Paris — South African Akani Simbine believes African sprinters have now come of age and will have a point to prove in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Simbine alongside compatriots Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson powered to the semifinals of the men's 100m sprint race serving up great moments ahead.
Running in heat 6, the indefatigable Simbine, won his race in a time of 10.03, outpacing the pack and eased up ahead of the finish line with zeal and vigor.
The South African has been ranked in the top handful of speed merchants in the world for nearly a decade said: "Africa is standing up right now in sprinting, it's a nice thing to have more Africans now, plus Ferdinand (Omanyala) who is performing well. We have never had that before, so it looks good for Africa but I am just excited for the South Africans, because if we perform well, that's is going to be a plus for us and it's going to give us a boost back home."
About his win in Heat 6, Simbine commented: "Very comfortable heat, it was just good getting to the next round and everybody is feeling good and healthy, Three South Africans are through to the semi-finals. The relay is next week, things to think about later, right now is just to focus on the semis."
Simbine is one of the most experienced athletes in the South African team.
He was fifth at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 metres and was the 100 metres African record holder with a time of 9.84 seconds set in July 2021 until broken by Omanyala in September 2021.
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Simbine was also a World Championships finalist in the men's 100 metres in 2017 (fifth) and 2019 (fourth), and was 100 metres champion at the 2018 African Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
In the 4 x 100 metres relay, he helped South Africa become champions at the African Championships in 2016 and 2018, and place second at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a South African record time of 38.24 seconds.
He anchored South Africa to gold at the 2021 World Relays. Simbine has finished inside the top 5 in the last four major championship 100m races, including 4th in 2019 World Athletics Championships - Men's 100 metres and Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres missing out on the bronze medal to Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.
On 10 July 2024, the South African Olympic Committee designated him and the artistic gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz as the flag bearers at the París 2024 Olympic Games.
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Paris, France-
