Want to know how the world’s top 100m athletes take on the best and win? SA’s fastest man Akani Simbine breaks down his race plan.

Confidence
“There’s an alter ego that comes out when I’m racing. I want others to know that I’m out there to eat them up. It starts at the warm-up track. 

“(American) Fred Kerley is well known for mouthing off before the race. In a race before the World’s last year, he was trying to intimidate me, and I just told him: ‘I’m going to drop something heavy on your head.’ If there are things said before the race, you need to be able to give it back.”

Mindset
“When I step on to that track, I’m there to win it. It’s a war now. I say to myself that I’m a superstar, and not just a normal person.”

The Start
“Once I hear ‘One minute to go’, I just clear my mind. I go onto autopilot, waiting for the starter instructions. When the starter says ‘On your marks’, it’s the quietest part of the race. It goes dead quiet. 

“Once I hear ‘set’, I’m ready to react to the sound of the gun. I don’t try and pre-empt it.”

The Race
“I have an average start, so I know that if I’m in contact with the favourites in the early part of the race, I can overhaul them in the second half. When a lot of the guys are starting to decelerate, I’m still building to top speed. 

“Once I’m up and running, all I can hear is my steps. I don’t really hear the crowd. It’s a strange feeling, because it feels… slow. If I feel I’m a little off, I focus on my rhythm, and adjust. It’s all pretty automatic. 

“As you cross the finish line, suddenly you start to hear the crowd again. It’s like you come back to reality.”

READ MORE ON: olympic games olympics