The 32-year-old sprinter added another milestone to his already impressive record, securing a bronze medal in the 60m dash at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, this past weekend.
Simbine has been a blur on the track since he burst onto the scene more than a decade ago, and his attempt to take on a new challenge in an indoor facility has once again highlighted why he is currently the best South African sprinter.
The 2024 Paris Olympics 4x100m relay silver medallist is quickly making a habit of winning medals at major championships after a series of finals where he narrowly missed out on podium places. The bronze medal win was his first individual medal at the World Championships, and after heading into the weekend with hopes of making the final against a line-up of specialist indoor athletes, Simbine was pleased with his efforts but also looked forward to the challenges ahead.
“It has been a long time waiting for a medal, but it doesn’t define me or my career,” Simbine said, at OR Tambo International Airport upon his arrival. “My career is still one of resilience and determination, and also about pushing the boundaries.
“I have been the first African to do this at this level for so long, and I have consistently been there. So for me, I am still going to be the same athlete who shows up and wants to compete at the highest level.”
“The goal was to get to the final because it gave me three races to work on my best 60m. The whole plan was to take it round by round, using the 60m to refine certain aspects while also not making too many changes. The 60m indoors forces you to adjust a lot, and for me, the biggest thing was maintaining my approach while executing what we set out to achieve.”
Simbine added that his medal win would give him a lot of confidence as he looks ahead to the World Championships set to take place in Tokyo later this year.
“Having a medal and knowing that you have ticked a few boxes is very important for us. It also shows us where we are at with training, and we can move on to other things in our build-up to the rest of the season.”
The 100m specialist also confirmed that he would only be participating in one event at the national championships, which will be hosted in Potchefstroom next month.
“The 100m is where I want to put all my energy,” he said. “Doubling is out of the question, and it is something I am not interested in doing anymore. Yes, I will run the 200m here and there, but it is not something that holds much interest for me anymore.”