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Cape Town - South African sprint trailblazer, Akani Simbine, says he will continue his European season, ready and willing to compete with the best in the world while also improving African records in the global stage.
“I think I’m ready to go start competing and continue my European season. I want to break African records and keep improving those records because I believe it’s something I can do and as an athlete I always want to improve myself. Now I have the confidence, and not just saying those words. I have the confidence in myself, my speed and the training. So I feel I’m ready to go and run,” said Simbine.
He was addressing members of the media at his send-off press conference, held in Dunkeld, Randburg on Monday morning.
Simbine said he is aiming for big achievements this year and wants to continue with his feats following his sub-10 second win beating Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin among others, at the Diamond League in Doha just over a week ago.
“I’ve set the goals that I want to achieve by the end of the year. And I’m well on my way with that. I’ve consistently ran under 10 seconds, I’ve won my first Diamond league. I just wanna continue with that and I want to improve in the 200m and go to World Champs and just come back with a medal,” he said.
Among a glut of track races for Simbine this season, he will be competing in Boston against one of Jamaican sensations, Yohan Blake, and will be competing against Usain Bolt when Bolt will be running his very last race in his own country.
“It’s going to be a historic race and I’m hoping to do well there as well. I take every race as an opportunity to competent with everybody that’s there. Getting in a track in a sense is a blessing on its own but when you get there, no matter who’s on the track- it could be Bolt, De Grasse, Gatlin, or Blake, I’ll still go into the track saying I wanna beat these guys,” said Simbine.
Simbine with his win in Doha became the first South African to win a Diamond League 100m race.
As a first local sprinter to run two sub 10-second 100m races on the same day and the first to run a sub 10-second 100m race and a sub 20-second in the 200m on the same day, Simbine will be running the double in Budapest later in the year.
