OPINION: Based on his early form, this could be Akani Simbine’s season

We’ve been waiting a long time for Akani Simbine to secure a major global outdoor medal in an individual event, and after shining at indoor and relay championships this season, dare we suggest this might be the year he finally breaks his duck?

Simbine has been phenomenal over the last decade, reaching the Olympic 100m final three times. He has also reached the World Championships final three times, and has won African and Commonwealth Games titles.

And while he hasn’t reached the podium in an individual event at a major global outdoor championship, he has established himself as the most consistent sprinter on the planet, running under 10 seconds over the 100m distance for 11 years in succession.

At the age of 31, he’s getting on in years, and most sprinters at this stage of their careers would be well past their peak.

Simbine, however, is displaying the sort of longevity that is rarely seen among international sprinters, and if anything, he’s getting faster with age.

With a wealth of experience, he could not have asked for a better start to the 2025 season, and though we are still four months out from the World Championships in Tokyo, he has already stuck up his hand among the title contenders.

Showing superb form

On debut at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March, he secured a surprise bronze medal in the 60m final in only his second indoor competition.

He then went on to win the 100m sprint at the first two legs of the top-flight Diamond League series in China, before producing an incredible final leg at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou earlier this month, leading the SA 4x100m team to the gold medal.

Simbine remains unbeaten over 100m in the early stages of the international track and field campaign, and while northern hemisphere athletes have not yet hit their straps, he has made a significant statement this year.

The SA record holder has always been able to peak twice in a season, and though he will compete at the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday, he will soon take a break from racing in order to focus on the latter stages of the season, including the World Championships.

And based on the awesome start he has had to the year, he looks ready to break new ground in the second half of the 2025 campaign.

Simbine has already done enough to secure his place as one of South Africa’s all-time best sprinters, but it would be a real shame if he retired without a World Championships or Olympic medal in the 100m sprint. However, this really could be his year.

Even picking up a medal in the blue riband 100m event at the World Championships is not an easy thing to do, but Simbine is well on track, and nobody deserves it more.