Tuks athlete, Akani Simbine, was the star of the evening at the newly launched Athletics South Africa Nite Series held at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday evening.
Simbine ran the 100m event in 9.96 seconds, bettering his and Henricho Bruintjies’ previous 100m national record of 9.97 seconds. It was his first race of the season and, even though he did not get out of the blocks as fast as he wished, he stunned himself and the crowd when he finished the race in fine style, making the 9.96-second run look simple.
“The time I ran does not feel real,” said Simbine. “Especially since it is still so early in the season. I have to admit that I am surprised by the shape I am in. My coach and I haven’t really even started to do speed work.”
The sprinters continued their world-class showing when both Carina Horn (Tuks alumnus) and Alyssa Conley (UJ alumnus) also dipped under the Olympic Games’ 11.32 second women’s 100m qualifying times, by clocking 11.22 seconds and 11.29 seconds respectively, in this event.
Conley looked extremely sharp out of the blocks, but a strong Horn narrowly won the race in the final 10 meters, leaving Conley and Tuks’ Tebogo Mamathu in second and third position.
The men’s 400m, on the other hand, was won by Tuks’ Thapelo Phora in a quick time of 45.65, a clear indication of the shape that he is in leading up to the World Indoor Championships in two weeks time.
The evening saw a number of world class performances that left the country in bewilderment and set social media abuzz. It’s a feeling that will surely be felt many times more in the coming months. Excitement mounts as next week kicks off with the first leg of Varsity Athletics, with the meeting taking place at the University of Johannesburg on 18 March.
Could Simbine shave another split second off his SA record? All eyes will be on the speedster on 18 March, but if his words are anything to go by, we could be in for more fireworks.
“I am confident that I can run a much faster time,” said Simbine, with a glint in his eye.
By Reginald Hufkie
