Sinesipho Dambile launched his international season in spectacular style as he won the 200m in Nairobi on Friday evening, announcing his form ahead of South Africa’s 4x100m World Relays title defence in Gaborone next weekend.
Dambile clocked 19.77sec, the second-fastest time so far in the world this year.
However, he won’t be part of relay teammate Akani Simbine’s big meet in Pretoria on Tuesday afternoon, which will feature Canadian star Andre De Grasse and several other top South Africans like 400m star Zakithi Nene, 100m hurdler Marioné Fourie and Luvo Manyonga, who reclaimed his national long-jump crown last weekend.
De Grasse and his cohorts, who won Olympic gold ahead of South Africa at Paris 2024 and then took world championship silver in Tokyo last year, are also competing in Botswana.
World 100m champion Oblique Seville is part of the Jamaican men’s 4x100m team, while compatriot Kishane Thompson, who won silver behind him, is in the mixed 4x100m team.
Out of the shadows
Dambile, from Dimbaza outside King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, won his first national 200m title in 2022 before injuries hampered his performances over the next two seasons.
He gave fans a glimpse of his potential last year as he made the 200m final at the world championships in Tokyo, dipping under 20.00 for the first time in his career with a 19.97 in the semifinals.
He was also part of the 4x100m team that won gold at the 2025 World Relays in China, running the back straight.
But on Friday Dambile stepped out of the shadows with an authoritative performance that made him the second-fastest South African of all time behind Clarence Munyai’s 19.69 from 2018.
Behind him are Luxolo Adams (19.82), Wayde van Niekerk (19.84), Anaso Jobodwana (19.87), Simbine (19.95), and Shaun Maswanganyi and Benji Richardson (both 19.99).
Globally, Dambile’s now tied for 34th overall, alongside Trinidadian legend Ato Boldon and Botswana’s Isaac Makwala.
Top global silverware
Dambile will ultimately need to get well under the national mark to challenge for top global silverware, but this is a perfect launching pad.
His training partner, Gift Leotlela, was disqualified from the 100m, won by Kenyan favourite Ferdinand Omanyala in 9.96.
Nene clocked his first sub-44-second race in Nairobi last year, but this time he finished first in a comfortable 44.55.
On Tuesday he will run the 300m against Zambia’s Olympic 400m bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga as well as his 4x400m comrades Gardeo Isaacs, Lythe Pillay, Leendert Koekemoer and Udeme Okon.
Next weekend they aim to defend South Africa’s World Relays 4x400m crown in an event where home favourites Botswana are fielding a team featuring three of the men who helped them to world championship gold in Japan last year.
The only one missing is Letsile Tebogo, who is in his country’s 4x100m outfit.
But Van Niekerk, part of the team that took relay bronze at the world championships, has withdrawn, as has Zeney Geldenhuys, a key member of the women’s 4x400m that claimed bronze at the last World Relays.
Simbine Classic
Curiously, South Africa is not putting any of their first-choice athletes into the mixed 4x400m relay team, which showed great potential, finishing sixth at the world championships last year.
Simbine, who will race the 100m in his own Simbine Classic at Pilditch Stadium, will again be part of the national 4x100m team.
The big omission is Bayanda Walaza, the double World Student Games champion who suffered a hamstring injury before the world championships and injured himself again early this season.
Dambile, Bradley Nkoana and Simbine are the three survivors from last year’s World Relays. Cheswill Johnson, Tsebo Matsoso and Retshidisitswe Mlenga make up the squad.
The Simbine Classic will be broadcast live by SuperSport on DStv channel 209 on Tuesday from 3.15pm. The World Relays will also be aired on SuperSport on Saturday and Sunday, both on DStv channel 208 from 2pm.
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