Akani Simbine leading next SA generation at World Relays
Akani Simbine From left, Shaun Maswanganyi is not in China, but Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza will lead the SA 4x100m team at the World Relays this weekend. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Claiming a silver medal at last year's Paris Olympics heralded a new era in South African sprinting, and they hope to go for gold at this year's world championships.
But having achieved amazing success in the French capital, the road to the global event in Tokyo in September for Team South Africa will start this weekend at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Top of the medal chase for SA will be the men's 4x100m group, which will be led by Akani Simbine, and he will be supported by fellow Paris medallists Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana, as well as Sinesipho Dambile, Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Tsebo Matsoso.
The men's 4x400m team includes current SA champion Zakithi Nene – who clocked a new personal best of 44.22 recently – as well as world junior 400m champion Udeme Okon, former world junior winner Lythe Pillay, Gardeo Isaacs, Tumisang Shezi and Mthi Mthimkulu.
The women's 4x400m squad will be made up of Miranda Coetzee, Zeney Geldenhuys, Hannah van Niekerk, Shirley Nekhubui, Precious Molepo and Jada van Staden.
Isaacs, Coetzee and Nekhubui will compete in the mixed 4x400m event, along with junior star Leendert Koekemoer.
Simbine secured his first ever global individual medal in the 60m at the world indoor championships in China in March, and hopes to continue with his impressive season at the World Relays.
'Getting the individual medal was an important thing. It was important for my career and my confidence,' Simbine said during a press conference in China on Friday.
'But at the same time, I look at my career as just a statement of what athletics is: never giving up on your dreams, and always pushing to the finish line.
'For me, it's always been about showing up, starting the season, and always trying to be the best I can in that season.
'Yes, I've been always coming fourth and falling short, but that has never taken away from the experience of what I want to do in the sport – that is improving myself and becoming a better athlete.
'Becoming the best sprinter I can become. In that, comes the medals, and to be able to run consistently at a high level over 11 years. That was the important thing in my career.'
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad Loading
But the 31-year-old SA record-holder, who finished fourth in the 100m Paris Olympic final with a new national mark of 9.82, is keen to help develop the next generation.
Walaza is the 100m and 200m world junior champion, and the 19-year-old will hope to pick up some tips from Simbine as he takes in the experience of running in China.
'It was very important for us, as we actually believed that we could win – that we could come out with a medal,' Simbine said.
'That was something that was over years that we were building. We always believed we had a team that could get a medal, but it was just that we couldn't put it together.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Gauff ends Boisson's dream run to reach final, Sabalenka dethrones Swiatek
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open with a ruthless 6-1 6-2 victory on Thursday to set up a final clash with top seed Aryna Sabalenka. Laser-focused, the world number two from the US subdued the French wild card and the home crowd to speed through the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier and reach the Roland Garros final for the second time after she lost to Iga Swiatek in 2022. Ranked 361st in the world, Boisson had downed world number three Jessica Pegula and Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the previous rounds, but she looked deflated against Gauff. The 22-year-old will, however, pocket a career-changing €690,000 (R14m) in prize money, while Gauff will have the chance to secure her second Grand Slam title after winning the 2023 US Open. Earlier, world number one Sabalenka battled past four-time champion Iga Swiatek to reach her first French Open final with a 7-6(1) 4-6 6-0 victory that ended the Pole's reign in Paris and snapped her 26-game winning streak in the tournament. The Belarusian's power proved too much for the defending champion, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris. Swiatek had won the previous three editions along with her maiden crown in 2020 The top seed will now play either France's Lois Boisson, the first player in the Open Era to reach this stage of the French Open as a wild card, or second-seeded American Coco Gauff in Saturday's showcase match. 'Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I'm just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere,' Sabalenka said. 'She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match it was a tricky match but I managed.' Sabalenka, playing her second French open semifinal and seeking her first title in Paris, powered into a 3-0 lead, twice breaking the Pole. She kept attacking her opponent's serve with Swiatek winning just 35% of her points on her second serve. Swiatek, who late last year accepted a one-month doping ban and came into the tournament without a single title win this season, had reached the semifinals dropping just one set in five matches. But she looked completely out of sorts. With seven unforced errors in the first three games she was playing catch-up from the start. The Pole, struggled with her serve and had racked up two double faults by the fifth game. She gradually, however, found her range and precision, countering Sabalenka's raw power with superb ball placement and levelled when her opponent double-faulted on break point. The Belarusian was furious, angrily shouting to her team in the box, before overrunning her opponent in the tiebreak. The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set before Swiatek earned another to level the match. But Sabalenka was not to be denied, breaking the 24-year-old world number five at the start of the third to take control. 'I think the pace from her was super fast,' Swiatek said. 'Especially at the beginning of the match, she played just kind of as hard as possible and pretty risky. So it was just hard to get into any rally.' 'In the third set I feel like we kind of came back to what happened in the first, and she for sure used her chances, and I didn't really keep up what I was doing in the second set.' Sabalenka gave her opponent no chance with her thunderous groundstrokes, powering through the decider as Swiatek ran out of steam. 'It could not be more perfect than that,' Sabalenka said of her third-set performance. 'I'm super proud right now, I'm glad I found my serve [again in the third set].'
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Jose Riveiro reveals the real reason he left Orlando Pirates?
Earlier this year, Jose Riveiro dropped a bombshell when he announced that he would not extend his stay when his contract at Orlando Pirates expired. At the time he made the announcement, the Buccaneers were well poised to win at least two trophies, but poor form saw the team finish with just the MTN8, which they won at the beginning of the season. After losing the Nedbank Cup final on 10 May, Jose Riveiro asked the Pirates management to release him early as he had already signed with a new club. At the time, the Sea Robbers had nothing to play for with the league already out of reach. The Spaniard won five trophies in three seasons and while most coaches would want to continue winning, Riveiro chose to leave. He did make a hint last year when he mentioned how far he was away from his family. Having joined Al Ahly, the 49-year-old has revealed that his wife's dream is to live in Egypt as she adores the culture. 'I am married and have a 6-year-old daughter, and I'm very happy that she's part of my life,' he told Al Ahly TV. '[I am] thrilled that she'll have the opportunity to come live in Egypt. 'My wife loves Egypt and adores Egyptian culture, and her father used to work in Egypt,' Riveiro concluded. Jose Riveiro might have had success at Pirates, but time away from his family took a toll on him. Given Egypt is much closer to Spain, it makes sense why he decided to relocate and coach in North Africa. His wife's love for Egypt made his decision to leave Pirates muach easier. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Coco Gauff stops fairytale Lois Boisson run to reach French Open final
Gauff advances to the final Winner US Coco Gauff (R) shakes hands with France's Lois Boisson at the end of their women's singles semi-final match on day 12 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on Thursday. Photo: Julien de Rosa/AFP Image: Julien de Rosa/AFP Coco Gauff brought a quick end to surprise French hero Lois Boisson's improbable run at Roland Garros on Thursday to set up a final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff dominated from the outset on Court Philippe Chatrier and pulled away to a 6-1, 6-2 victory to extinguish the host nation's hopes of a first French Open winner since Mary Pierce in 2000. The 21-year-old Gauff is through to her third Grand Slam singles final. She finished runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros three years ago before beating Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open. "Obviously there's still a lot of work to do, but for now I'll enjoy this one and then prepare for the final tomorrow," she said. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. For Boisson, 22, it marked a disappointing finish to a remarkable first Grand Slam appearance, a year after missing out because of a serious knee injury. The world number 361 had never played a top-50 opponent before this week. Boisson dumped out two in the top 10 in third-ranked Jessica Pegula and world number six Mirra Andreeva to set up her last-four clash with Gauff. But Gauff proved a hurdle too far for a player who only had one WTA tour-level win before the start of the tournament. Boisson's entrance on court drew huge roars from a crowd filling back up after watching Sabalenka knock out three-time reigning champion Swiatek in the first semi-final. Cheers greeted each of Boisson's returns during the warm-up, but it was Gauff who hit the ground running with a break of serve in the opening game. The American second seed followed a comfortable hold with another break to dampen home spirits as the rain began to pound heavily on the closed roof. Boisson passed up three break points in the fourth game before finally getting on the board after Gauff had raced into a 4-0 lead. Gauff wrapped up the set with little fuss though following another break, subduing a partisan crowd that helped spur Boisson past Andreeva in the quarter-finals. After an exchange of holds to begin the second set, Boisson couldn't capitalise on a break point in the third game as she fired a forehand low into the net. Gauff broke for a 3-1 cushion only to hand the advantage right back the next game. With Boisson struggling for the consistency of earlier rounds, Gauff soon seized control again with her fifth break of the match for a 4-2 edge. Boisson could not produce one last act of defying the odds as Gauff pocketed the final two games to seal a comfortable victory. AFP
