Akani Simbine has revealed the rare Olympic sprinting feat he shares with Usain Bolt, highlighting his unmatched consistency on the global stage.
South African sprinting ace Akani Simbine is undeniably one of the most consistent sprinters in the world but did you know that he shares one of the most admirable accolades with Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt?
Simbine might not have won an individual medal on the global stage just yet but he is certainly working towards that.
However, one thing is evident, his consistency on the track is unmatched and only compares to Usain Bolt who remains one of the greatest sprinters in history.
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Akani Simbine and Usain Bolt are the only sprinters to have been consistent in making the Olympic 100m final and finishing in the top five brackets in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Before his retirement, Usain Bolt was one of the most feared sprinters in the world. He made his Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens but did not really live up to the billing then.
However, the eight-time Olympic champion bounced back at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where he claimed the gold medal in the 100m before extending the winning streak to the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
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Akani Simbine is the only other sprinter to have achieved that type of consistency as far as the Olympic Games are concerned.
He made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where he finished an impressive fifth in the 100m final before finishing fourth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I’ve run sub-10 consistently in the last decade and myself and Usain Bolt are the only two athletes in history to have made three consecutive 100m Olympic finals and place in the top five and that is something that no one has done except myself and Usain and everybody on the track knows that,” Akani Simbine revealed in an interview on Ozow on Air podcast.
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“They know the work I have out in and they know what I want to do for my country and I always say that I want more South Africans and Africans to be on the line with me.”
Going down memory lane to the Paris Olympic Games, Akani Simbine revealed that he was confident of winning a medal and knew that people were also rooting for him to make history but things did not go as planned.
He would once again settle for fourth behind Fred Kerley who rounded up the podium in the tight race. Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson finished first and second respectively.
He noted that before the race, people had told him it was his turn to now win a medal and the commentators were also backing him to get a medal.
“The whole track world wants me to get a medal, you know, the track world knows how much I’ve been there for track and what I’ve done for track and how close I’ve always been to a medal and always consistently being in a final and challenging for a medal,” Akani Simbine revealed.
“Since 2016 I have always been missing out and everyone was saying how they wanted me to get a medal and they wished it would happen. Even the commentator has seen my growth and I’m the most consistent sprinter in the last decade.”
Akani Simbine continues to show up on the global stage with the hope that one day he will win an individual medal. He fulfilled one of his wishes at the Paris Olympics, winning the silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay race.
