It has been a good year for South African speedster Akani Simbine, who arrived in the island yesterday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s JN Racers Grand Prix as one of the most in form sprinters on the planet.

Simbine, who recently won the 100m title at the South African Championships before running second to close friend and Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk in the 200m, won seven of his eight 100m races so far this season and four of his five 200m races. Despite most of those races taking place in South Africa, Simbine did score a big win at the Doha Diamond League meet, clocking 9.99 seconds to beat the likes of Asafa Powell, Justin Gatlin and Andre De Grasse.

The Olympic finalist says he now feels like he is among the upper echelon of international sprinting and is looking to continue that improvement at this Saturday’s meet inside the National Stadium.

“I feel like I am and I just want to keep improving as I grow and mature in the sport. I use every opportunity I get to learn and become a better sprinter,” Simbine told The Gleaner in an exclusive interview.

“It’s been a really exciting start for me this year, and a big confidence booster. I wanted to start off the year on a high and I’m just glad my coach has gotten me healthy and ready to race,” Simbine added.

Though all recorded at altitude, Simbine is responsible for three of the five fastest times registered in the 100m so far this season with a best of 9.92, making him a strong contender in the international 100m clash, which also features Yohan Blake, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Keston Bledman.

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