South African sprinter Simbine has found success and satisfaction beyond medals

MANCHESTER, England :South African Akani Simbine has stood on the cusp of medals glory more times than most sprinters ever will, finishing inside the top five in the 100 metres in the last four major championships.

He has always been just shy of the podium, however, and with each near miss, the chorus of critics has grown louder.

But the 31-year-old, who will race the 100m and the 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships that open on Saturday in Tokyo, refuses to be defined by the "nearly man" label.

Africa's fastest man is writing a different story - one that defies the narrow lens of medals and embraces a broader legacy.

"It doesn't bother me, that's more of an opinion of someone that's writing," Simbine said of the criticism. "The medals are not my story. The medals are just the cherry on top.

"If you look at my career and look at what I've done, it's a successful career. It's a career that no one else has done. There's success in that, there's growth in that, there's a story to that. There's so much learning that comes from that, and that is so, so, so good. That is for me a win."

Simbine was fifth in the 100m at the 2016 Rio Olympics and fourth in the short sprint at both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games. 

His bronze in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in March was his first global individual medal.

But he has broken barriers for African sprinters, becoming the first South African to reach an Olympic 100m final, proving that speed is not confined to traditional sprint powerhouses the United States and Jamaica.

BROKE BOLT RECORD

In April, he became the only athlete in history to run sub-10 seconds over 100m for 11 consecutive years when he won gold at the Botswana Grand Prix in 9.90. Jamaican superstar