Simbine’s record was bettered by Henricho Bruintjies four days later when he ran a coastal time of 10.08 seconds in Prague. Simbine made headlines during a meeting in Slovenia when he became the second South African to dip below the ten second barrier in a time of 9.99 seconds. Bruintjies stepped up to the challenge once again during a meeting in Switzerland and bettered this record with a time of 9.97 seconds. Simbine soon stepped back into the limelight, equalling Bruintjies’ 9.97 record at the World Student Games.
South African athletes shone at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in 2015 alongside the world’s top atheletes. UP-Tuks’s High Performance Centre athletes stood among them when 400 m hurdles athlete Wenda Nel secured a spot in the final, while LJ van Zyl managed to reach the semi-finals in the men’s category. South Africa’s top 100 m athletes, Simbine and Bruintjies, were also able to reach the semi-finals in their individual events. All eyes are on UP athletes for the Rio Olympic Games that will take place later this year.
