Deji Ogeyingbo pays tribute to Akani Simbin, the best male sprinter on the African continent.
Akani Simbin’s third Olympic experience was magical. not just how he displayed it all.
Akani Simbin stood on the podium waiting to receive his silver medal at the Stade De France. With so many emotions coursing through her body, she could only wear a smile. Perhaps he was thinking about all the pain he had endured during the last eight years of world competition. He was the closest person, but in that moment everything came together for him.
Simbin, alongside Sean Maswangani and young talents Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza, secured silver in an African record 37.57 seconds in the men’s 4x100m relay final. It was the penultimate day of the event and all hope seemed lost. The South African national 100m record holder should have been focused on Los Angeles as his final attempt after four years, but the universe wanted to reward him for his patience.
A week or so after this silver medal for Simbin, the South African was not far behind again in the men’s 100m, finishing fourth in a new personal best of 9.82. He missed the podium for the third time in a row after finishing fifth and fourth in Rio and Tokyo. This fourth place in Paris felt like a sting in the tail. Almost like it was never meant to be. Every time he got better, there was always someone else who could run almost a hundredth of a second faster than him.
If Simbin’s experience this summer contained geography and a competitive win, it would be more than enough. Playing a vital role for his country, he secured a relay medal, fulfilling his lifelong dream of standing on the Olympic podium at his third attempt. Living the dream.
From a skinny 22-year-old from the South African suburbs to Africa’s best sprinter, Simbin didn’t think it would take him so long to wear a world medal around his neck. But life has a way of throwing us curve balls, but if you stick with the game like Simbin did, you never know how or when it will reward you.
“I’m thrilled that we came out here, ran our hearts out and won an Olympic silver medal, finishing with an African record,” said Simbin, who narrowly missed out on a medal in the 100m semi-final last week and got it. has often conceded significant championships throughout his career. “It’s finally a big championship medal for me and I’m hungrier than ever. I’m excited, I’m proud of the boys and I’m proud of our country.”
If one thing has been constant in Simbin’s professional career, it has been his desire not to give up. Shortly after finishing fourth in the 100m, he was the first to speak positively about his race. There is a lot of talk about how he is still waiting for the Los Angeles Games in 2028 and he wants to regain the Commonwealth Games title that he lost to Ferdinand Omayanla in 2022.
As confident as he is in his abilities, Simbine is uniquely humble when he approaches the sport. He knows what he doesn’t know, and he knows who to listen to in his quest for understanding. In Paris he was surrounded by the smartest, youngest and most advanced sprinters. They are certainly the next generation that African nations will produce. For now, Simbin can enjoy his newfound status. Maybe he did not imagine that the medal would be received, but it happened. That’s all that matters.
