Having anchored his nation to a relay silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and become the first South African man to win a World Indoor medal in March, Akani Simbine exudes a quiet confidence in his abilities.
As the world leader over 100m this year, the 31-year-old’s attitude is understandable.
It marks a shift in mentality for a sprinter who became known as the ‘nearly man’ of global athletics after missing the podium with three fourth-placed finishes at major championships – twice at the Olympics and once at the World Championships.
“Having that tag as the nearly man, it’s noise at the end of the day,” Simbine told BBC Sport Africa.
“I don’t see it like that, I see it as an action that’s never given up on trying to be the best. I always show up.
“I get disappointed, but my family says to be disappointed being fourth in the world is a bit crazy – because you are the fourth fastest person alive.”
Although he may have missed out on some medals, Simbine is content with his achievements throughout his career.
“I have literally put myself to the surface and I proved myself to be an elite athlete,” he said.
“I don’t need a medal to prove that. The medal is just the cherry on top.”
Bettering Bolt
Simbine’s success with South Africa in the 4x100m relay at the Games last year provided a resounding dismissal of that ‘nearly man’ label and also served as a reward for the consistency he has displayed over the past decade.
That continued when he clocked 9.90 seconds in Botswana last month and became the first sprinter to run under the 10-second barrier in the 100m for 11 straight years.
His achievement broke all-time great Usain Bolt’s record of 10 consecutive sub-10s seasons and brought Simbine a new moniker: the ‘Sub-10 King’.
The season may still be in its infancy, but Simbine has triumphed in all three of his outings over 100m this year, including in the opening two Diamond League events in Xiamen and Keqiao.
It is a promising start to a year which includes the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
However, Simbine is not buying into talk of being the man to beat over 100m at this stage.
“I’m getting into my races, I’m winning my races and that’s all that needs to be done,” the former African record holder said.
“I’m running well for the beginning of the season. This is not like a peak.
“Once I get into June, I’ve been training well, and I can build up to August and September.”
