Cape Town – A long hold at the start made life difficult for Akani Simbine, but the South African star was still satisfied with his effort in the 100m race at the Florence Diamond League event in Italy on Friday night.
The 29-year-old was last out of the blocks, and remained in eighth place through the opening 40 metres, with Jamaica’s Yohan Blake taking the early lead.
But Simbine packed on the pace in the second half, along with American favourite Fred Kerley, and finished strongly to claim fourth spot in 10.09 seconds – the same time as US sprinter Trayvon Bromell, who was awarded third position.
Kerley, though, backed up his victory in Rabat last week with another powerful display as his old 400m stamina shone through in the last 50 metres at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi, and the world champion was a clear winner in 9.94, well ahead of Kenya’s African No 1 Ferdinand Omanyala, who clocked 10.05.
“Not the clean start we wanted, but positives came out of that race. 0.77 (10-metre split from 60m to 70m)… I’ll take that (step by step). We still @ontrack_sprint to Budapest (where the world championships will take place in August),” Simbine said on Instagram afterwards.
Kerley said in a pre-race press conference that he was aiming for a 100m-200m double gold at the world championships, and he backed up the talk by walking the walk on Friday night with an impressive performance.
“The secret of my success is being consistent. I ran 9.88 already this year, so when my time will be sub-9.80, the world will be surprised, but I will not be surprised. I feel good, I feel good in my training. It was a good, open race for me, so I knew what I had to do,” the 28-year-old said.
“Pressure? I leave the pressure behind, I believe in myself and in what I am capable to do. I am really happy today. I know what I have to do in the next couple of races.”
Omanyala has also been a big talker this season, but was disappointed by trailing behind Kerley again, which was also the case in Rabat.
“It was a good race and I cannot complain about anything. I just need to go and check what I need to correct. Of course, Fred is the number one today, but the fight is still on. Diamond League is a big platform, so I am happy about my performance and placement today.”
Meanwhile, Wayde van Niekerk will return to the track at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday night (2.55am SA time on Sunday) in a 400m race.
Van Niekerk last competed at the South African championships in Potchefstroom on April 1, where he produced a superb time of 44.17 – which was his best effort since his return from his 2017 knee injury.
The 2016 Rio Olympic champion and world record-holder has said this year that he wants to push hard for a sub-43 time and break his global mark of 43.03.
He is building up steadily to that level, and perhaps a sub-44 time in Kingston would be ideal before he runs in Europe again ahead of the world championships in Budapest.
“Excited to be racing in the city of Speed!!! Jamaica let’s have some fun,” the 30-year-old posted on Instagram this week.
Van Niekerk added in an interview with the Racers Grand Prix website that he was delighted to be back in the Caribbean. “I’m extremely excited. This is one of my highlights for a while now. I love the culture, I love the country, I love the people, and I mean, you guys are genuine track lovers,” he said.
“If you look at the amazing athletes that has come through in track and field, and being able to not just honour the greats that have come out of Jamaica, but also to put my feet into Jamaican soil, and compete there and leave my mark behind in such a country that I respect when it comes to track and field, it’s exciting for me.
“I’m in a stage now where I need to build my confidence, to get back to winning ways, and that’s where my mentality is at.
“I’m looking forward to the positives that lay ahead of me, and I’m hoping to use Jamaica as one of my positive stepping stones, moving forward for the major competitions that do await us, and also use it as a positive step forward.”
IOL Sport