Young UP-Tuks sprint sensation Akani Simbine will have the spotlight squarely on him at the first Varsity Athletics meeting in Stellenbosch.
Simbine broke the SA junior 100m record late last year, running a scintillating 10.19 seconds at a meeting in Zambia, and as a result he can expect a fair amount of attention when Varsity Athletics gets underway on Monday.
The young speedster told varsitysportssa that he is certainly feeling a bit more pressure to perform since setting that record-breaking time.
“There is quite a lot of pressure and expectation on me now I suppose, but it is all about handling it, being on point and doing the best I can,” he said.
Simbine finished third in the 100m at the SA senior championships at Coetzenberg on Friday, which was won by Olympian and Pukke star Simon Magakwe, and he admitted that racing against the country’s top sprinters had been quite an experience.
“It was quite hectic, he [Magakwe] got off to a fast start but I still managed to come in third,” he explained.
Simbine is looking forward to having another crack at Magakwe when they square off in the Varsity Athletics 100m on Monday night.
“All the quickest guys are studying, so this will be great experience for me as I look to improve my times,” he explained.
