South African sprinter Simbine has found success and satisfaction beyond medals

South African Akani Simbine has stood on the cusp of medals glory more times than most sprinters ever will, finishing inside the top five in the 100 metres in the last four major championships.

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He has always been just shy of the podium, however, and with each near miss, the chorus of critics has grown louder.

But the 31-year-old, who will race the 100m and the 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships that open on Saturday in Tokyo, refuses to be defined by the "nearly man" label.

Africa's fastest man is writing a different story – one that defies the narrow lens of medals and embraces a broader legacy.

"It doesn't bother me, that's more of an opinion of someone that's writing," Simbine said of the criticism. "The medals are not my story. The medals are just the cherry on top.

"If you look at my career and look at what I've done, it's a successful career. It's a career that no one else has done. There's success in that, there's growth in that, there's a story to that. There's so much learning that comes from that, and that is so, so, so good. That is for me a win."

Simbine was fifth in the 100m at the 2016 Rio Olympics and fourth in the short sprint at both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games.

His bronze in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in March was his first global individual medal.

But he has broken barriers for African sprinters, becoming the first South African to reach an Olympic 100m final, proving that speed is not confined to traditional sprint powerhouses the United States and Jamaica.

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In April, he became the only athlete in history to run sub-10 seconds over 100m for 11 consecutive years when he won gold at the Botswana Grand Prix in 9.90. Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt held the previous record of 10 years.

"You have to realise that what I've been doing in the sport for South Africa and for Africa is a first," Simbine told reporters on Wednesday.

"I am championing that, and that is developing so many athletes after me, and for me, that's a very powerful position that I'm in.

"But at the same time, it's me taking up that responsibility to keep on writing the story, to keep on making myself and believing in myself and not taking the fourths and the fifths to my head and say, 'you aren't good enough to make a podium.'"

Simbine finds satisfaction in his mentorship and visibility. He is not just racing for himself, he is running for a continent, and the next generation that can see possibility where there was none.

"I could have won medals and had a different story and it wouldn't have been as powerful as where I'm at right now," Simbine said.

Simbine was disqualified in the 100m semifinals for a false start at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, but says he does not use that as motivation.

"I was in the shape of my life, we know what I could have given, and yes, there was disappointment to it," he said.

"But at the same time, it happened, I can't sit in this feeling of negativity and let it eat me up."