Simbine upbeat about the future
SA 100m champ fancies his chances at World Championships
Akani Simbine’s target at the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting in Qatar was to “set a motivation for the rest of the season”.
Indeed, the 23-year-old left Doha with the big scalps of Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell, and the gaze of the world upon him.
With his 9.99sec victory on Friday, Simbine handed the country its first win in the 100m of the lucrative one-day international competition where Powell finished second in 10.08, Qatar’s Femi Ogunode was third in 10.13, while American Gatlin (10.14) ended outside the podium, in 4th.
“First race of the season and looking forward to the World Champs [in London in August]. I’m happy with my shape now, just to come up here [in Doha] and set a motivation for the rest of the season is what I was hoping for,” the SA 100m record holder told the Diamond League website.
To put Simbine’s win into perspective, he beat Powell, a former 100m world record holder and one of the five fastest men in the world.
Powell has just recently been officially named a Guinness global record holder for most competitive 100m races completed in sub-10 seconds. He has done this 97 times.
Simbine also got one over another rising star, Rio Olympic bronze medallist Andre de Grasse of Canada.
Also in Doha, Caster Semenya clocked a world leading 1:56.61 in starting the defence of her 800m Diamond title, while LJ van Zyl and Cornel Fredericks finished third and fifth in the 400m hurdles final, respectively.