Akani Simbine had envisaged this being the year he finally came good. Much more experienced as an athlete and significantly matured as a man, the 26-year-old sprinter was confident he would attain the big event podium finish his talent so deserves.
“Athletics was not always my chosen field,” says Simbine from his base at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre. “I was actually coerced into it, because I wanted to be a soccer star. And I believe I had what it took to make it. I dreamt of playing for Kaizer Chiefs and I thought I was on my way to realising that.
“And they would beat me badly, so much so that my mom would say, ‘Those boys run like horses.’ I just did not understand. I envied those kids. I wanted to have the blocks and all that other stuff because I believed I would beat them if I was on their level.”He still did well enough, however, to represent his school. “In 2012, I ran at the SA Junior Champs and got beat badly. Wayde [van Niekerk] and them smashed me. It was the qualifiers for the World Championships and I did not even come close.
He got his breakthrough at the Zone 6 Championships in Zambia, where he won bronze in an age group record time of 10.19s.
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