When the dust settled in Xiamen, Akani Simbine stood tall, and everybody else was left playing catch-up. He clocked 9.99s (0.2) to take the win in 100m, and honestly? He made it look way easier than it should’ve been. The race had some big names lining up — Ferdinand Omanyala, Jeremiah Azu, Christian Coleman, Letsile Tebogo but once that gun went off, it was Simbine’s world and everybody else was just visiting. Omanyala came closest, crossing in 10.13s. Azu, the new World Indoor champ, grabbed third with a season’s best 10.17s. And Coleman? One of the guys you expect to be battling for the win? He couldn’t find that extra gear and ended up fourth at 10.18s.
The full rundown tells the story: Simbine 9.99, Omanyala 10.13, Azu 10.17 (SB), Coleman 10.18, Lachlan Kennedy 10.18, Emmanuel Eseme 10.19 (SB), Letsile Tebogo 10.20 (SB), Zhenye Xie 10.23 (SB), Rohan Watson 10.31 (SB), and Abdul Hakim Sani Brown 10.42 (SB). Bottom line? If you were cheering for the Americans, this was one of those races you just pretend didn’t happen. Bad day all around.
After the race, Simbine talked like a guy who’s been through it, made mistakes, learned, and is now locking in. “The race felt good,” he said. “I stumbled a bit after the 60, so I had to catch myself, but happened to catch the wind while catching the win. Keep going with the momentum I have now. Going back to the basics. Putting myself in a position to learn. I think if the conditions are good and we have a favorable wind to us—if everything is primed for us to run fast—we run fast. I am happy with putting the race together as I said before and getting the win.”
It wasn’t just about winning today. It was about setting the tone. Simbine’s not just chasing fast times anymore — he’s chasing greatness. And after a day like this? You better believe the rest of the world heard him loud and clear.
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