By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Akani Simbine set himself up perfectly for the Paris Olympics by timing a season’s best of 9.85sec to finish second in the 100m at Saturday’s Diamond League meeting.
“It feels good and I’m happy with my race,” the 30-year-old sprinter told the World Athletics website.”
“This is a huge confidence boost ahead of the Games, knowing the shape I’m in right now and knowing what we need to work on just in the last week.”
Aside from the confidence he gained in his individual event, Simbine’s form was also a good sign for the SA 4x100m relay team, who are targeting a place on the podium in the French capital.
He is one of four members of the national relay squad who have run under 10.04 this year, along with 20-year-old Benjamin Richardson (9.86), teenager Bradley Nkoana (10.03) and US-based athlete Shaun Maswanganyi (10.03). The 4x100m team will also have the services of 18-year-old prodigy Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, and potentially 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.
And with two opportunities to secure his first medal at the quadrennial showpiece, Simbine (a two-time Olympic 100m finalist) said he was eager to hit the track at the Stade de France.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo finished third in 9.88sec to match his own national record.
Noah Lyles, who won the world 100-200m titles in Budapest last year, clocked a personal best of 9.81 seconds in the blue riband event at London Stadium.
It could not have been better timed, with the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics just six days away.
“I’m going to win, it’s what I always do. I’m getting faster every week,” Lyles said.
In her own fine-tuning, world champion Femke Bol set a new meet record of 51.30sec as she cruised to victory in the women’s 400m hurdles.
“I am excited for Paris and of course to put on my best race there,” she said, with world record holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in her crosshairs.
“I am looking forward to racing Sydney — that will push us both. I will be ready for it and the relay as well of course.”
There was a fantastic send-off to a raft of Paris-bound British athletes in front of a near sell-out crowd of 58,000 at London Stadium, the venue for the 2012 Olympics and home to English Premier League club West Ham United.
The men’s 100m final in Paris will be held on Sunday, 4 August and the 4x100m relay will be contested the following week.