South African sprinter Akani Simbine (© Getty Images)
With a 100m PB of 9.82, he's the second fastest African sprinter in history, but what defines Akani Simbine on the international circuit is his consistency.
The South African sprint star has run faster than 10 seconds for 100m in each of the past 10 years and he won the first global major medal of his career at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, anchoring the men’s 4x100m quartet to silver.
It was his first Olympic medal after two fourth-place finishes in the 100m, in Tokyo and Paris, plus a fifth place in Rio.
And the quiet force in the world of sprinting still has plenty more he hopes to achieve.
“I got into this game pretty late in my life as a late teenager, 19, and since then it’s been like stepping stones and learning about athletics, learning about how things are done and being thrown in the circuit saying ‘okay, swim’. I think that’s why I don’t feel so old in the game,” says the 31-year-old.
“I don’t talk much; I am very self-kept. I have a lot of respect for everyone that lines up, a tonne of respect, because I know what you put in, to be here. I think my performances and my actual work that I put in speaks louder than what I would do on social media.
“Being part of a small group of athletes that are taking sprinting to the world – where Africa’s not known for sprinting, Africa’s known for the distance – I’m just proud of the fact that I could spearhead this generation and I can motivate the next generation to do well and to do better. To want to come and sprint, to want to come and run in different countries in the world and show how fast you are.
“What I’ve done for my country is amazing, what I’ve done for myself in athletics is really amazing. I never dreamt of this. I never dreamt of running all over different countries, running sub-10 – this was not even part of my plan as a teenager. I’m not going to leave the game any time soon. I’ll still be around until I feel that I’ve had enough of the game and I’m ready to move on.”
