Streetwise Simbine good to go
AKANI HAS A POINT TO PROVE Semenya sets her sights on Zola Budd’s long-standing 1 500m record in Grand Prix meeting in Western Cape.
Learning from experience, sprinter Akani Simbine hopes to make a statement tonight after his title defence at last week’s national track and field championships ended in a niggling halt.
The SA record holder, who opened his season with a 10.05 clocking over 100m in Pretoria earlier this month, withdrew from the short dash semifinals at the SA Athletics Championships after feeling a tweak in his hamstring.
Having lost a few months of training in the 2016 campaign by pushing through the national championships final with a hamstring tear, Simbine said yesterday he had opted to avoid making a repetitive error by taking precautionary measures.
“I didn’t want a repeat of that,” Simbine said.
“I got to go back to training on Saturday, and we were doing good quality work, so my speed is still there and I’m still feeling as motivated as I was before.”
Headlining the men’s 100m race at tonight’s Grand Prix, Simbine was set to enter the blocks alongside former national record holders Henricho Bruintjies and Simon Magakwe.
Using the race to sharpen up for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast next month, Simbine said he was more concerned with fine-tuning than targeting quick performances
“I used to chase times but now it’s just about running a good race, and putting my phases together to make sure every step and every motion I put into the race is perfect,” he said.
“I know if that comes together, I’ll run a good race and the times will be there.”
In other disciplines tonight, Caster Semenya was expected to chase Zola Budd’s 34-year-old SA 1 500m record of 4:01.81, former world champion Julius Yego of Kenya was due to spearhead the men’s javelin throw field, and SA record holder Carina Horn was the star attraction in the women’s 100m contest.