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South African sprinter Akani Simbine credits Usain Bolt's mentorship and belief in his potential as a significant influence on his career, inspiring him to overcome self-doubt and achieve success on the global stage.
South African sprint sensation Akani Simbine has narrated how double world record holder Usain Bolt positively impacted his career and inspired his success on the track.
Akani Simbine revealed that when he was just starting out, Usain Bolt was one of the people who saw potential in him and encouraged him to keep going despite having some bits of imposter syndrome.
Simbine says Usain Bolt has been very instrumental in shaping the sport, not only track and field, but also all the other sports and having someone like that interact with him and motivate him was certainly a boost for him as an upcoming athlete.
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“I think Usain has been a really great individual for the sport, but not just for athletics but for the sport in eternity. I got to meet him and I got to be in a personal space with him and you know just to see this great person be so humble and talk to you,” Akani Simbine told Super Sport TV.
“He told me he really believed I could do ‘this thing’ (being a sprinter). He acknowledged that I might think that I wasn’t great enough but he told to believe that I was great. Those are things that he used to say to me,” he added.
Simbine went down memory lane to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where he revealed that Usain Bolt waited for him to finish the semifinal of the men’s 100m so they could go prepare for the final together.
He disclosed that with so much support from Usain Bolt, he was able to get a great feel of the sport and it remains one of the things that has hugely contributed to his success and his desire to keep going.
Akani Simbine went on to finish third in the semifinal and proceed to the final. On his part, the eight-time Olympic champion won his semifinal. In the final, Usain Bolt won the race in 9.81 seconds as Simbine finished fifth in 9.94 seconds.
“There’s this picture that I have of him and me in 2016, he literally waited for me to finish my heat so we could go back to get ready for the final. He waited for me in the call room where the media was and he held me and asked me if I made it,” Simbine said.
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07:30 - 18.11.2024
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“That’s someone that is like…that’s Usain bro, I was wondering why he would wait for me. For someone to believe in me at such a young age, that also played a fact into who I am as an athlete today and my success as an athlete and just believing in myself.”
Akani Simbine started his season with a few races in South Africa before heading to the Diamond League Meeting in Suzhou where he won the race. Simbine then raced at the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas where Team South Africa qualified for the Paris Olympic Games in the men’s 4x100m relay.
He then claimed top honours at the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo where he won the race and achieved podium finishes in the build up to the Paris Olympic Games. At the Paris Olympic Games, he finished fourth in the men’s 100m and claimed a silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay.
He then rounded up his season with a fifth place finish at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.
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