‘I can still get more out of the sport,’ says ‘bittersweet’ Akani Simbine

Akani Simbine shrugged off his second straight Olympic 100m fourth spot in Paris on Sunday night, saying the result in Tokyo three years ago hurt more.

The result in 2021 left him wanting to quit the sport, but he stuck at it only to fulfil contractual obligations before rediscovering his love for athletics.

It was probably that second wind of love that lifted him up after missing the podium again, this time by only one-hundredth of a second despite lowering his national record to 9.82 seconds.

In a photo finish to separate the first seven places, Simbine was three-hundredths of a second behind the new champion, American braggart Noah Lyles and second-placed Jamaican Kishane Thompson.

Fred Kerley, the American world champion from 2022, took the bronze in 9.81 seconds.

“I’m bittersweet, but happy,” Simbine said afterwards.

“I won't say I’m as disappointed as I was in Tokyo, but right now I’m happy.

“The next thing I could have also was a medal, but other than that and missing out on the medal by point zero zero one, it's like ag.

“But that’s sprinting, it’s part of the game. I’m happy with the national record, happy I was in the final, happy I put myself in a position to be the fourth-fastest man in the world.”

This was the fastest 100m race in history, with all competitors breaking 10 seconds with a legal wind behind them. Simbine’s time would have made the podium at every Games except at London 2012.

The 30-year-old insisted he was ready to launch his campaign for a fourth Olympics.

“There’s no way I’m leaving the sport now. I started the sport very late in my life, so I feel like I can still get more out of the sport. I’m 30, I’m running the fastest I’ve ever ran in my life. I’ve still got a drive.”

Perhaps the greatest indication he had his mojo was his confidence ahead of the 4x100m relay, which comes up at the end of the week.

“Definitely. We've been training, the guys are really in shape, the guys are excited about the relays and I'm looking forward to it.

“I think in Tokyo I left the 100m very despondent and the relay team could feed off of that. They were also like, 'AK’s not 100%, but we'll try to pick him up'.

“ I'm happy but  it is what it is. Let’s move on to the relay, move on to looking forward to running with the guys and making sure we are putting ourselves in a medal position.”

Let’s move on to the relay, move on to looking forward to running with the guys and making sure we are putting ourselves in a medal position.

—  Akani Simbine

He said everyone in the relay was looking good, pointing out that 100m semi-finalists Benjamin Richardson and Shaun Maswanganyi were running sub-10 and Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza were looking good in training.

“It’s up to the coach to decide who runs, where we run. We’ve practised our exchanges, we know where we should run but it’s up to the coach to decide.”

Simbine is the first South African to have endured fourth places at different Olympics, though racewalker Cecil McMaster did it twice at one Games, at Antwerp 1920.

McMaster went to Paris in 1924 and won a bronze in his third attempt.

Perhaps redemption in the relay is awaiting Simbine at Stade de France.

Simbine was impressive in his semifinal, winning ahead of Botswana’s world championship silver medallist Letsile Tebogo (9.91) and defending Games champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy (9.92).

Neither Shaun Maswanganyi nor Benjamin Richardson advanced to the final.

Maswanganyi ended fifth in the first semifinal in a 10.02 season’s best and Richardson was third in the third semi in 9.95.

All the latest Paris Games coverage on TimesLIVE’s Olympics 2024 page.

All the Team SA results here.