Akani Simbine ‘not done yet’ as he targets Olympic relay medal

Despite narrowly missing out yet again, sprinter Akani Simbine says he hasn’t given up on chasing a medal at the Olympic Games, as he sets his sights on the podium in the 4x100m relay.

Simbine took fourth place in the men’s 100m final on Sunday night, clocking 9.82 seconds to break his own South African record, and falling just 0.01 short of a breakthrough medal.

It was the third successive edition of the Olympics in which Simbine finished in the top five in the 100m final but did not step on the podium.

He was delighted with his result, however, showcasing his class as the most consistent sprinter on the international circuit.

“There’s no South African that’s ever been in three Olympic finals and placed higher than me… and that’s a great thing on its own,” Simbine said.

“I might not be getting the medals and stuff, but what I’m doing is changing how sprinting is seen in South Africa and I’m motivating a lot of kids, and that is really great.”

Another opportunity

After the race, 30-year-old Simbine switched his focus to the 4x100m relay heats to be held on Thursday morning.

He was set to be joined by 100m semifinalists Benjamin Richardson and Shaun Maswanganyi. The relay squad also had the services of rising junior stars Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza, as well as Sinesipho Dambile, and potentially even 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.

Simbine was confident the in-form relay squad could challenge for a medal in the final to be held on Friday. 

“We’re not done yet. We’re coming back in the relay,” he said.

“We’ve got three good guys who were in the semis… and we’ve got another shot, so we’re gonna go for it.”