Which Eritrean became the first Black African to win a Tour de France stage in 2024?
Answer
Biniam Girmay
Biniam Girmay became the first Black African to win a Tour de France stage in 2024.
The Eritrean sprinter achieved the milestone on Stage 3 of the 2024 Tour, a 230.8-kilometre route from Piacenza to Turin. He prevailed in a chaotic bunch sprint after a late crash disrupted several leading sprinters.
Girmay’s victory was also Eritrea’s first Tour de France stage win. He had already made history at the 2022 Giro d’Italia, becoming the first Black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage, although he was unable to continue after a champagne-cork injury during the podium celebration.
The achievement is often mixed up with other prominent Eritrean cyclists, including Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus. They helped establish Eritrea in elite road racing, but neither had won a Tour stage. Girmay later added more stage victories in the 2024 Tour and won the green points jersey.