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Simbine beat Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley in the Suzhou Diamond League 100m race to keep his fine start to the outdoor season going.
South African sprinter Akani Simbine has explained how he managed to overcome Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley and clinch the Suzhou Diamond League 100m title.
Going into the race as an underdog and competing in his first competition outside home soil this year, Simbine stopped the clock at 10.01. Coleman, the World Indoor 60m champion finished second in 10.04 as Kerley went ahead to complete the podium in 10.11.
Coleman was on fire in the Diamond League Meeting series opener in Xiamen last weekend, taking the win and he was hoping to continue the winning streak in Suzhou but Simbine had his eyes fixed on the prize.
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15:32 - 27.04.2024
Akani Simbine beats Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley to end American dominance in Suzhou Diamond League
South Africa's Akani Simbine has stamped authority at the Diamond League Meeting in Suzhou, beating Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley to second and third place respectively.
Simbine was off to a great start from the blocks and held onto his epic form as he proceeded to cut the tape first in style. This was only his second 100m race of the season and he was able to execute it well, firing warning shots at his rivals ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Speaking after the match, Simbine has revealed the one thing about his racing he relied on to give him an edge over his rivals.
“Happy with the win, happy to come out here and replicate what I did last week at nationals and having a strong last part of my race showed,” Simbine told Citius Mag.
“We know how strong the last part of my race usually is so yeah, looking forward to the season.”
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15:47 - 27.04.2024
Sha'Carri Richardson handed successive defeat by Great Britain's sprinting ace in Suzhou
Sha'carri Richardson failed to live up to expectations again after being handed her second defeat of the season by Great Britain's sprinting queen.
Simbine has explained how he managed to fend off the threat from the more established names especially Coleman, who had to settle for second
“With Coleman, you just know that he is going to come out, but you have to stick to your gameplan and what you have to do and the rest will come together.”
The South African will be looking forward to having a great season after his bitter exit from the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary due to a false start.
Simbine has enjoyed considerable success in sprinting, with notable achievements including being a finalist in the men's 100 meters at the World Championships in 2017 and 2019, finishing fifth and fourth respectively.
He claimed gold in the 100 meters at the 2018 African Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Additionally, he contributed to South Africa's success in the 4 × 100 meters relay, winning gold at the African Championships in 2016 and 2018 and securing second place at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a South African record time.
Simbine anchored South Africa to gold at the 2021 World Relays. In recent major championship events, he has consistently finished inside the top 5, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2020 Summer Olympics.
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