Following the success of national relay teams last year, Akani Simbine believes South African athletes are starting to see the value of focusing on relay races.
Last season, the SA 4x400m relay squad secured the silver medal at the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas, and the national 4x100m team – anchored by Simbine – went on to secure silver at the Olympic Games in Paris.
While Simbine was already in China ahead of the World Relays to be held in Guangzhou this weekend, the rest of the SA squad were in camp in Johannesburg, preparing for the global championship to be held on Saturday and Sunday.
And they were confident of putting up fights in multiple events, having entered a strong squad that will compete in the men’s 4x100m, as well as the men’s, women’s and mixed 4x400m races.
“I think the relay culture is growing in South Africa and the interest in relays is growing,” said in-form sprinter Simbine, who won the 100m races at the opening two legs of the Diamond League series in China in recent weeks.
“The guys are seeing the potential in rather just making a relay team because we have a bigger chance of getting a medal, rather than saying ‘I am an individual athlete’ and trying to focus on individual events where it’s difficult to even pass a semifinal to make a final.
“So the guys are starting to see that and trying to put themselves in positions where they can medal, which I think makes it more interesting.
“I think the fact that the 4x400m guys did so well last year at World Relays, and then what the 4x100m guys did at the Olympics, it’s more of a ‘yes’ to relays now in South Africa and the culture will now become ‘ok, let’s start making this a thing, let’s start focusing on it and start building that culture’.”
South Africa squad, World Athletics Relays
Men
4x100m
Akani Simbine
Bayanda Walaza
Bradley Nkoana
Sinesipho Dambile
Retshidisitswe Mlenga
Tsebo Matsoso
4x400m
Zakithi Nene
Udeme Okon
Lythe Pillay
Gardeo Isaacs
Tumisang Shezi
Mthi Mthimkulu
Women
4x400m
Miranda Coetzee
Zeney Geldenhuys
Hannah van Niekerk
Shirley Nekhubui
Precious Molepo
Jada van Staden
Mixed
4x400m
Gardeo Isaacs
Leendert Koekemoer
Miranda Coetzee
Shirley Nekhubui
* Featured image of Akani Simbine by Anton Geyser/Sascoc
