Now or never: Akani Simbine on course for an elusive Olympic medal

There are few athletes more deserving of an Olympic medal than Akani Simbine, and while we’ve said it before, we can say it again: this could be her year.

Simbine is one of the world’s most underrated sprinters and is barely mentioned in international prediction lists when medal contenders in the men’s 100m at major world championships are discussed.

But the stats and medals don’t lie, and the seasoned 30-year-old sprinter has been one of the top athletes in his specialist event on the world circuit for the past decade.

A memorable race

She has dipped below 10 seconds in the past 10 consecutive seasons and has won gold medals at the African Championships and Commonwealth Games. She also took silver as part of the South African 4x200m team at the World Athletics Relays in 2019.

What she has not managed to do is win a medal in the two most prestigious championships in athletics. However, she has come close to achieving one.

Simbine finished fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Games. He also finished fourth or fifth at three consecutive World Championships between 2017 and 2022.

And if ever she gets a chance to end her drought at the top level, this could be it, as she prepares to take part in an open competition in the 100m in Paris.

The South African has been in top form this year, taking his sixth national title in the short sprint and winning the Diamond League races in Suzhou and Oslo. And if there were any doubts about him, he proved his worth last week by finishing second behind world champion Noah Lyles at the Diamond League competition in London.

Her season’s best of 9.86 minutes in the English capital was just 0.02 seconds off her own national record, and she will fancy her chances as much as anyone in the battle for Olympic gold.

Opportunity for relief

Simbine will also anchor the national 4x100m relay team, which will be equally confident of reaching the podium.

As a lead athlete, Simbine will be supported by rising star Benjamin Richardson, consistent sprinter Shaun Maswanganyi and junior national record holder Bradley Nkoana, who have all run under 10.04 this year. The national relay team will also have the services of teenager Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile and, possibly, even Wayde van Niekerk.

Simbine is tied for fifth in the men’s 100m world rankings this season (along with Richardson) and the 4x100m relay team is ranked seventh, and all signs suggest they can go even faster when track and field competition begins next week.

In both events, Simbine has the chance to claim a well-deserved medal and, with it, perhaps finally receive the respect she deserves at the highest level of the sport.