Paris 2024: Maps Maponyane Weighs In on Akani Simbine Finishing 4th Again in 100m Final
- Media personality Maps Maponyane weighed in on Akani Simbine's performance in the Paris Olympics
- Maponyane talked about Akani's consistency and him finishing fourth in the 100m final once again
- Briefly News got in touch with Dr Heinrich Grobbelaar, an associate professor of sport psychology, regarding Akani Simbine's performance in the Olympic Games 2024 Men's final 100m race
Source: Getty Images
South African athlete Akani Simbine has been the talk of the town following his performance in the Men's 100m final at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris.
Maps Maponyane weighs in on Simbine's recent performance
South African sprinter Akani Simbine was the only athlete who made it to the finals after Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson failed to qualify for the semi-final rounds. He has been trending on social media after he finished fourth at the Men's final 100m race.
Earlier, media personality Maps Maponyane weighed in on Simbine's performance and how the athlete finished fourth, missing the podium finish by just 0.01 seconds, on his Twitter (X) page.
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He wrote:
"My heart breaks for Akani. That man’s commitment, discipline, and dedication to his sport and dream have been incomparable... He was in the mix in Rio (finishing 5th), in the mix in Tokyo (finishing 4th), and again in Paris (finishing 4th) by running 11 seconds faster than any other previous Olympic 100m final he’s been in.
"All that stood between him and a medal was 1/100th of a second. Sport can be so cruel, and few things can beat the cruelty of coming so close (again and again) and knowing that if you still have it in you, you’ll have to wait another four years for your next chance."
See the post below:
Dr Heinrich Grobbelaar talks about Akani Simbine's performance
Briefly News contacted Dr Heinrich Grobbelaar, an associate professor of sport psychology, regarding Akani Simbine's performance in the Olympic Games 2024 Men's final 100m race.
Grobbelaar said:
"Years of training, dedication, passion, preparation and working very hard, aiming to run a fast time and medal. Did he succeed in winning that medal? No. But he ran his personal best time (ever), breaking the South African national record.
"So much of the focus will be that he didn’t medal again. 5th in Rio, 4th in Tokyo, 4th in Paris. Yes, 4th is the worst place for an athlete to finish at the Games. But this was also the most closely contested 100m final ever. All eight athletes are within 2m of each other. Positions 4-8 recording the fastest times ever."
Dr Grobbelaar further shared his opinion about how the psychological aspect of repeatedly missing a podium finish could affect an athlete's performance in subsequent competitions:
"There’s a saying, one shouldn’t criticise what you don’t understand. I certainly don’t know how he would be affected by this. I am assuming there might have been disappointment, frustration, and sadness of missing out, but also satisfaction, immense joy, and pride in achieving a career-best achievement at the pinnacle event in his sport.
"He has endured setbacks and disappointment before, including the previous two Games, and what we’ve seen is that he went back to the drawing board, kept on working hard, and kept on training body and mind to perform at the highest level like he did on Sunday evening. I am unsure what his future holds, but I sincerely hope he will think back to this night with his head held high because he made South Africa proud. And that his family and loved ones would rally round him, support and celebrate with him."
Netizens react to Maps Maponyane's tweet
Shortly after Maps weighed in on Akani's performance, many fans and followers had mixed reactions:
@MpeshWP wrote:
"He must retire, he will be slower in 4 years' time."
@AndileNgidi7 said:
"There is still the relay. We have a great chance to medal there."
@redcardexpert responded:
"Small details matter, Maps... The latest Nike Maxfly is lighter and more comfortable than the Adidas boost or whatever it is that he's wearing... wrong choice, or is he sponsored by Adidas?"
@BlossomDirero replied:
"My mom and stayed up late to watch. I was so sad. He is a champion in my eyes!"
@joyBongie said:
"4 years got nothing on him."
Julien Alfred wins 100m gold
Briefly News also reported that Julien Alfred defeated Sha'Carri Richardson to win the gold medal in the women's 100m.
The Saint Lucia sprinter was the outside contender for the gold medal but surprised everyone by winning with a time of 10.72 seconds.
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Source: Briefly News
