no longer angry. Her beloved daughter has become an icon in her family and in her country. Little Marie Josée Ta Lou has grown up to become a reference in her country. And she will remain one for a long time to come. That's for sure, as she herself has said. "I'm lucky I didn't start at an early age - I was 18. I reached the top level when I was 22/23, so I still have time. I tell myself that as long as I give myself the strength, I have the time and I can succeed." Despite the setbacks, she has never given up. Marie-Josée Ta Lou is determined. And the whole of Côte d'Ivoire is dreaming along with her.
Another piece of good news for our champion. She's no longer alone. The Ivorian sprinter celebrated her civil marriage on November 25, 2023. Long before this date, Marie Josée had already celebrated a customary marriage with Trinidadian Smith. That was on November 16, 2023, the day that marked the athlete's birthday.