Akani Simbine’s Olympic journey has been one of near misses—it reached a boiling point last year. Despite a top-tier season, he left the Paris 2024 Olympics again empty-handed. A third straight Olympic final… and still no medal. He had looked as sharp as ever in the rounds, the hunger flashing in his eyes. But in the final? Fourth. Again. Just 0.01 seconds off bronze. Another heartbreak. Another national record. Another shake of the head. Well, Simbine isn’t letting that script write itself anymore. Not in 2025. And certainly not in Atlanta. What has changed?

Three Olympics. Three finals. Not one medal. That kind of heartbreak can burn a man out. But Akani Simbine? He’s burning differently now. The 2025 version of Simbine looks sharper, cooler, almost surgical in the way he moves through races. At the Adidas Atlanta City Games, he cruised through the heat in 10.13s—legal wind, no stress—before exploding in the final. The time on the clock? 9.86s. Wind-aided, sure, but fast is fast. His win streak? Still alive. And here’s the twist: He’s not celebrating. He’s building. “Um, it’s just working, you know, and just trying to improve every step that I can,” he told CITIUS MAG with the calmness of a man who’s been to hell and back in spikes. “And I think for me right now, it’s just putting a big piece of the race together with my race…”

Frankly, that’s what makes this chapter different. It’s not desperation—it’s clarity. “That’s what we’re doing, you know,” he continued. “As we know, it’s a long season, so it gives me a lot of time to actually work on that as well…”

After all, Simbine’s already dropped four sub-10s this year—9.90 in Gaborone, 9.99 in Xiamen, 9.98 in Shaoxing, and now this wind-aided 9.86 in Atlanta. But none of that is enough for him. Not anymore, not in World Championship year. “…Looking forward to that because it’s the time that we get to work on the first phase of the running,” he said. “But happy with where we’re at right now and looking forward to it. Pretty good.”

That’s a man who’s no longer haunted by 0.01s. That’s a man who’s chasing the perfect race.

Akani Simbine is yet to drop a race in 2025

There’s something about the way Akani Simbine is running this year. It’s not just speed — it’s purpose. You can see it in his face, in the way he lines up, and in how he walks off the track like he’s just checking off another box. The mission is clear, and 2025 might finally be the year it all comes together, with him chasing that elusive World Championship medal.

He’s looking ready!

It all started in Gaborone on April 12, where he lined up for his season opener at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix. First race. First statement. Into a strong headwind, he blasted a 9.90 seconds. World lead (Then). No one could touch him, not even African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala, who settled for second.

Then came Xiamen. April 26. A deeper field. Bigger expectations. Still, Simbine stayed cool. He faced Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo and world champ Christian Coleman and just ran through them, clocking 9.99 seconds with that same calm energy. Omanyala again came second, but this time by more than a tenth.

And just a week later, in Keqiao, he did it again. This time, it was Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson breathing down his neck. But Simbine held on in a photo finish—9.98 seconds. And now Atlanta. Four races. Four wins. All sub-10.

There’s no rust. No signs of slowing. With the World Championships on the horizon, could this be the year Simbine finally breaks the medal jinx? The form says yes.