Akani Simbine Heartbroken Over Losing Out on a Medal at the Tokyo Olympics
- Akani Simine is disappointed with his performance at the Tokyo Olympics but promised that he'll come back better
- Simbine only just lost out on a bronze medal during the men's 100m sprint final and he came close to securing the win
- Taking to social media, Akani spoke about how finishing fourth is painful but he's still going to keep fighting
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!
South African track and field athlete Akani Simbine made it to the men's 100m final in Tokyo but unfortunately finished fourth, making him lose out on a medal. Simbine, who started in lane two, was 0.04 seconds short of the bronze medal in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium.
Simbine, the top-ranked sprinter going into the final, said he had been beaten by the best man on the day. He tried his best to secure the gold medal but it just wasn't his day.
"It wasn't too crazy, it's a bit of the norm. Anything can happen in a final and the best man won," Simbine said, according to Sport24.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel
Simbine made no excuses for his performance in the final
Simbine stated that his poor performance was not the result of a bad start and made no excuses for his failure.
“I do not know what the future holds, but in three years I am looking to the Paris Olympics. Age is still on my side. I have a team behind me, and they helped me to prepare as best as I could," he said according to SowetanLIVE.
Simbine will rest for a few days before competing in the men's 4x100m relay heats on Thursday.
Akani Simbine warns his opponents that he can be dangerous
Briefly News previously reported that South African 100m runner Akani Simbine sent a warning to all his opponents in the Tokyo Olympics and says that he can be really dangerous if he wants to be.
The world No. 2 will compete in the first round of competition on Saturday and the semifinals and final on Sunday in an attempt to become the first South African sprinter to make the Games' 100m podium since 1908.
Simbine came fifth in Rio 2016, having cut his South African record to 9.89 seconds just a few weeks prior. He's aiming for a medal this time around after lowering his national mark to 9.84 earlier this month; this is also within the African record, according to TimesLIVE.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News