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Akani Simbine will headline South Africa’s charge at the Xiamen Diamond League, aiming to extend his world-leading sprint form.
The fastest man in the world this year, Akani Simbine, will be on the start line at the star-studded Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday, April 26.
Fresh off a world-leading 9.90-second performance at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix last weekend, the South African sprint ace will be tested against a world-class field including Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, American Christian Coleman and Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, the fastest man in the world in 2024.
Simbine, who skipped the upcoming South African national championships in Potchefstroom, is firmly set on major international goals in 2025 including the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
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After an impressive indoor season where he bagged a bronze medal in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, the 31-year-old looks sharper than ever.
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In Botswana, Simbine stamped his authority as a serious contender this season, eclipsing fellow South African Bayanda Walaza’s 9.99 as the year's previous best.
Simbine Aims to Extend Blistering Form on Global Stage
In Xiamen, Simbine will go head-to-head with Tebogo, who clocked 9.86 last season and is making a big push in the 100m after dominating the 200m.
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Also in the mix is American Christian Coleman, a former world champion and current 60m world record holder, whose blistering PB of 9.76 and proven consistency make him a real threat.
Simbine will remain in China for the following week’s Diamond League in Shanghai on May 3, where Kishane Thompson joins the fray.
The Jamaican star set tongues wagging in 2024 with a sizzling 9.77 and a nail-biting Olympic final where he finished with a 9.79 – just 0.005 seconds behind gold medallist Noah Lyles.
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Three other South African athletes will also be in action in Xiamen. Javelin thrower Jo-Ané du Plessis, fresh off her 61.23m win in Botswana, will aim to maintain her form against strong competition, particularly from Spain’s Yulenmis Aguilar.
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In the women’s 100m hurdles, national record-holder Marioné Fourie will go up against some of the best hurdlers in the world. Her 12.69 in Gaborone showed she’s ready to mix it with the elites, but with Nigeria’s world record-holder Tobi Amusan, and a stacked American and Jamaican contingent in the mix, Fourie will have to be at her absolute best.
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Rounding off the SA quartet is 400m talent Lythe Pillay, who ran 44.97 last weekend. He will face a formidable field including Grenada’s Kirani James, American Vernon Norwood, and Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori.
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