Could Simbine prevail in Bolt-less Olympics?

WHEN the fastest men on the planet line up for the 100m final in Tokyo on August 1, it will be without the theatre of Usain Bolt, the Olympic gold medal winner in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Bolt’s triumphs in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012 were spectacular in the times he ran and the quality of the field he beat, while his win in 2016 in Rio was still quick enough to get gold but it wasn’t vintage Bolt.

In Bolt’s retired absence and the dramatic decline of Jamaica’s 100m cavalry, South Africa’s Akani Simbine looks like the only one who stands in the way of the US finally reclaiming Olympic sprint dominance.

Simbine disrupts a list that is almost exclusive to the US, when it comes to the men’s 100m. Six of the seven fastest times in 2021 belong to Americans and eight of the fastest 11 current sprinters are American.

Simbine is the exception and his personal best of 9.84 seconds, set earlier in July, is also a South African and African continental record. His best though wouldn’t have won him gold at the USA Olympic trials and his best would also not necessarily guarantee him a top three finish on August 1.

Simbine placed fifth in the 2016 Olympic final, when he ran 9.94 seconds in a race where six of the eight went under 10 seconds. Bolt’s 9.81 was his slowest winning time in an Olympic final.

America’s fastest sprinter Christian Coleman won’t be in Tokyo because of a two-year ban for failing to appear for three successive random drug tests. Coleman is the only runner in the past five years to break 9.80 seconds, running a personal best of 9.76 seconds.

However, his absence from random testing and subsequent ban, casts doubt over the legitimacy of his times. In his absence, Americans Trayvon Bromell and Ronnie Baker have led the charge, running times of 9.80 and 9.77 seconds respectively, with Bromell’s 9.80 seconds the fastest time at the US trials.

What is abundantly clear is that no one is running the times Bolt did in his prime and not one of the world's top sprinters has come close to Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds.

Coleman was seen as the one who could potentially challenge Bolt’s times, but his future in the sport, once he returns, will always be more a question mark than a statement.

Yohan Blake, affectionately nicknamed the Beast, threatened to upstage Bolt in London in 2012 but on the biggest night of the sprinting year he was always second to Bolt.

Blake’s social media profile back then read: ‘I eat 17 bananas a day.’ Following yet another defeat to his long-time rival Bolt, the trolls had a field day with Blake. ‘Eat 18 bananas a day and maybe you will beat Bolt.’

American Justin Gatlin, at 39 years old, won’t be in Tokyo after suffering injury in the semi-finals of the US trials and limping over the line in 10.87 in the final. It would have been Gatlin’s fourth Olympics, but again anything Gatlin has achieved comes with the biggest disclaimer, given two bans for doping.

Bromell is Bolt’s favourite to win the title and Bromell’s recovery from injury also makes him the people’s favourite after doctors two years ago said he would never run again.

Bromell has put the miracle of his return to sprinting down to his faith and to God. He has said that it was God’s will that he run again and it will be God’s will that he takes gold in Tokyo.

“I really want people to understand this: Doctors – people who went years learning about this stuff – told me I would not be able to run because of the damage done to my Achilles. All I had was my faith. All I had was my strength and perseverance.’’

Bromell has confidence, faith and the endorsement of the world’s greatest ever sprinter in Bolt. He also apparently has God on his side. You’d think that the rest of the field may as well not pitch up.

But in a Bolt-less world of sprinting, nothing is a given and South Africa’s Simbine will be the one athlete who believes that there is more to sprinting in 2021 than America and that this is a final that will be decided by who runs the fastest and not who prays the most.

“The fact I get to watch, it’s wonderful and it’s a breath of fresh air for me,” said Bolt earlier in the week. “But I’m competitive. And just to see somebody going out there and winning the 100m without me is going to be weird.”