Akani Simbine can medal in the 100 metres during the Tokyo Olympic Games.

So believes Matthew Quinn, a former World Championship gold medallist. His confidence in Simbine’s abilities sprouts from the Tuks based sprinter’s last two races.

“For me, Akani is definitely in the mix to a medal. He is, in fact, probably one of the favourites after the 9.84s he dropped in Hungary. After that, he raced the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco, where he was second to Ronnie Baker.”

Simbine’s time of 9.84s is an Africa record and the second-fastest for the season. Only Only Trayon Bromell (USA) has been faster, running 9.77s in Florida. Baker is currently the third-fastest sprinter with a season’s best of 9.85s.

“If Akani runs 9.84s or 9.80s, he is going to take gold. When you start running 9.99s and closer to 10 seconds, the race tends to open up. In Monaco, Baker won in 9.91s. Akani was second in 9.98s. The time gap between second and fourth was a mere 0.03s.I do not rate Bromell. He has not shown much form since the USA trials. To me, he is going to be the wildcard. He either runs 9.80s or 10s. He has not got that middle ground as a sprinter. The big thing with Akani is that he has got big match temperament. An ability to channel himself and race. The World Championships in Doha was possible his biggest disappointment when he finished fourth. He honestly thought he should be on the podium.

“He lost that medal. He is hungry. It is that disappointment that is going to lead to him producing something special on Sunday. He is going to drop a fast time and blow the field. He can dominate the 100 metres for some time.”

According to Quinn, the 100 metres is about absolute perfection. There is no margin for error.