OPINION On the right track, it seems
IN AN unprecedented move, a South African enterprise has committed its support to Olympic and World Championship 100m finalist Akani Simbine and his coach.
This may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but Liquid Telecom’s three-year sponsorship of Simbine, worth R8 million, could be a game-changer.
The company has taken a holistic view as the deal will allow the star athlete’s mentor, Werner Prinsloo, to coach his charge on a full-time basis.
Simbine now has all the support at his disposal to take him from finalist to medal contender at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Since Simbine joined Prinsloo as a schoolboy in 2010, he has emerged as one of the continent’s biggest sprinting stars, coming within 0.04 seconds of the continental record of 9.85 before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
He finished fifth at the Games, while the South African record of 9.89 seconds was also the fifth fastest time of that year.
Last year he became the first South African to dip under 10 seconds in the 100m and 20 seconds in the 200m on the same day.
Charismatic image
But Simbine’s appeal to corporates is not limited to his abilities on the track but also the charismatic image he radiates off it. The 24-year-year is a consummate professional, whether it is in media interviews or at sponsorship engagements.
Some of his fellow athletes miss that trick when they take to social media, moaning and groaning about the difficulties of being a track and field athlete.
Liquid Telecom should be commended for showing long-term vision in supporting one of the most exciting sprinting prospects South Africa has ever delivered.
Simbine has earned the respect of international competitors and deserves to be recognised and rewarded for his efforts on the global stage.
It may seem like a logical thing to do, but track and field are often overlooked by major sponsors in this country, despite the presence of heroes like Caster Semenya, Wayde van Niekerk and Luvo Manyonga.
Simbine’s sponsorship will hopefully be the catalyst for similar agreements with other top athletes.