In the history of the Olympic Games only two South African sprinters have been able to win a medal in the 100 metres. In London (1908) Reggie Walker won the 100 metres and in Helsinki (1952) Daphne Robb-Hasenjäger finished second in the final of the women’s 100 metres.
However, when Akani Simbine settles down in his starting blocks in Rio this weekend, there is a strong possibility that these statistics could be change.
Simbine (Tuks/HPC) certainly has the ability to cause an upset. The fact that he is mentioned in the IAAF preview for the Olympic 100 metres illustrates that he is recognized as one of the current top sprinters in the world.
His time of 9.89s is listed by the IAAF as the fifth best for 2016. Only Justin Gatlin (USA) 9.80s, Trayon Bromell (USA) 9.84s, Jimmy Vicaut (France) 9.86s and Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.88s have run faster times so far this season.
Bolt and Gatlin are tipped to be the main protagonists in the 100 metres. In spite of having to overcome injuries both are still unbeaten. Bolt won four races and Gatlin boasts with seven wins in as many races.
Should Bolt win he would be the first athlete to win the 100 metres at three consecutive Olympic Games. Gatlin was the 2004 Olympic Champion.
According to Werner Prinsloo, who coaches Simbine, his charge is not talking much about what may or may not happen from Saturday onwards.
“Judging by the way he has been training and his general demeanour I can’t help getting the impression that Akani is quietly confident. This is a good sign because it shows that he believes in his abilities as a sprinter. But there are still times when Akani seems to have a little bit of self-doubt. There is no need for it. He is a good sprinter.”
According to Prinsloo there won’t be any talk about winning medals before Simbine has qualified for the final.
“From the beginning of the year we only had one goal and that was to reach the Olympic final. With his winning time of 9.89 seconds in Budapest Akani proved that this is not unrealistic. If he should be able to run 9.9 seconds in the semi-finals he ought to go through.
“In the final it will be important for Akani to get off to a good start. Once he is at full speed he can keep up with the worlds’ best and even outrun them.”
Prinsloo said over the last few weeks his only task was to make sure that the Tuks/HPC athlete maintain the form that enabled him to set a new South African record when he ran 9.89s in Budapest.
“So I did not change much in the way he trains. At most I tweaked small little things in his technique. There is definitely another fast time in his legs waiting to happen.”
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