Akani Simbine doesn’t do flash. He doesn’t need to. In Rabat, the South African sprint veteran made it seven wins from seven this season with a blistering 9.95 seconds. Clean, clinical, and utterly commanding. He silenced a stacked field that included Ferdinand Omanyala and reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo. No drama. No showboating. Just a cold, calculated takedown of world-class opposition. And still, he’s being sidelined in pre-Worlds conversations, especially by American media touting Noah Lyles as the inevitable champion.

The sport seems to be heading toward a titanic clash. The flamboyant American showman vs. the silent South African technician. Noah Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion and the world champion, and Simbine, the overlooked assassin who’s rewriting his legacy one victory at a time. But when analysts and broadcasters speak of the upcoming World Championships, Simbine’s name is often buried or, worse, dismissed. And fans across the globe aren’t having it.

Track World News took to YouTube with a video. That lit up the sprinting world and not for the reasons fans hoped. The conversation quickly turned to Akani Simbine’s medal chances in Tokyo, and American sprinter Noah Williams didn’t mince words. “No disrespect to Akani, but I don’t see him walking away with a gold medal. I can see him getting a bronze or maybe a silver at best.”

His tone was firm, not malicious, but fans weren’t buying the casual dismissal. Simbine, after all, hasn’t just been winning. He’s been perfect. Seven-for-seven in 2025. Not peaking early, not scraping by. Just dominance, week after week, against loaded fields. The conversation deepened when Williams continued, “He’s super consistent, he’s running well, and I don’t expect him to be running this fast in September. If he is, maybe he’ll prove me wrong.”

It’s that last line! “Maybe he’ll prove me wrong.” That struck a nerve. Because the Simbine we’re seeing this season isn’t the same one from previous years. He’s cleaner out of the blocks, he’s closing better, and most importantly. He’s no longer fading in finals. Noah Lyles is rightfully celebrated for his 200m dominance and his double-gold performance in Budapest (9.83 and 19.52).

On the other hand, Simbine has made the 100m his private domain in 2025. And unlike past seasons where he peaked and dipped, this time he’s maintaining altitude. Williams wrapped up with, “But at the end of the day, if he’s primed and ready to go in his best shape, I still don’t think that’s good enough to beat Noah or Kenny.” Bold take! But again, one that didn’t sit well with many.

Because this isn’t the same field as a year ago. Kenny Bednarek, yes, is firing on all cylinders. He dominated the first Grand Slam Track Meet. And backed it up by posting, “I told you I was going to dominate… and I told you I was going to win.” Lyles remains the gold standard in the 200. But the 100m? Simbine is the one putting down the markers right now. If Noah Lyles wins that in Tokyo, then he can start knocking on GOAT doors. But fans aren’t convinced it’ll be that simple.

Fans fire back after Noah Williams’ take on Simbine falls flat

The fans weren’t having it. Especially not after what Akani Simbine has endured and achieved over the last year. One commenter hit back with sharp clarity, flipping that argument put forth by Williams by adding, “He ran a 9.82 in the final last year. Times not translating is Omanyala, not Simbine.” That 9.82 wasn’t just any number. It was a national record set under the most brutal of heartbreaks.

A fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics, missing bronze by a mere 0.01 seconds. In one of the most tightly contested 100m Olympic finals ever, Simbine proved he can show up in championship settings. The fan also jabbed at Williams’ comparison to Kenny Bednarek, saying, “I don’t know what this is based on because he was better than Kenny when it mattered in the 100 Olympic final.” That’s not just an opinion!

Another viewer chimed in with disbelief over the ongoing narrative, “You’re saying you don’t expect Simbine to be running 9.9 (at least!) in September and that he’s worse than Kenny at the 100??? Lord, have mercy, did y’all even watch the Olympics last year?” It’s a fair callout. Simbine’s trajectory since Paris has been laser-focused. From his wind-affected season opener in Botswana, where he took down Omanyala, to dominant wins in Xiamen, Shanghai, and Atlanta, he’s been stacking victories like clockwork.

Meanwhile, Kenny Bednarek, despite flashing brilliance in the Grand Slam Track circuit, hasn’t quite stamped his 100m résumé with the same authority. Especially not in the way Simbine has this year. A third fan laid it down even cleaner: “Yeah, insane take to say they can’t see him beating Kenny… Kenny has not proved he’s in the gold medal conversation yet. 9.79 with a 2.4 wind is not enough to say that yet.”

Wind-aided or not, Kenny’s 2025 season has been narrowly focused on GST events, and while his payday and performance were headline-worthy, consistency across broader meets is still pending. Add to that the fact that Team USA, Bednarek included, botched their Olympic relay handoffs again in Paris, echoing the disaster from Tokyo 2020, and suddenly, betting against Simbine looks shaky.

One fan, offering a more tempered and appreciative tone, said, “Great show, I always look forward to you both. On Akani, I don’t think he underperforms on the biggest stage; the man ran his PB in the Paris finals after a long season. Besides, he can’t run more than the field he is given.” It’s a perspective that encapsulates much of the support Simbine has earned this year.

No finger-pointing. Just output. Another wrote, “Man, y’all need to have me on the next episode and get an expert opinion—this is ridiculous.” Fans aren’t just watching; they’re analyzing. And when it comes to Simbine, the numbers, the history, and the present all say the same thing. Well, underestimate him at your own risk.