Cape Town - It says a lot about Akani Simbine's character that he produced not just one, but two sub-10-second times on his way to defending his South African 100m title at the national championships in Potchefstroom on Thursday.
The 29-year-old sprint ace clocked an excellent 9.98 seconds in his first heat at the NWU McArthur Athletics Stadium, and followed it up with a scorching 9.92 in the semi-final – which is the world lead this year, although his great Kenyan rival Ferdinand Omanyala was reported by AFP recently to have run times of 9.81 and 9.86 at a meeting in his home country in February.
That man Omanyala will loom large again in Simbine's sights as he is set to compete in three meetings in South Africa during April, but for both athletes it is all about getting ready for the world championships in Budapest in August.
ALSO READ: Caster Semenya’s career in danger due to new World Athletics regulation
Simbine's frustration at missing out on a medal at last year's event in Eugene, Oregon could have affected him negatively, but after showcasing his work during the off-season on his social media pages, the Central Gauteng sprinter proved he is enjoying a positive mindset with his performances in Potchefstroom on Thursday.
He eventually had to settle for a 10.14 time to claim the gold medal in the final, but that was in the early evening when the weather had become considerably cooler.
Teenager Benjamin Richardson of Central North West claimed the silver medal with 10.27, and Rivaldo Roberts of Gauteng North grabbed the bronze in 10.36.
“I'm happy to defend the title and have a good championship and have some fast runs. We've been having good training. The great thing is that we're not at the important part of training yet, so I'm looking forward to going back to training and getting better and faster – and starting the outdoor season actually,” Simbine told SuperSport in a TV interview.
ALSO READ: Caster Semenya’s career in danger due to new World Athletics regulation
“I'm happy with the times, I'm happy with how we started. It's just unfortunate that the weather didn't play (along) with us – we had a headwind. But I'm happy with where we're at, and happy with the competition and just being able to finish the competition healthy.”
Later, he added in an ASA statement: “I had a little technical error in the beginning, but other than that, I had a good race.
“It's just unfortunate it's a bit chilly right now and the wind was against us, but the legs feel good. I could go again. I'm happy to be running well and feeling good. I'm in a good space.”
SA women's 100m record-holder Carina Horn retained her crown as well, edging out Tamzin Thomas in the final to win in a time of 11.52, with Thomas second on 11.58.
In the men's 400m, world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk cruised to victory in his heat with a time of 45.99, and then went even faster in his semi-final on Saturday morning, clocking a world-championship qualifying time of 44.95.
Junior star Lythe Pillay proved that he means business in the 400m final later in the day, as he ran the fastest time in the other semi-final in 44.94, which was also a new personal best.
@AshfakMohamed