It might take a miracle to beat Usain Bolt in the 100m finals, but it takes talent and discipline to make the finals, let alone place fifth among the world’s best.

Akani Simbine is the sprinting sensation South Africa has been waiting for since the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, when Danie Joubert last made the 100m finals. Simbine, who is a close friend of fellow Olympian, Wayde van Niekerk, has not been resting on his Olympic laurels.

He clocked an impressive 9.93 seconds in March this year to become the fastest man in South Africa. At 23, Simbine, who is part of the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, has youth as well as talent on his side. These are critical for a sprinter with aspirations of targeting every major competition up to the 2020 Olympics.

Simbine’s focus and discipline have served him just as well off the track. He recently completed a degree in Information Science at the University of Pretoria, proving himself to be a gifted all-rounder. He has the foresight to plan and execute his dreams.

Right now, this self professed “superman” is focusing on the next four years, and closing the gap between himself and the “Lightning Bolt”.

|Focus on the process and not the result.|