Though he will never say it himself, Akani Simbine may just be the man to beat in the men’s 100m at the Paris Olympics later this year.
That’s quite a statement, but the South African ran the fastest time in the world this year in the 100m in Atlanta over the weekend and many fans of the sprinter are ready to jump to conclusions.
Simbine, 30, clocked 9.90 seconds for his fastest time in three years. His 9.84 remains his personal best, but that may just be under threat if his peak for the season is still coming.
In fact, Simbine played down just how good his performance over the weekend was.
🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦Akani Simbine's 9.90 100m world leadpic.twitter.com/AR6yiBycIj
Training has been very heavy
“(Saturday) was just putting a good two races together. Training has been very heavy – we haven’t worked towards racing here,” he told the media after the race in a video posted on the Citius Mag YouTube page.
“So, I’m just really happy that I could come out and race on heavy legs, and race well, and put together a good series of 10.10 in the heat and just drop it from that to 9.90. So, it shows where we are at right now, and I’m just looking forward to the rest of the season.
“The track is always going to be bouncy – it’s a different surface, it’s not on the ground. It’s something that you will have to get used to, and just keep on running and expect bounce – just take it on in your stride.”
Simbine has been a solid performer on the biggest stage without grabbing the major honours. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished fifth in the men’s 100m final. Simbine would go on to improve that impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he finished fourth - agonisingly one spot outside of a podium position.
The Paris Olympics in July and August could be Simbine’s last shot at an Olympic podium, and given his current form he could well achieve that elusive medal at the quadrennial showpiece.
That said, Simbine doesn’t feel, or say for that matter, he’s the man to beat in the 100m at the moment.
“I don’t think I feel like there’s a target on my back. It’s more now just going back to training, just keeping on doing what I’ve been doing,” he said.
“Putting together the wins builds up confidence, and Coach (Werner Prinsloo) always says it’s very difficult to beat a confident sprinter or athlete.
“It is about keeping the confidence high and keep going, and just keep on building in the season and not rushing it.”