You know that feeling when someone’s been this close to glory for years, but luck just hasn’t been on their side? That’s Akani Simbine’s story until now. The South African has been one of the world’s most consistent athletes for over a decade and has had his share of heartbreaks and frustrating near-misses. After missing out on finals and medals in some of the biggest championships, and narrowly missing podium finishes at both the Olympics and World Championships, many wondered if 2025 would ever come. Well, this year, Akani is back with a vengeance! Winning bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, running a world-leading 9.90 seconds at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, and dominating key Diamond League races. Could this finally be the year luck and form collide?
Akani’s journey hasn’t been easy. As The Final Leg Track & Field commentator Emerole Anderson put it, “Akani has been knocking on the door of global medals for years.” His global championship debut was in 2013, and since then, he has been a regular in finals, the 2015 Beijing Worlds, the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2017 Worlds, the 2019 Doha Worlds, and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Yet, every time, something held him back from stepping on the podium.
Paris Olympics were both his best and cruelest race, a personal best 9.82 seconds (a South African national record), yet a heartbreaking fourth place, missing bronze by a hundredth of a second in one of the closest sprint finishes ever. Simbine finished fourth in the 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, setting a South African record of 9.82 seconds. Akani Simbine later secured a silver medal in the 4x100m relay.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics 100m final, Noah Lyles won gold with a time of 9.79 seconds, while Akani Simbine finished just behind at 9.82 seconds—only 0.03 seconds slower, an incredibly tight margin in a race lasting less than 10 seconds. To put it in perspective, 0.03 seconds in a 100m sprint translates to less than half a meter at the finish line, just a few inches or a step behind Lyles, showing how tiny factors like reaction time or a slight dip could have made all the difference. Setback.
Even in 2023, when he failed to reach the World Championship final for the first time, breaking his streak, Akani Simbine ran in the 100m semifinals but was disqualified for a false start, ending his hopes of advancing. He had earlier qualified for the semifinals with a strong heat time of 9.97 seconds, but the false start in the semis led to immediate disqualification under World Athletics’ strict rules.
For an athlete who prides himself on consistency, this was a tough blow. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg—injuries, false starts, and unlucky race circumstances have repeatedly tested his patience and resolve. But here’s what makes Akani special: his refusal to give up. “Every setback is a setup for something greater,” Akani said recently, and his 2025 performances show he means it.
This year, he’s back with multiple wins, sub-10-second runs, and renewed confidence. Mentally, 2025 seems to have brought a new focus and hunger. After years of being labeled “just missing,” Akani is determined to rewrite that narrative. He knows he has the speed and experience, but this year, everything feels aligned: his mindset, his training, his timing.
The hard times of the past seem to be over as he goes into the 2025 World Championships as a favorite for the gold medal he has always wanted. Perhaps this will be the moment Akani Simbine stops the drought and becomes a track and field legend for South Africa. That sounds like it, but how can it happen?
Why Akani Simbine is the sprinter to watch in the 2025 World Championships
In 2025, Akani Simbine demonstrated strong results throughout many top events. The Olympic silver medalist began his indoor season by taking bronze in the 60m, then surprised everyone with a world-leading 100m time of 9.90 seconds at the Botswana Grand Prix, making history as the first sprinter to achieve that feat for eleven consecutive years, even surpassing Usain Bolt.
He built upon his victories by winning the 100m in Xiamen and Shanghai two weeks in a row, defeating Christian Coleman and Kishane Thompson. In addition, Simbine helped South Africa win the gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou by beating top runners, including the USA’s Brandon Hicklin.
Rather than taking a break following his indoor season, multiple Diamond League successes, and gold at the World Relays, Akani Simbine went directly from China to Atlanta for the Adidas Atlanta City Games. He showed why he’s still the favorite for the season by winning the 100m in 9.86 seconds (wind-aided). Every 100m race he has run this season, except one, has measured less than 10 seconds, with his best being a 9.90-second lap at the Botswana Grand Prix.
Such commitment to a routine isn’t easy for most people. It’s plain to see that Akani Simbine is better than his top competition. This year, Noah Lyles hasn’t set a notable 100m mark, but Christian Coleman’s best is 10.06, and Kishane Thompson’s is 9.99. Thanks to these impressive run times and his consistency, Simbine is the strongest candidate to take the World Championship crown in September. Should he keep up with his current training, he might even win a gold medal.
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