2024 Paris Olympics: 'Akani Simbine gave it everything'

South African athlete Akani Simbine missed out on a podium finish by the slimmest of margins during the 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The 30-year-old finished in fourth place in a nail-biting final that left millions of people around the world on the edge of their seats. 

He clocked a time of 9.82 seconds - just 0.01 seconds behind America's Fred Kerley, who won bronze. It was also a close finish for first and second place.

American Noah Lyles won Olympic gold at Stade de France on Sunday after finishing the race in 9.784 seconds. Jamaica's Kishane Thompson was breathing down his neck, claiming the silver medal with a time of 9.789 seconds. 

Noah earned America its first gold medal in the race in 20 years. 

Despite coming in fourth, Akani's performance set a new national record for SA. This is the Diamond League champion's third consecutive appearance in the 100m Olympic final. 

South African swimmer Tatjana Smith, who won gold in the women's 100m breaststroke and silver in the 200m breaststroke, was among the first to congratulate Akani on his incredible finish. 

"WHAT A RACE 👏🔥Honestly, you are such an inspiration!!" she wrote on Instagram.

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Scores of South Africans are also bursting with pride. They are heartbroken to see Akani miss out on an Olympic medal again, but are thrilled he put on yet another fantastic performance on the world stage. 

"Akani Simbine gave it everything! Improved his time every single time! He can’t be faulted. He ran a national record and a personal best in a final but it just wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes the generation or field you in is just quicker! Credit to him though! He can be proud," one X (Twitter) user wrote. 

Maps Maponyane had nothing but praise for Akani's stellar sprint. 

"My heart breaks for Akani. That man’s commitment, discipline, and dedication to his sport and dream has been incomparable... He was in the mix in Rio (finishing 5th), in the mix in Tokyo (finishing 4th), and again in Paris (finishing 4th), by running 11 secs faster than any other previous Olympic 100m final he’s been in," he wrote. 

Maps added: "All that stood between him and a medal was 1/100th of a second. Sport can be so cruel, and few things can beat the cruelty of coming so close (again and again), and knowing that if you still have it in you, you’ll have to wait another four years for your next chance."

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Akani, meanwhile, knows all eyes were on him during the final, which took place at the same stadium where the Springboks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup when they won the 2023 Rugby World Cup. 

He hopes to inspire young athletes in Mzansi to keep believing in their dreams. 

"It is a moment in history. There's no South African that has ever been in three Olympic finals and placed higher than me. I am the one [who's] doing this thing for the first time for every South African. That's a great thing on its own. I might not be getting the medals, but what I am doing is I'm changing how sprinting is seen in South Africa, and I'm motivating a lot of kids," he said. 

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Main image credit: Instagram/@akani_simbine, iStock/Mayuramew