Team SA at Paris Olympics: Akani Simbine has what it takes to bring home 100m medal

The Team South Africa’s sprinters and golfers will be looking for increase the country’s medal tally on Sunday at the Paris Olympic Games.

All eyes will be on one of the Olympics’ blue ribbon events, the men’s 100m, when the semi-finals and final take centre stage on Sunday night.

Team SA will have three athletes in the semi-finals, after Akani Simbine, Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson qualified from their heats.

Simbine won heat six in a time of 10.03, while Maswanganyi was third in heat three, finishing in a time of 10.06. Richardson managed to qualify as one of the fastest losers after finishing outside of the top three in his heat. He also ran a 10.06.

Simbine is South Africa’s biggest contender after coming into the Paris Games in good form. His heat wasn’t as smooth, as his start was rather sluggish, but he showed enough class to make him a real contender, especially after the favourite for the gold Noah Lyles also struggled to get going.

Simbine finished fifth at Rio 2016 and fourth in Tokyo and is desperate to get on the podium on Sunday night. If he can get out of the blocks, there is definitely a chance of a medal.

In golf, both Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen need to lay down an early marker and attack Le Golf National to try and sneak into medal contention.

Bezuidenhout and Van Rooyen are on 8-under-par heading into Sunday’s final round. They are are six shots adrift of the leaders Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm, who are tied on 14-under par.

Bezuidenhout showed that it can be done after shooting a bogey-free 7-under par round on Saturday, while Van Rooyen vowed to be aggressive, especially off the tee, in the final round.

SOUTH AFRICANS IN ACTION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 4

ATHLETICS

Men’s long jump qualification, Group A (11am): Jovan van Vuuren

Men’s long jump qualification, Group B (11am): Cheswill Johnson

Women’s 400m-H, first round, heats (12.43pm): Rogail Joseph

Women’s 400m-H, first round, heats (12.51m): Zeney Gledenhuys

Men’s 400m, round 1 heats (7.21pm): Lythe Pillay

Men’s 400m, round 1 heats (7.37pm): Zakhiti Nene

Men’s 100m, semi-finals (8.05pm): Shaun Maswanganyi

Men’s 100m, semi-finals (8.14pm): Akani Simbine

Men’s 100m, semi-finals (8.23pm): Benjamin Richardson

Women’s 800m, semi-finals (8.55pm): Prudence Sekgodiso

CYCLING

Women’s road race (2pm): Tiffany Keep, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio

GOLF

Men’s Individual, fourth round

11.55am: Christiaan Bezuidenhout

11.44am: Erik van Rooyen

@JohnGoliath82

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