Olympic highlight for Simbine, Van Dyk increases medal count in South Africa

After years at the absolute top of the athletics world, 100m sprinter Akani Simbine has finally been awarded an Olympic medal as a symbol of his excellence, consistency and long career in the sport.

On the penultimate night of action at the Olympic Stadium, 30-year-old sprinter Simbine, who led youngsters Shaun Maswanganyi (23), Bradley Nkoana (19) and Bayanda Walaza (18) – Walaza is still in high school – to a silver medal in the men’s 4x100m sprint relay.

The youngsters held their own against a competitive field, but Simbine, who ran the final leg, secured the medal for South Africa with a blistering run of 8.78s, taking the team from fifth to second in that time.

Simbine took over with Italy, Japan, France and Canada in front and Great Britain hot on his heels. He managed to catch France, Japan and Italy – as well as Great Britain – but just missed the track to catch Canadian André De Grasse.

Canada finished in 37.50 seconds, South Africa in 37.57 seconds and Great Britain took bronze in 37.61 seconds.

Silver medalists (from left) Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Bayanda Walaza of Team South Africa celebrate their victory on the podium during the medal ceremony in the men’s 4x100m on August 9 during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France. (Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

“I’m so happy we came here, ran and got a medal,” Simbine said after the race. “We got the silver medal and the African record to top it off.

“Finally I have a medal at a major championship. I am hungry for more and I am excited.”

Simbine’s athletics career was marked by finishing just outside the top three at major championships.

At the World Athletics Championships in the 100 metres individually he finished fifth twice and fourth once.

At the Olympic Games he finished fifth once and fourth twice, including his fourth place in Paris. But with the silver in the relay he finally claimed a well-deserved medal at a major championship.

“My career has not been about medals, but about a lot of consistency,” Simbine said.

“I showed that I will always be there. I showed that I will always be an athlete who will do his best and who will fight. My name will always be there. The medal is just the icing on the cake. I have proven myself in the game.

“I have proven myself to my competitors. That is enough for me. I am inspiring a new generation in Africa, that is really huge, I do not take that lightly.

“Now I have a medal, but it doesn’t describe me.”

Javelin Jo

Team South Africa extended their medal tally in style this weekend after Jo-Ané van Dyk presented a silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, with a silver medal of her own in the women’s javelin final.

Their performances bring the country’s total medal tally to six, including one gold, three silver and two bronze.

On Saturday evening, Van Dyk finished second with a throw of 63.93 metres in her third round, while Japanese world champion Haruka Kitaguchi won gold with her javelin throw of 65.80 metres in the first round.

Nikola Ogrodnikova of the Czech Republic took bronze with 63.68m. None of the three medal-winning distances were particularly long, which suited Van Dyk, who had only thrown 64m once before – in the qualifying round for the Olympic final.

Van Dyk threw her personal best in the qualifications with her opening throw of 64.22m. It was the best distance in her group, but four women in the other qualification group had a longer distance.

However, several of Van Dyk’s competitors failed to touch their tires in the final. A distance under 64 meters has not yielded an Olympic medal since the introduction of the latest specifications in 1999.

It was a breakthrough year for Van Dyk, whose best throw until 2024 was 61.61m, launched in 2022. She has bettered that distance six times this year, including twice at the Olympics.

“I dreamed about it. I didn’t expect it (but) I hoped for it… I’m just still amazed.

“I knew what some of the other girls could do. When throwing (events), you can’t be sure of anything until the last throw,” Van Dyk said.

“It wasn’t until the fourth girl threw that I knew I was in the medals. That’s when I started thinking, ‘Wow, I got a medal.’

“It was crazy to see everyone in the crowd. I’ve never seen my fiancé cry before, he cried.

“I never saw my dad cry, except maybe once or twice, he cried. Everybody cried. It was just amazing.

“I am happy. I am happy for the country and for the team.”

Van Dyk follows in the footsteps of her compatriot Sunette Viljoen, who also won a silver medal in this event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. DM