South African sprinter Akani Simbine expressed that the silver medal he and his teammates won in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics on Friday night was dedicated to those who have supported him throughout his career.
Also read: Property market in Cape Town continues to rebel against national current
Team South Africa secured the silver medal in the 4x100m relay final at Stade de France thanks to seamless teamwork and precise baton exchanges. The team entered the final as one of the favourites after recording the second-fastest time in the preliminary round. The quartet, consisting of the experienced Simbine, U.S.-based Shaun Maswanganyi, and two young athletes, Bayanda Walaza (18) and Bradley Nkoana (19), delivered a remarkable performance, earning South Africa its fifth medal of the Games.
Walaza started strong, running the opening leg in 10.41 seconds, placing the team fourth. Maswanganyi, known for his prowess in the 200m, took on the back straight, clocking 9.06 seconds. Nkoana then maintained the team’s position with a time of 9.32 seconds on the third leg. By the time Simbine received the baton, South Africa was in sixth place. Simbine, showcasing his world-class finishing ability, ran the anchor leg in 8.78 seconds, leading South Africa to a second-place finish behind Canada with a national record time of 37.57 seconds.
This silver medal is significant as it marks South Africa’s first track and field medal in a major championship in seven years. For Simbine, it is his first Olympic medal and a milestone that also propels the careers of Maswanganyi, Nkoana, and Walaza, who are now Olympic silver medalists.
Simbine, who narrowly missed a medal in the men’s 100m final by just 0.01 seconds, described winning the silver as a way to lift a weight off his shoulders and expressed his desire for more achievements at the age of 30.
‘Finally,’ Simbine remarked after the race. ‘I got a major championship medal. I’m just hungry for more. I’m happy for the guys, I’m happy for our country. I’m so happy that we came out here and ran, and we got a silver medal.’
Despite having fallen short of the podium in previous major championships, including 5th place at Rio 2016 and 4th at Tokyo 2020, Simbine emphasised that his career has been built on consistent performances rather than medals.
‘My career has not been about the medals, it’s just been about a lot of consistency, and I have shown that I will always be there. I have shown that I will be an athlete that will step up to the plate and I will fight, my name will always be there’ he said.
‘The medal is just the cherry on top, I have proven myself to the game. I have proven myself to my competitors and that for me is enough. I’m inspiring a new generation in Africa, that’s really huge and I don’t take it very lightly, and now to I have a medal to add to that but that doesn’t describe me. I am a sprinter, I am an athlete, but this medal is just for everyone who has wished a medal upon me, my medal belongs to everyone.’
Maswanganyi also expressed his appreciation for Simbine and highlighted the significance of the moment for the entire team, particularly for the young athletes, Walaza and Nkoana.
‘For guys like AK (Simbine), I know it’s a special moment for him, it’s a special moment for these two guys (Walaza and Nkoana),’ Maswanganyi said.
‘We were aiming for the gold, but we’ll settle for the silver. We know there’s more to come, there’s still another Olympics and there’s still more young guys coming through the ranks.’
Also read:
Picture: Roger Sedres / Gallo Images