Marie-Josee Ta Lou marries fiancée J Smith, updates name on social media

Ivorian athlete Marie-Josee Ta Lou recently updated her name on social media to "Marie josée Ta Lou- Smith" after getting married to fiancée J Smith of Trinidad. The couple tied the knot in a traditional African wedding last week. Ta Lou shared the pictures of the fascinating ceremony with her fans.

Africa’s fastest woman Ta Lou broke the internet on Nov. 24 by sharing pictures of her wedding. The couple hosted their friends and family on Nov. 16 in a grand event. Ta Lou and her US-based Trinidadian fiancée looked adorable in their traditional and vibrant attires.

Along with posting the pictures on her Instagram, the 35-year-old sprinter penned a note that read:

"I have many different reason why i have to be thankful this year. Here is one of those. My love @trininafrica_javy came a long way with his family to pay my bride price in front of all of mine . November 16th will be a memorable date for me."

Days after their traditional wedding, the Smiths also organized a white wedding. Marie-Josee Ta Lou shared images from the dreamy ceremony on Nov. 26. The wedding took place on Nov. 18.

Moreover, the couple donned two different attires in their second wedding ceremony. In the first few images, Ta Lou is seen in a beautiful white gown and her husband in a white and beige pantsuit. In the next set of pictures, the athlete wore a shimmery brown dress and J Smith carried a black pant-suit.

Ta Lou shared the images, captioning:

"Mr & Mrs Smith 💍 18.11.23 ❤️"

The couple also had their pre-wedding shoot on Oct. 29. Ta Lou and her husband donned beautiful traditional attires in the pictures. She captioned them:

"An Afro-Caribbean love. Welcome to our world."

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Marie-Josee Ta Lou on representing Africa in 2024 Paris Olympics

Marie-Josee Ta Lou proudly holds the African record of 10.72s in the 100m race which she achieved at the 2022 Monaco Diamond League. Also, she is the sixth-fastest woman of all time. However, Ta Lou’s constant efforts to win gold at major events like the world championships and the Olympics have not yet come to fruition.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Ta Lou came close to the finishing line but could not achieve success. She told BBC that she was crying to cope with the loss. When asked about competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she said:

"Right now, I can say Paris 2024 is my last and then two years from now, I'll say, 'Oh, my goodness, I'm still here and I am giving the Olympics another chance.'"