Wind denies Simbine shot at more 100m history
A stiff head wind scuppered Akani Simbine’s shot at making more history in the 100m semifinals at the national championships in Pietermaritzburg yesterday, forcing him to go slower than he wanted.
After going 10.07sec in the morning heats, the plan had been to go under 10 seconds, which would have been the first sub-10 effort at an altitude lower than 1,000m by a South African in this country.
But the wind, which measured 1.4m per second for Simbine’s race, forced him to alter his strategy and he slowed to 10.27 in the semifinals.
Grade 12 pupil Bayanda Walaza, who runs with arms flailing in all directions, won the second race in the secondfastest time, 10.31.
Abduraghmaan Karriem, the 19-year-old 2023 national junior champion, won the third semifinal in 10.44.
“The plan was to literally go sub-10 now because it’s hot and it’s the middle of the day,” Simbine said.
“But the wind didn’t play [along]. As soon as they blew the whistle, there was a big gust that just kept going and didn’t stop, so it was literally changing the game plan at the line.”
Simbine is looking to bag his sixth 100m South African crown — seventh overall including a solitary 200m title — today, when the final is scheduled for 5.30pm.
He said he was not fazed by his rivals.
Simbine, a veteran of two Olympics and six world championships, having finished fourth or fifth in the 100m on five occasions, would have preferred the 100m semifinals to be scheduled on the same day as the final.
At all major meets the semifinals and final are staged on the same day, just a few hours apart.
Viwe Jingqi was the fastest in the women’s 100m semifinals, crossing the line in 11.51, with veteran Tamzin Thomas winning the other eliminator in 11.60.
Glenrose Xaba finally claimed her first 5,000m title, kicking at 3,000m to see off 800m star Prudence Sekgodiso and win in 15:48.44.
Sekgodiso, who is also doing the 1,500m, was second in 16:02.04.
Nadeel Wildschutt, older brother of Adriaan, who is gunning for the 5,000m title on Saturday, won an exciting men’s 10,000m, outsprinting Sibusiso Kubheka to finish in 29:15.93.
Yolandi Stander won the women’s discus title, throwing 55m to see off Miné de Klerk (52.55), who also ended second in the shot put final behind Ashley Erasmus (17.27).
Michelle Ngozo took the women’s high jump with a leap of 1.76m.
The men’s 400m hurdles could muster only 18 finishers across three heats.
Hamman le Roux, a veteran of Rio 2016, and Lindukhule Gora were the only ones dipping under 50 seconds, going 49.94 and 49.97, respectively.
Automatic qualifying for Paris 2024 is 48.70.
Zeney Geldenhuys was quickest in the women’s hurdles heats, crossing the line in a comfortable 57.14.