South Africa had Akani Simbine to thank after he managed to cover a massive amount of ground as South Africa’s anchor to get the team into the final of the 4 by 100 meters relay at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic games.
Competing in heat one, South Africa nearly missed out entirely, but Simbine executed an incredibly powerful anchor-split to cross the finish line second, with the USA, who were anchored by Lindsey Courtney, crossing the line first by some considerable lead at 37.47
The USA maintained strong momentum throughout. Christian Coleman, who is known for his excellent starts off the blocks, opened the void well before passing the baton on to Fred Kerley on the back-stretch. Kyree King was waiting patiently in the third leg and received the baton well before passing it to Courtney, who produced blistering pace to the finish line.
Great Britain sealed third place with a time of 38.04. However, it was ultimate heartbreak for Team Jamaica, who have experienced all sorts of problems at the games. They narrowly missed out on the final of the event, despite Kishane Thompson’s best efforts to cover ground and get them into the top three of the second heat.
Jamaica could only manage fourth and were unable to qualify. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists, the People’s Republic of China finished first (38.24) ahead of hosts France (38.34) and Canada (38.39), who all qualified. The final will now consist of USA, Japan, Great Britain, United States, France, South Africa, China and Canada.
South Africa had to adapt quickly, bringing US-based Shaun Maswanganyi, normally the starter, to the second leg, with Pretoria-based matric pupil Bayanda Walaza going up front. Bradley Nkoana ran the third leg, but he and Walaza ran those same legs at World Relays in the Bahamas where the t qualified for Paris.
Now they’re in the Olympic final with a time that seeds them second overall. Other teams are going to bring in their stars to get faster, but there’s plenty of room for the South Africans to tidy up at handovers. “Oh definitely,” Maswanganyi said when asked if there were areas they could improve. “I mean just because we had to swiftly adapt, just me slotting in in the second exchange, I’ve never ran second in my life.
“It’s a whole different experience having to get the stick and then give it. I got in an uncomfortable position. That’s my first changeover today [Thursday] with Bayanda. “It was good in the sense we got it around, we made a few errors, we still ran a solid time.
“That shows we have the depth, and we have the talent, we’re able to persevere through the challenges; to have two injuries and still be able to bag a solid time like that.” Maswanganyi said his coach from Houston, legendary athlete Carl Lewis, was playing an advisory role with “a little bit here and there”.
“I’m excited for the final and I know we’re going to have to put our best foot forward, go back to the drawing board and analyse and see where we can improve in making sure the baton handover is a lot swifter. “Coach Carl is also helping us with that so at least we have a bit more insight as well,” he said, adding national relays coach Paul Gorries had done a great job adapting to the injury crisis.
As Team South Africa prepares for the final, they remain optimistic about their chances of securing a podium finish. The final promises to be a thrilling contest, with fierce competition from the likes of the United States, USA, Japan, Great Britain, France, China and Canada. However, South Africa’s recent performances have demonstrated their potential to challenge for the top spots.
The South African relay team is set to compete in the final tonight, at 8:45 PM local time. Fans across the country are eagerly anticipating the race, hoping to see their national heroes make history. With their eyes on the prize, Team South Africa is ready to give their best and aim for Olympic glory.
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