VAN NIEKERK AND SIMBINE RECEIVE HERO'S WELCOME

Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine

Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk and 100m finalist Akani Simbine arrived home to a hero' s welcome at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday.

Van Niekerk and Simbine had spent some time in Europe after the Rio Olympic Games and were welcomed by hundreds of supporters, a reception that seemed to catch them by surprise.

According to Van Niekerk, the winning the 400m medal in a world record would have been impossible without support from South Africans.

“The support I received prior to the Olympics was the reason for my success at the Olympics, the medal I won is something special to me and I will cherish it and use it as my motivation to keep moving forward,” Van Niekerk said.

On his return to South Africa, Van Niekerk was surprised with Audi R8 worth R1.8million at OR Tambo International Airport. This was the 3rd car to be won by Van Niekerk in a period of a year after he won two cars at the South African Sports Awards in 2015.

Van Niekerk and Simbine - who finished fifth in the short sprint final in Rio, said they will take a break now in the off-season and start planning for the 2017 campaign, which includes the IAAF World Championships in London.

Simbine, who is an Information Science student at the University of Pretoria said his mind is now focused on achieving impressive results at school.

“I would give myself enough time to recover from the fatigue of preparations for Olympics and once I have chilled a bit all my focus would be on my studies,” Simbine said.

Athletics South Africa (ASA) President, Aleck Skhosana said South Africans should be proud of the performances of two of the country’s fastest men.

“I was privileged to witness first-hand the excellent performances of both Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. It is with great pride and joy that we receive these athletes back in South Africa. They have been great ambassadors for our country,” Skhosana said.