Akani Simbine won South Africa’s first ever 100m gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, with Henricho Bruintjies finishing behind him for an incredible 1-2 podium finish.
The two South Africans made history on the night as they finished ahead of former world champion Yohan Blake.
Simbine produced his customary top-end speed after a sluggish start to cross the line in first place with a time of 10.03 seconds.
Bruintjies pipped Blake to the line clocking 10.17, with the Jamaican rounding off the podium with a time of 10.19.
Simbine now finally has a major championship medal to show for his hard work over the last few years.
He has featured in the 2016 Olympic and the 2017 World Championships finals, with only two fifth-placed finishes to show for it.
“In the past when I competed at a major event I had a mindset of just wanting to get through each round. It was a case of I will see what will happen if I get to qualify for a semi-final, and then I see what happens if I get to the final,” Simbine said before the start of the Games.
“But my mental approach has changed. I now just see ‘gold’. I believe I am worth a gold medal. I have done the work, and I am at a point where I can get it. I want to make South Africa proud.”
IOL Sport
