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Eyewitness News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Akani Simbine snatches a 3rd Diamond League win
Palesa Manaleng 26 May 2025 | 12:29 Diamond League Akani Simbine FILE: South Africa's Akani Simbine at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Jewel SAMAD / AFP JOHANNESBURG – Akani Simbine claimed his third 100m Diamond League win of 2025 in Rabat on Sunday., The 31-year-old sprinter stretched his unbeaten 100m record to five international meets. His pace over the final 30 or so metres was too much for the field as he streaked to an easy win, clocking 9.95sec ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) and Olympic bronze medallist Fred Kerley of the US (10.07). "I feel great, I feel confident, I am happy that I could take the win today and that I can finish this month strong and healthy. Another sub-10 in the bag, so slowly we go down in time which is really great. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and going back to training in Italy to get ready for the next Diamond League' said Simbine to reporters afterwards. READ MORE: Akani Simbine sprints to a world-leading time at Botswana Golden Grand Prix Akani Simbine burns rubber at the Diamond League series in Xiamen Akani Simbine continues to dominate 100m with win at Atlanta City Games Simbine's 9.90 seconds from the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in April remains as the official world lead for 2025. "It's amazing to have this kind of competition in Africa. I wish we had so much more of them. Look at the stands, people love watching sports. It's really great to run on this continent, showcasing African talent and show the world that we can host great meets." The Olympian has won three 100m Diamond League events this season and a medal at the World Indoors and anchored Team SA to gold in the 4x100m World Relays. Pure Power 💥 Akani Simbine 🇿🇦 continues to lay down the law in the men's 100m, dropping a cool 9.95 seconds ⏱️ last night at #RabatDL 🇲🇦#DiamondLeague 💎 — Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 26, 2025
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Central Gauteng Athletics runner wins second gold in China
SA sprinting ace Akani Simbine won back-to-back 100m races in the 2025 Diamond League season, defeating Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson in Keqiao, the People's Republic of China, on May 3. The Olympic relay silver medalist and former Edenglen High learner finished with a flourish, beating Thompson to the line in a photo finish. Simbine finished in 9.98 seconds, with the Jamaican star only 0.01 seconds behind him. The Central Gauteng Athletics' (CGA) Simbine now has three wins in as many international 100m races this season, capping off a fantastic start to 2025. ALSO READ: Central Gauteng Athletics runner shatters Usain Bolt's record He also topped the podium at last week's Diamond League event in Xiamen, the People's Republic of China. Simbine is the current form sprinter, clocking a world best of 9.90 seconds at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone on April 12. The Shanghai/Keqiao 2025 Diamond League men's 100m results: • Akani Simbine (RSA): 9.98 seconds; • Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) 9.99s; • Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) 10.03s; • Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) 10.07s; • Christian Coleman (USA) 10.13s; • Rohan Watson (Jamaica) 10.18s; • Jeremiah Azu (Great Britain) 10.19s; • Xie Zhenye (China) 10.23s; • Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya) 10.25s. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
South Africa's Simbine reaping rewards of strong indoor season work
Akani Simbine has emerged as the man to beat over 100 metres this year but the South African is not putting extra pressure on himself early in a campaign in which he will target world championship glory in Tokyo. After a strong indoor season, Simbine set a world leading time of 9.90 seconds en route to gold at last month's Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone before dipping under 10 seconds again to triumph at both Diamond League meetings in China. The 31-year-old, who also won his first individual global sprint medal with bronze in the 60m event at the world indoor championships in Nanjing said his solid preparation for the shorter distance had made all the difference over 100m. 'I just think it comes from having a really great indoor (season). Setting up myself for the indoors has put me in the position to run what I'm running now,' Simbine told reporters ahead of this weekend's World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. ALSO READ | Serena, Allyson Felix, Coach K among US Olympic Paralympic 2025 HoF class 'Usually, around this time I would clock a high 9.9, that's been the norm ... I'm running sub-10s because of the work we've done for 60m, but also because naturally my last 40m is really good on its own. 'Being the man to beat isn't something I think about. At the end of the day I'm running and winning my races, that's all that needs to be done. The rest of it, the noise around it is created by you guys (the media) and the fans.' Simbine opted to stay in China instead of flying home for a training camp with his teammates and will compete in the 4x100m relays this weekend as South Africa look to secure their place in September's world championships in Tokyo. Simbine said he was hoping to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 after missing out on a podium spot at last year's Games. He set a national record of 9.82 seconds but could only manage a fourth-placed finish in Paris. 'I've been taking it season by season. That's the big thing with me ... I don't think about age and how long I've have been in the game. I just take every year as it comes,' Simbine said. 'That's one of the benefits. I have a really great team, my physio and trainer keep me healthy, while my coach is also good. So it's having a great system around me that has kept me in the game for so long. 'The 2028 Games is definitely the plan, but it might be my last Olympics. We'll see what the body says. If the body still allows after that, I'll definitely stick around.'
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Central Gauteng Athletics runner shines on world stage
Central Gauteng Athletics 2024 senior men athlete of the year Akani Simbine continues to break records on international stages. He recently became the first athlete to run the 100m race in less than 10 seconds for 11 years in a row, breaking Usain Bolt's record. On April 26, in Xiamen, People's Republic of China, Simbine won the opening 100m event of the Diamond League season by dominating a stacked field. The South African speedster crossed the finish line ahead of former world champion Christian Coleman and Olympic 200m winner Letsile Tebogo. With a time of 9.99 seconds, Simbine, the world's indoor bronze champion, crossed the finish line far ahead of the competition. Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya came in second in 10.13 seconds, and Jeremiah Azu of the United Kingdom came in third in 10.17 seconds. With a time of 10.20 seconds, Tebogo had to settle for seventh place in the 10-man competition. At the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone on Saturday, April 12, Simbine posted a world lead of 9.90 seconds, demonstrating his excellent form early in the season. The South African also won his first global sprint medal, taking bronze in the 60m at the recent World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in his competitions debut. This was a career defining win for him as he previously had failed to reach the podium in three world championships and one Olympic final. The former Edenglen High learner is looking to continue his form at the World Athletics Relays championship to be held in Guangzhou, China. A total of 19 athletes have been included in the South African team for the championships. The national squad will compete in four events, including the men's 4x100m, the men's and women's 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m. The men's 4x100m team will be anchored by national 100m record holder Simbine. He will be joined by junior sensation Walaza and fellow rising star Bradley Nkoana, both of whom joined Simbine in the sprint relay team that earned South Africa the silver medal at last year's Olympic Games in Paris, as well as national 200m champion Sinesipho Dambile, Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Tsebo Matsoso. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
South Africa's Simbine reaping rewards of strong indoor season work
BENGALURU - Akani Simbine has emerged as the man to beat over 100 metres this year but the South African is not putting extra pressure on himself early in a campaign in which he will target world championship glory in Tokyo. After a strong indoor season, Simbine set a world leading time of 9.90 seconds en route to gold at last month's Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone before dipping under 10 seconds again to triumph at both Diamond League meetings in China. The 31-year-old, who also won his first individual global sprint medal with bronze in the 60m event at the world indoor championships in Nanjing said his solid preparation for the shorter distance had made all the difference over 100m. "I just think it comes from having a really great indoor (season). Setting up myself for the indoors has put me in the position to run what I'm running now," Simbine told reporters ahead of this weekend's World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. "Usually, around this time I would clock a high 9.9, that's been the norm ... I'm running sub-10s because of the work we've done for 60m, but also because naturally my last 40m is really good on its own. "Being the man to beat isn't something I think about. At the end of the day I'm running and winning my races, that's all that needs to be done. The rest of it, the noise around it is created by you guys (the media) and the fans." Simbine opted to stay in China instead of flying home for a training camp with his teammates and will compete in the 4x100m relays this weekend as South Africa look to secure their place in September's world championships in Tokyo. Simbine said he was hoping to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 after missing out on a podium spot at last year's Games. He set a national record of 9.82 seconds but could only manage a fourth-placed finish in Paris. "I've been taking it season by season. That's the big thing with me ... I don't think about age and how long I've have been in the game. I just take every year as it comes," Simbine said. "That's one of the benefits. I have a really great team, my physio and trainer keep me healthy, while my coach is also good. So it's having a great system around me that has kept me in the game for so long. "The 2028 Games is definitely the plan, but it might be my last Olympics. We'll see what the body says. If the body still allows after that, I'll definitely stick around." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
