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South African Olympic medalist Akani Simbine shares his heartbreaking experience of theft at OR Tambo International Airport.
Olympic medalist Akani Simbine was left heartbroken after being robbed of his personal belongings at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
The South African sprinter, who recently claimed a silver medal in the men's 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympic Games, took to social media to express his frustration over the recurring thefts.
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This was not the first time Simbine had faced such an ordeal at the airport, but the incident has pushed him to his breaking point.
In a series of emotional posts on his X account (formerly Twitter), the 31-year-old athlete shared his anguish, highlighting the repeated negligence by the airport authorities.
"I can’t keep having to deal with having my bags being broken into each time I fly in or out of South Africa and my personal items stolen by your employees the whole time. This is too much now and it’s a constant thing!" Simbine wrote, clearly distressed by the repeated thefts.
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Simbine expressed that replacing stolen items has become an unfortunate routine for him, but it is the violation of his personal space that hurts the most.
"It’s costing me to replace things, and just the fact that my personal bag has been invaded is just wrong! Sort this out please!!!!" he added in his post, addressing the authorities at the airport.
In response, OR Tambo International Airport replied to his thread, requesting him to file an official complaint and reassuring him that the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) would cooperate with the airline in the investigation.
"Rest assured that ACSA will fully cooperate with the relevant airline during the investigation processes," they stated in a formal reply, signed off by a representative with the initials "ZD."
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Simbine’s ordeal has sparked widespread sympathy from his followers and supporters, many of whom shared similar stories of theft and negligence at the airport.
With his recent success in athletics, particularly after the Paris Olympic Games, the sprinter was looking forward to a triumphant return home.
However, the robbery has cast a shadow over what should have been a moment of celebration.
This latest incident comes on the heels of Simbine’s recent appearance at the Wanda Diamond League Finals 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.
Despite his impressive season, Simbine finished fifth in the men’s 100m finals, which were won by Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake.
The South African sprinter, however, remained optimistic, hopeful for a stronger performance at the Paris Olympics.
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Simbine has faced a series of near misses throughout his career.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he narrowly missed out on an individual medal in the men’s 100m, finishing fourth with a time of 9.93 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second behind American sprinter Fred Kerley.
Despite setting a new national record of 9.82 seconds, Simbine could not secure a podium finish.
But it was in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics that Simbine found redemption.
Running the anchor leg, he helped South Africa secure a historic silver medal, marking the first time the country had ever medaled in this event.
The relay team finished just seven-hundredths of a second behind the gold medalists earning their place in Olympic history.
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