01/05/2026
AKANI SIMBINE GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT AT SUPERSPORT SIMBINE CLASSIC
After months of planning by the organising team, meeting director Akani Simbine is pleased with the successful inaugural edition of the SuperSport Simbine Classic, the first World Athletics Continental Tour Silver track and field meeting to be held in South Africa, which took place at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday, 28 April.
WIth a visual display never seen in South African athletics, an electric crowd, and a long list of incredible performances produced by local and international stars, spectators who packed Pilditch Stadium were given a unique experience.
On the track and in the field, there were also some memorable performances, with elite stars chasing a record prize purse of R1.46 million.
Marlie Viljoen set a South African best of 36.30 seconds in the women's 300m race.
Other highlights included American athlete Cambrea Sturgis running 10.92 to win the women's 100m sprint - one of the fastest times ever achieved in South Africa - and Simbine clocking 9.98 in the men's 100m event, dipping under 10 seconds for the 12th year in a row.
"I think it was a successful event. For me, seeing everybody come out on a Tuesday to show the love for athletics we have in this country and filling up Pilditch was amazing," Simbine said.
"I feel we showed the world how we do athletics, with the help of SuperSport, and we had everything covered on the day - kids athletics, the guys who are trying to make it on the pre-programme, and professional athletes who competed in the main programme. "I'm really happy with how the day turned out and I'm very grateful to the team, our partners and all the sponsors that made it happen.
"In addition, we appreciate the support of Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, as well as Athletics Gauteng North and its president John Mathane who played a key role, and Gauteng Province Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation."
The Simbine Classic was made possible thanks to multiple partners including Adidas, AJ Stone Attorneys, Aquelle, Astron Energy, Avanti, BackSports, Bidvest, Biogen, Chromtech, Dis-Chem, GoTyme Bank, Nielsen Sports, Sibanye-Stillwater, SuperSport, SuperSport Schools, TuksSport, and the Akani Simbine Foundation.
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