The 100m world may still be talking about names like Fred Kerley and Letsile Tebogo, but one man has been stealing the show week after week and doing it with a smile. Akani Simbine, South Africa’s sprint king, has not only kept his cool but also kept his perfect record intact. America came to Rabat hunting gold. Instead, they left with bronze and a humbling reminder that the fastest man in the world right now isn’t draped in red, white, and blue.

In a race where Letsile Tebogo didn’t even make the podium, Simbine’s consistency is becoming a nightmare for his rivals. Akani Simbine has flipped the script in 2025. Gone are the days of heartbreak and near misses. This version of Akani is different. From his wind-assisted 9.86 at the Atlanta City Games to his composed, clinical takeovers on the Diamond League circuit, the message is loud and clear.

He’s not just fast. He’s unshakable. While others come with pressure, Akani comes with peace. “No stress; just run and have fun,” he said recently, and yet, somehow, that approach has turned him into the most dangerous man in the 100 meters this year. Lining up against a fired-up Fred Kerley and a powerful Ferdinand Omanyala, Akani Simbine didn’t flinch. He flew.

Clocking 9.95 seconds in Rabat, he left the American and Kenyan stars in his dust, with Omanyala settling for second in 10.05 and Kerley trailing at 10.07 for bronze. It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement. The stakes were higher than ever, and Simbine delivered with clinical precision. Simbine is racing with fire, focus, and finally, the results to match. This might just be his year, and no one, not even the Olympic champ, looks fast enough to stop him.

From his World Indoor bronze in Nanjing to his 9.90 at the Botswana Grand Prix and now another Diamond League win, 2025 has been all about rewriting the narrative. With each race, Akani Simbine has been rewriting the script of global sprinting. He opened his 2025 campaign indoors with a surprise bronze in the 60m at the World Championships, then exploded outdoors with a blistering 9.90 at the Botswana Grand Prix.

That in turn marked his eleventh straight season under 10 seconds in the 100m, a feat even the great Usain Bolt never achieved. That record alone is historic, but Simbine wasn’t done making noise. He followed up with back-to-back Diamond League wins in Xiamen and Shanghai, dispatching big names like Christian Coleman and Kishane Thompson with ease.

His momentum continued in Guangzhou, where he anchored South Africa to 4x100m gold over a stacked U.S. squad led by Brandon Hicklin. And now, after outclassing Fred Kerley and Ferdinand Omanyala in Rabat, Simbine’s resume is starting to look like that of a world champion in waiting. If his current form holds, the World Championships in September might just be his coronation.

How Akani Simbine is rewriting sprinting history

Akani Simbine wasted no time making a statement in 2025. At the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 12, he clocked a blistering 9.90 seconds in his season debut over 100 meters. A time that remains the fastest run by any man this year. But that wasn’t the only history made. That performance also etched Simbine’s name above Usain Bolt’s in a unique chapter of sprinting history.

He became the first sprinter ever to run sub-10 seconds for 11 straight seasons, a staggering level of consistency and excellence. That form wasn’t a one-off. Just last week, Simbine proved to be the deciding factor in Team South Africa’s golden run at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. Facing a powerful U.S. team featuring Olympic star Kenny Bednarek, who had laid down the fastest relay splits in both rounds, the South Africans didn’t flinch.

In the final handoff, it was Simbine who took charge, anchoring his nation to a dominant victory. The gap he opened in that final leg wasn’t just about speed. It was about presence, confidence, and timing. Days before that team triumph, Simbine stamped his authority on the Xiamen Diamond League stage, beating out an elite field that included Letsile Tebogo, Christian Coleman, and Ferdinand Omanyala.

While others came in with hype, he delivered with heart. “No DNA advantage.” Just RSA firepower. Now, with another major win in Rabat, Simbine isn’t just stacking victories. He’s sending a message. South Africa isn’t just here to participate. They’re here to dominate, and Akani Simbine is leading that charge with no excuses.