Simbine powers SA relay team to silver medal

Akani Simbine once again unleashed a display of awesome power as he anchored South Africa to the 4x100m relay silver medal in Gold Coast on Saturday.

And Clint Hendricks bagged a second medal for SA on the day‚ taking bronze in the men’s road where he snatched third spot in a sprint for the line.

Team SA were still clinging to fifth spot on the medals table with 13 gold‚ 11 silver and 13 bronze‚ just one gold ahead of New Zealand. The country’s most realistic chance of a final Commonwealth Games gold is the Blitz Boks in the rugby sevens which concludes on Sunday.

Gold Coast 100m champion Simbine‚ silver medallist Henricho Bruintjies‚ Emile Erasmus and Anaso Jobodwana claimed SA’s first medal in this event since the last time the Games were held in Australia at Melbourne 2006.

The 35.24sec national record the class of 2018 clocked was more than half-a-second quicker than the 38.98 Lee-Roy Newton‚ Leigh Julius‚ Snyman Prinsloo and Sherwin Vries ran for silver 12 years ago.

Simbine was in fourth position when he took the baton from Anaso Jobodwana‚ trailing England’s Harry Aikines-Aryeetey‚ Yohan Blake of Jamaica and Australian Josh Clarke.

He hit the turbo and overhauled two of them‚ but just didn’t have enough time to catch the Englishman.

“All that was in my head was‚ just get in front‚ just get in front‚ just catch. I remember seeing Blake coming up and I was like no ways he’s going to get me this time.

“I moved and I was getting closer to Harry from England and I was just give me 10 metres more‚ 10 metres more‚ and that 10 metres didn’t come.”

Simbine ran the anchor leg when SA set the last national record‚ 38.35‚ at the previous Games in Glasgow‚ delivering the fastest final leg after Usain Bolt.