Akani Simbine

Akani Simbine
Simbine in 2019
Personal information
NationalitySouth African
Born (1993-09-21) 21 September 1993 (age 31)
Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa[1]
Height176 cm (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Weight74 kg (163 lb)[2]
Sport
CountrySouth Africa
SportAthletics
Events
University teamUniversity of Pretoria Tuks HPC
Coached byWerner Prinsloo[3]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • 100 m: 9.82 NR (Paris 2024)
  • 150 m: 15.08 A (2020)
  • 200 m: 19.95 A (2017)[4][1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  South Africa
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 4×100 m relay
World Relays
Gold medal – first place 2021 Chorzów 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2019 Yokohama 4×200 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 100 m
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham 100 m
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Asaba 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Asaba 4×100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2016 Durban 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2022 Mauritius 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Durban 100 m
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2015 Gwangju 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Gwangju 4×100 m relay
Representing Africa
Continental Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Ostrava 100 m

Akani Simbine (born 21 September 1993) is a South African sprinter specialising in the 100 metres event.[1] He was fifth at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 metres and was the 100 metres African record holder with a time of 9.84 seconds set in July 2021 until broken by Ferdinand Omanyala in September 2021.

Simbine was a World Championships finalist in the men's 100 metres in 2017 (fifth) and 2019 (fourth), and was 100 metres champion at the 2018 African Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games. In the 4 × 100 metres relay, he helped South Africa become champions at the African Championships in 2016 and 2018, and place second at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a South African record time of 38.24 seconds. He anchored South Africa to gold at the 2021 World Relays. Simbine has finished inside the top 5 in the last four major championship 100m races, including 4th at the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Summer Olympics missing out on the bronze medal to Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.

After missing out on a medal yet again in the men's 100 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics – finishing fourth with a new South African record time of 9.82, Simbine finally won an Olympic silver medal as part of South Africa's 4 × 100 metres relay team on 9 August 2024.

On 10 July 2024, the South African Olympic Committee designated him and the artistic gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz as the flag bearers at the París 2024 Olympic Games.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "SIMBINE Akani". gwangju2015.kr. 2015 Summer Universiade. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. ^ Breakfast, Siviwe (28 June 2018). "IAAF Diamond League: Simbine faces tough field in 100m". thesouthafrican.com. The South African. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Simbine makes history, runs fastest 100m in SA". sport24.co.za. News24. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Team SA flag bearers named at send-off banquet". South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.