World Athletics Championships: Simbine Falls Short Again in 100m Final; Leotlela Misses Top 3

• Akani Simbine's search for a medal at the World Athletics Championships goes on as he fell short again in Tokyo, Japan
• The veteran sprinter, alongside his fellow South African athlete Gift Leotlela, both missed out on top three finish in the 100m final
• Netizens also commented on the performance of both South African sprinters at the ongoing World Athletics Championships on social media

Veteran sprinter Akani Simbine endured more frustration after missing out on yet another World Athletics Championships medal, while fellow South African athlete Gift Leotlela capped off his comeback season with a strong showing in the men’s 100m final in Tokyo.

Leotlela struggled with injuries in recent years, but he is back to competing with the very best on the global stage once again.

Simbine has been longing for a World Athletics Championships medal, but he would have to try again the next time the competition is held.

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Simbine, Leotlela miss out on 100m medals

Leotlela took a big step in his return to the track by winning his first-round heat in Tokyo in 9.87 seconds, slicing 0.08 off his four-year-old personal best. He made it to the final, which was held on Sunday, September 14, 2025.

Simbine, on the other hand, did enough by reaching his groundbreaking seventh 100m final on the global stage, but he missed out on an individual medal once again as he comes closer to the end of his career.

The South African sprinter and national record holder finished the race in seventh position in 10.04 seconds, finishing in last place after Olympic medalist Letsile Tebogo was disqualified for a false start.

Even without a place on the podium, Leotlela and Simbine still made history by becoming the first pair to represent South Africa in the World Championships 100m final.

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Another sprinter who could've given Mzansi a chance at a medal in the 100m race was Bayanda Walaza, but the 19-year-old was ruled out of the competition due to injury.

Reactions as Simbine, Leotlela fumble in Tokyo

Ndaba_2025 said:

"Hard lucker it was a very tough one.!!"

menu_K11 wrote:

"That's cool. We saved the energy for that 4x100m relay. Silver is at risk."

IzaMari shared:

"Still salute them for competing and making South Africa proud."

Kate Stegeman commented:

"Happy for Seville, sad for Simbine. Proud of Leotlela for that incredible heat and making the final. Also emotional seeing Fraser-Pryce run her last final. Wish Ta Lou Smith had medalled."

Warothe Kiru reacted:

"A false start DQ was such horrible luck for Tebogo in the men's 100m final. Did Akani Simbine run too many races this season and fizzle out at the World's? Gift Leotlela can be proud of his 5th but he will wonder since he run 9.87 in his heat."

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KB_Ramasimong added:

"Leotlela had a good showing in these championships so far. Not quite the championships for Simbine but still the 4X100 to come."

How much Simbine earned after beating Omanyala

Briefly News previously reported that South African sprint star Akani Simbine walked away with a huge sum of money after clocking a world-leading time of 9.90 seconds to defeat African champion Ferdinand Omanyala at the Botswana Continental Tour.

Simbine’s remarkable performance marked the fastest 100m time globally so far this year, surpassing Bayanda Walaza’s 9.99s set last month.

Source: Briefly News