Watch: Sprinter Akani Simbine smash SA 100m record

19 July 2016 - 09:19 By DAVID ISAACSON

Akani Simbine smashed his South African 100m record as he clocked 9.89sec to beat Jamaican star Asafa Powell in Budapest last night. Then he embarrassed the Athletics SA Olympic selectors for their decision to drop him from the 200m roster at the Rio Games, presumably because he had not shown form in this event recently.Simbine won the longer sprint, too, in a 20.16 personal best - far better than the 20.47 achieved by schoolboy Gift Leotlela, the slowest of the country's three sprinters named for this race.Simbine's agent, Peet van Zyl, appealed his exclusion late last week, but it was not immediately known if ASA or the SA Olympic Committee had acted on this before the Rio Games entries deadline expired yesterday.His 100m time last night rocketed him to fifth on the world rankings and suddenly pushes him into contention for an Olympic medal at the Rio Games next month.With Wayde van Niekerk in the 400m and Anaso Jobodwana in the 200m, South Africa could have finalists - maybe even medallists - in all three of the men's sprints in Brazil.Simbine, the 29th man on the planet to dip below 9.90, was too quick for Powell, a former world record-holder, who finished second in a season's best 9.92...

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