Simbine remains the best sprinter - Gorries

According to the South African sprint and relay coach, Paul Gorries, Mzansi™s fastest man Akani Simbine remains the best sprinter despite failing to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregano, USA.

Simbine™s time of 10.01 seconds was only the fifth-best in the men™s 100m final in the States last month as he continues his wait for a first major international title.

At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Simbine, 29, failed to defend his 100m title, winning a silver medal in 10.13 seconds.

Gorries reckons a bad start in the final cost him a potential medal at the World Championships.

œBut what I can tell you from a sprinting point of view no one is ever happy, we all know the calibre athlete Akani is, he has done well before, so what happened, happened for all us not just him a lot of us not just him".

"A lot of us have to look at it and be like ˜okay cool I have to come back better strong and faster' and that™s the mentality you need to have here, there is no short cut in this, because it showed one bad start cost you said Gorries.

œI think in World Championship if Akani had a better starting in the final he probably could have been closer to the rest, it didn™t happen I mean.

œWe have the quality athletes, it just that execution sometimes let us down when it comes to finals but then again a lot of pressure comes with that and you as a coach you can teach them all of it but your hands a tight afterwards when they [are] running they running in those major finals it™s the athlete and athlete alone and your job is done".

"So yah look Akani has been doing well for a long time, so is Wayde [van Niekerk] so I think in terms of sprinting the have paved a way, with the you the youngsters coming through between him and Wade they are result of what is happening 

By Charles Baloyi