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Akani Simbine reflects on South Africa’s Olympic relay success, emphasizing team unity, rising relay culture, and his sprinting resurgence.
Often when athletes find their groove on the global stage, it is a combination of years of experience, resilience and the right environment.
For South Africa’s sprint king Akani Simbine, the silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics was more than just a career breakthrough — it was the spark of a new era for South African sprinting.
This weekend, Simbine returns to the track at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (10–11 May), hoping to continue that momentum and book South Africa’s spot at the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
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Akani will Abe joined by two of his Olympic relay teammates, Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza, as they aim to replicate their history-making Paris performance.
“First and foremost, it’s team camaraderie,” says Akani Simbine when asked about the art of relay running. “If a team actually get along, then they are able to make it work," he said in an interview with World Athletics.
The camaraderie certainly clicked in Paris, where the team — made up of Walaza on first leg, Shaun Maswanganyi on second, Nkoana third, and Simbine anchoring — blazed to an African record of 37.57 seconds, just 0.07 behind gold medallists Canada.
It was South Africa’s first Olympic medal in the sprint relay and Simbine’s own first major outdoor global medal.
Building a Relay Culture in South Africa
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Beyond medals and records, Simbine believes the key to a successful relay lies in understanding each athlete’s unique strengths — and putting ego aside.
“The big thing with the placing of the guys – everybody wants to be the anchor, because they feel like the anchor gets all the limelight,” Simbine explains.
“But every position works with different strengths, and every athlete has different strengths. As a coach, when you're putting together a team, it's putting together the guys according to their strengths and not according to egos.”
South Africa’s relay success in Paris was a shift from a previous approach Simbine describes as “show up and run.”
Now, he says, there is a growing belief in a relay culture that prioritizes medals and strategy.
“People are actually believing in getting medals and the importance of getting medals from the World Championships or from the Olympics, and making it a priority. That's a big thing for us now," he added.
The silver medal in Paris ignited nationwide celebrations and renewed public interest in the sport.
“South Africa went crazy and went nuts for the medal,” Simbine says.
“That was a great thing. South Africa just loves relays now – it's a big thing for the sport.”
The Future of Sprinting and New Formats
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As the World Athletics Relays prepare to debut the mixed 4x100m, Simbine is paying close attention, though South Africa won’t field a team this time.
“It brings a different taste to athletics,” he says. “Now, it is not just about having the fastest men or the fastest women, it is about having the fastest team.”
Simbine’s fantasy mixed team features three Jamaican legends and himself on anchor: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Yohan Blake, and Akani Simbine.
Now 31, Simbine’s form in 2025 has been electric. He’s unbeaten outdoors, winning in Botswana (9.90), Xiamen (9.99), and Shanghai/Keqiao (9.98), extending his sub-10 streak to 11 consecutive seasons.
In March, he added a 60m bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing — his first global individual medal.
“It's not like I didn't have confidence, but I have more confidence in myself,” he says.
“I'm also at a place where I'm very content… it's more about perfecting the craft of running, perfecting the craft of sprinting.”
From chasing medals to chasing mastery, Simbine’s journey is evolving — and the best may be yet to come.
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