It was almost like a 60m indoor race, so tight were the lanes, but Akani Simbine will be satisfied with his preparation in Boston for the African Championships in Durban starting on Wednesday.
Simbine lined up for the 100m at the Boston Games in Massachusetts, early yesterday morning South African time, in a race that took place on a specially laid track.
There was only space for five lanes, and in the end, Jamaican Warren Weir false-started and was disqualified.
With the crowd right alongside the athletes, the remaining four sprinters tried their best, but weren’t able to run really quick times as a result.
SA 100m record-holder Simbine finished fourth in 10.32 seconds, well short of the 10.01 he produced when he ran against Usain Bolt in Kingston, Jamaica, last weekend.
American Marvin Bracy, who has a personal best of 9.93s, caused an upset when he pipped Jamaican star Yohan Blake on the line in 10.23, with Blake credited with the same time.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman finished in third spot in 10.29.
Now Simbine will set his sights on the African Championships, which take place at the Kings Park Athletics Stadium in Durban from Wednesday to Sunday.
Apart from the 100m, Simbine has been entered for the 200m as well, where he will face close friend Wayde van Niekerk.
The world champion won his 400m race in Boston comfortably at the weekend in 44.28, but has said previously that he enjoys running in the 200m and might even concentrate on the shorter sprints in future.
World Student Games champion Justine Palframan joined Van Niekerk and Simbine in Jamaica and Boston, and ended her 400m race in sixth at the weekend in 53.17. But the Maties athlete will also only run in the 200m in Durban.
Meanwhile, teenage sensation Gift Leotlela underlined his undoubted talent when he clocked an Olympic qualifying time of 20.47 in the 200m at the Southern Region Under-20 Championships in Lusaka on Saturday.
The 18-year-old sprinter is the second SA teenager to run an Olympic qualifying time in the 200m, with his Tuks teammate Clarence Munyai having run a personal best of 20.36 in Germiston in April.
But the road to Rio for both Munyai and Leotlela is uncertain, as only three South Africans can be entered in the 200m. Their participation might depend on whether Simbine and Van Niekerk decide to run the distance in Brazil as well. - Cape Times