Wow, what an incredible finish! At the 2025 World Athletics Relays over in China, South Africa’s Akani Simbine absolutely flew on the anchor leg, just surging past Team USA’s Brandon Hicklin right at the end to snatch the men’s 4x100m title. It was so close – just 0.05 seconds in it! Simbine, along with his teammates Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, and Bradley Nkoana, pulled off a world-leading 37.61 seconds. You could almost feel the shock from the American quartet of Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King, and Hicklin, who finished just behind at 37.66 seconds. Canada took home the bronze with 38.11 seconds. But seriously, how did the U.S., a total track powerhouse, let gold slip away like that, so close to the finish line?
GOLD for South Africa in the men’s 4x100m!!
Akani Simbine ran down the US anchor to bring the team to victory in a time of 37.61s.
They are the first ever African team to win GOLD in the event.
USA settled for 2nd in 37.66s, while Canada ran 38.11s for 3rd. pic.twitter.com/AmUkrTUwlJ
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) May 11, 2025
Turns out, it all came down to how they executed. Simbine’s perfectly run anchor leg really highlighted Team USA’s ongoing struggles with their relays, totally echoing Kenny Bednarek’s own words from back in 2024: “We just need to be more organized.” For South Africa, it was a historic moment, being the first African team ever to win this event. Now, the big question is, can the U.S. pull it together for their next big showdown?
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