“First and foremost, it’s team camaraderie,” says Akani Simbine when asked about the art of relay running. “If a team actually get along, then they are able to make it work.”
After anchoring South Africa to men’s 4x100m silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Simbine returns to relay action at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 this weekend (10-11 May), where he will be joined by two of his teammates from that final in Paris – Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza.
Akani Simbine and Bradley Nkoana at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (© World Athletics)
The aim is to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September and make another statement following that medal-winning performance in Paris.
“The big thing with the placing of the guys – everybody wants to be the anchor, because they feel like the anchor gets all the limelight,” he adds, explaining what makes a successful relay team. “But every position works with different strengths, and every athlete has different strengths. As a coach, when you’re putting together a team, it’s putting together the guys according to their strengths and not according to egos.
“You can have the fastest guys in the world at that time running, but if you don’t get the stick around, and you don’t have the guys in their best positions running, then it’s not going to work out.”
It worked out very well in Paris, where world U20 100m and 200m champion Walaza ran the first leg, Shaun Maswanganyi the second, Nkoana the third and Simbine the anchor to clock an African record of 37.57 and secure silver, just 0.07 behind champions Canada.
Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Bayanda Walaza receive their Olympic medals in Paris (© Mattia Ozbot)
“It’s the camaraderie and everybody just wanting to be part of the team and starting to believe in a relay culture in South Africa,” explains Simbine, “because before that, we didn’t have a relay culture – it was always just ‘show up and run’. Now people are actually believing in getting medals and the importance of getting medals from the World Championships or from the Olympics, and making it a priority. That’s a big thing for us now.”
After two consecutive Olympic fourth-place finishes in the individual 100m, plus a fifth place in 2016 and one fourth- and two fifth-place 100m finishes at the World Championships, it was Simbine’s first global major medal.
“South Africa went crazy and went nuts for the medal,” he says with a smile. “I think it was also a big thing because of me getting a medal at a major championship – I was able to get a medal, but South Africa was also able to get a medal. That was a great thing. South Africa just loves relays now – it’s a big thing for the sport.”
Debut of the mixed 4x100m
The mixed 4x100m makes its global debut at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 and while South Africa won’t be fielding a team this time, Simbine will be watching with interest.
“It brings a different taste to athletics. Now, it is not just about having the fastest men or the fastest women, it is about having the fastest team. The relay is a team event in an individual sport and that’s the most exciting part of it. I am going to be watching and supporting, to see how it works out.”
Akani Simbine’s mixed 4x100m dream team:
Leg 1: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM)
Leg 2: Shericka Jackson (JAM)
Leg 3: Yohan Blake (JAM)
Leg 4: Akani Simbine (RSA)
Since then, Simbine has added a first major international individual medal to his CV as he claimed 60m bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March. He is also unbeaten outdoors so far this year – following his season opener in Botswana with Diamond League wins in Xiamen and Shanghai/Keqiao.
Having won in Botswana in 9.90, and followed that with 9.99 in Xiamen and 9.98 in Shanghai/Keqiao, Simbine has dipped under 10 seconds for 100m in each of the past 11 years.
Akani Simbine at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (© World Athletics)
And the 31-year-old believes that medal in Paris was just the start.
“It’s bringing a lot of momentum, the winning momentum,” he says. “It’s not like I didn’t have confidence, but I have more confidence in myself. I’m also at a place where I’m very content. I’m not making getting a medal my sole purpose – it’s more about perfecting the craft of running, perfecting the craft of sprinting, and trying to make it as best as I can.”
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
