SA flag bearer Akani Simbine gears up for his third Olympic Games in Paris

A two-time Olympic 100m finalist, he will begin his campaign in the heats on Saturday at 11. 45am, competing alongside local sprinters Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson.

The semifinal is set for Sunday at 8 pm, with the final following at 9.50 pm, where Simbine aims to secure his first-ever Olympic medal.

It’s a big weekend for Simbine, who proudly carried the South African flag during last month’s opening ceremony, and he’s determined to rise to the occasion.

"I was the flag bearer for South Africa, which is a great honour for me. I think for me it was just amazing to be the flag bearer for South Africa and just being the one that is taking the nation to the Olympic Games and saying 'South Africa we're here'," Simbine said.

"So, yeah, then I went back to Montpelier to join the relay team, I continued with our relay camp and just prepared for the relay there and just get ready for my individual 100-meter race and I've just arrived back to the village and getting ready to race over the weekend."

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Simbine has clocked four sub-10 seconds races and is in the best shape of his life since arriving in Europe in April.

He feels optimistic about his chances of reaching the podium.

"As you said, I'm in the best shape of my life. For me, it's something that I feel and I'm very confident about. I think this year is very different, the way we've come, we've actually approached the year, the way we've raced and how coach has gotten me to actually train and compete,” he added.

“So, it's really put me in a position where I feel very confident in myself, very confident in my race pattern and how I race and the athlete that I am and bring me to this place now where I feel I'm confident enough to go and go for the gold at the Olympics."