By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa’s 4x100m relay team failed to make final at the World Athletics Championships after a disappointing solo time trial in challenging conditions in Tokyo on Sunday.
Olympics silver medalist had been impeded by the Italian team on Saturday and were given the chance to run a solo time trial, using the same four athletes in the same lane.
Their target was to match eighth-placed France’s time of 38.34 to proceed as a ninth team in the final, but they just missed out with 38.64. In keeping with the chaos surrounding the relays, the stadium clock did not initially stop when Akani Simbine crossed the line, adding even more tension, before the time eventually appeared on the scoreboard.
Shaun Maswanganyi clocked 10.50 on the opening leg on Sunday, with Sinesipho Dambile going 9.27. Bradley Nkoana completed the bend in 9.68 and Simbine finished it off in 9.19.
South Africa’s last chance of a medal now rests with the men’s 4x400m team who are in action on Sunday night (1.25pm SA time), but their task was made more difficult on Sunday morning when the US team advanced to the final in another rerun ordered after appeals on Saturday.
The Americans beat Kenya by nearly two seconds in a two-team race-off, clocking 2 min 58.48 sec, the fourth-fastest time of the heats that pushes South Africa’s seeding down to fifth.
South Africa is bidding to win its first world championship medal since London 2017, having left empty-handed from Doha 2019, Oregon 2022 and Budapest 2023.