“He Has Put His Flag at the Top of the Mountain”: Justin Gatlin in Awe as Akani Simbine Sets the 100M World Lead at the Atlanta City Games

The Atlanta City Games hosted numerous events in various categories, and the audience was treated to several incredible performances. One of the most spectacular performances came in the 100-meter sprint, where South African Olympic runner Akani Simbine secured the current world lead with a time of 9.90 seconds. Justin Gatlin recently talked about this feat on the ‘Ready Set Go’ podcast on YouTube, where he praised the athlete’s dedication to push himself to the maximum during the Olympic season.

This campaign has also resulted in several discussions about whether a world record will be broken this season. Interestingly, while a few athletes removed their names from the debate, Rodney A. Green stated that Simbine was always present, as he is one of the quickest athletes in Africa. Gatlin immediately seconded this view, saying,

“He has put his flag at the top of the mountain thus far as saying he is the fastest African. I love this whole topic…You know we’re usually talking, who’s the fastest Caribbean? Who’s the fastest American? Now we can able to talk about who’s the fastest African…running real times and having a world lead.”

The four-time world champion is enthusiastic about the overall level of competition this season. He enjoys how athletes are attempting to prove themselves while stirring up supporters with discussions about pursuing significant accolades. In fact, Gaitlin even urged most athletes to maintain such emotions because he realizes the importance of the Olympic season.

Still, this is also not the first time Justin Gatlin has urged the track community to keep an eye out for African athletes; he has previously linked another track prodigy to legend Usain Bolt.

The African athlete on the radar of Justin Gatlin apart from Akani Simbine

In the 2024 season, prior to Akani Simbine and his significant 100-meter world lead, Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo sparked excitement in the track community by breaking the 300-meter world record. The 20-year-old sprinter also pursued world leads in the 200 and 400 meters, which he eventually achieved, emerging as a leading contender for Olympic gold this season.

Justin Gatlin once claimed that Tebogo brought Africa to light in the same way that Usain Bolt did for Jamaica. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist’s achievements elevated him to the status of a global sporting celebrity, and he served as an inspiration to other renowned American and European athletes.

Hence, just as Bolt brought the Caribbean into the limelight, Tebogo has done the same, paving the way for young African athletes to succeed internationally.