Akani Simbine Akani Simbine, seen here alongside British champion Jeremiah Azu, was draped in the South African flag after winning the bronze medal in the 60m race at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
“A story of resilience, perseverance & an attitude of never giving up! Don’t ever stop believing in YOURSELF... WELL DONE AKANI”.
That’s how SA sprint legend Akani Simbine captured the moment on his Instagram account after clinching a long-awaited individual medal at a global event at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China on Friday.
Simbine – who anchored the SA 4x100m relay team to a stunning silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games last year – has had a series of near-misses in the 100m in the outdoor arena.
While he has grabbed a gold and a silver at the Commonwealth Games previously, he has just missed out on a podium finish at the Olympics and world championships for nearly a decade.
How’s this for a list of 100m finishes...
2016 Olympic Games 100m: fifth
2017 World Championships 100m: fifth
2019 World Championships 100m: fourth
2021 Olympic Games 100m: fourth
2022 World Championships 100m: fifth
2024 Olympic Games 100m: fourth
But after all that heartache and pain, the 31-year-old from Johannesburg decided to compete in the indoor arena in the 60 metres for the first time in his career this year, and the hard work has paid off.
After clocking a new personal best of 6.53 seconds in the semi-final, Simbine made a strong comeback in the second half of the final to finish third in 6.54 to claim the bronze medal.
He just trailed British ace Jeremiah Azu, who took the gold medal in 6.49, with Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy grabbing the silver in 6.50.
“Never stop believing in yourself. Never stop believing in the dream you had when you started running,” a beaming Simbine said in a post-race interview posted on the World Athletics social media channels.
“I’ve been an athlete that’s been running and making finals, and always placing fourth and just missing out on the medals – and I never gave up.
“That’s one thing I did for myself: I never gave up. And I’m really happy that I’ve always pushed and always believed.
“So, to the kids, man, keep on believing in yourself. Keep on enjoying the sports. Keep on seeing the sport as a sport and enjoying it, and just keep on growing with the sport, because when you enjoy it, you’ll grow.
“And that gives you a lot of fun and longevity in the sport.
“We’ll see where this career takes us, but I’m enjoying running. I’m loving it right now, and feel young, feel fresh.
“And I feel ready to... I don’t know if I can do another 10 years – if my wife allows me! But we’ll see.”
Now Simbine will be full of confidence as he gears up for the outdoor world championships in Tokyo in September.
Before that, though, Simbine is set to take aim at the SA championships in Potchefstroom from April 24-26, before heading to the Diamond League events across the globe.
Meanwhile, another SA track star, Prudence Sekgodiso, qualified for Sunday’s 800m final on Saturday.
Sekgodiso cruised in her semi-final to finish second in 2:01.21, well short of her indoor SA record of 1:59.88, which she will hope to eclipse in the final as she chases a medal on Sunday.
The two other Team SA athletes in Nanjing will also be taking part in their finals on Sunday – Cheswill Johnson in the long jump, and Chris van Niekerk in shot put.