Akani Simbine

Akani Simbine likes sprinkling gold dust over the rainbow. Draped in his national flag in a growing number of international stadiums, the undoubted new star of South African Athletics became, at 24, a member of the Richard Mille family.

He wasn’t the first short-distance sprinter to do so. At the London Diamond League 100 meters in 2019, Akani flew past former world champion Yohan Blake, another member of the family, notching up 9.93. “I was really happy with the time. I went there to make sure I got the win. I needed it above all to boost my confidence, and came away with a season’s best.”

Over the last five years, the young athlete from Johannesburg has been slowly creeping up on his rivals - at world-beating speed. Yohan had already glimpsed Akani over his shoulder in the Rio Olympics, the South African just one hundredth of a second hard on his heels, the two finishing 4^th and 5^th. Akani spent 2018 climbing up international podiums. After bronze in the Madrid Athletics, (his first 100 meters under 10 seconds - at 9s 98) he obtained silver at the Golden Spike in Ostrava in the Czech Republic before finally getting the gold at the Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast. Akani’s success is not only the result of strenuous day to day training. It owes a lot to coaching from one particular friend, someone who knows more than most about the specific physical and mental challenges required for the 100 meters, legendary Usain Bolt.