The Tribune

Author: Blue Orchid Advertising Agency

THE 30-year-old South African sprinter Akani Simbine is hungry for several things.

One of them is “Braai,” his favourite dish and a key part of South African culture. Cooking a spiced roast with sides over an open fire is one thing that consistently brings South Africans together.

More than food, however, he is hungry for a medal, and he will have another chance to make South Africa shine if he qualifies for the Olympics at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 in Nassau May 4-5.

He has had several close calls, but a medal still eludes him. In August 2021, he barely missed winning an Olympic medal in Tokyo when he finished fourth in the 100m in 9.93 seconds. Four years prior, he came in fifth in the 100m at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Akani specializes in the 100m and 200m, and this May he will join three of his top compatriots in the 4x 100m relay in The Bahamas. “I want South Africa to win. We’ve had the worst luck when it comes to relays. We either don’t make the zone or drop it. It’s been very frustrating.

Today, the South African relay team is well-trained and determined. However, he admits that keeping a “team” feeling is difficult sometimes because “everyone is used to competing as individuals.”

The World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 competition this May will be his first time visiting The Bahamas, but will his busy schedule allow any beach time?

Akani knows Bahamian sprinting legends Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner quite well as they see each other often on the circuit. “Shaunae speaks highly of The Bahamas and the beach looks amazing, so I hope I get to see it,” he says.

The Road to Paradise

As a child, Akani was always very athletic, splitting his time between soccer, cricket and rugby. He originally dreamed of becoming a soccer player but this changed at the age of 18 when he began running and broke some records.

He acquired his athletic talent from his mother, but Akani was the only one in his family who took it to the professional level due to his discipline and hard work. His daily routine involves going to bed at about 10pm – quite late for an elite athlete – but one thing he’s super strict about is nutrition.

“Eating home-cooked meals so that my body is 100 per cent. I need to make sure that I’m a lean running machine.”

His competition schedule keeps him on the road quite a bit, and Jamaica, London, and Zurich have been his favourite places to compete so far. In his downtime, he enjoys playing golf, watching movies and listening to a lot of old-school hip-hop and “Amapiano,” a new-age music genre specific to South Africa.

Running on Sunshine

His career highlight was breaking the South African 100m national record back in July 2021 at 9.84 seconds. “Our country had never had a sprinter make the finals and rank among the top in the world. Being able to do that and inspire the next generation has been really rewarding,” he said.

Conversely, his biggest challenge so far was a tragic false start in Budapest last year. Nevertheless, he emphasized the importance of staying positive and persevering.

“It was terrible for me and the team. Something I don’t usually do. It was an unusual feeling and hard to keep positive. I had to coach myself, I’m going to Paris! I’m going to be on the podium!

“If you’re going to continue in this sport, you must pick yourself up from these hits. You can train all you want, but if your headspace isn’t there, you’re not going to make it.”

At the end of the day, Akani is all action and inspiration. He gives off a contagious “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” attitude that would make even Steve Jobs proud.

In a recent article, Akani proclaimed that he wanted to be the fastest man in the world.

“I think this is the year that I’ll take home a medal. I’ve been to all the finals since 2016. Everything is aligning.”

His advice to young up-and-coming athletes chasing their Olympic dreams is to never give up.

“Keep pushing and training. Don’t give up on that dream. You’ve been given a talent, but that alone won’t get you there. You need to put the work in to achieve that dream.”