Akani Simbine leads South Africa into 4x100m relay final

The South African men’s 4x100m relay team qualified for the final of the event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday after a blistering final leg in the heats by Akani Simbine.

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However, South Africa’s star 100m runner blasted down the finishing straight to cross the line in second place behind the United States.

Drawn in the first of two heats, the South African quartet were close to last when Simbine took the baton.

The top three finishers in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, qualified for the final.

South Africa posted the second-fastest time overall

When all was said and done, South Africa wound up with the second-fastest overall time of 37.94, giving them a real shot a medal in the final.

The South African team comprised Bayanda Walaza , Shaun Maswangani, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine.

The USA posted the quickest time of 37.47.

Joining the USA and South Africa in the final will be Great Britain, China, France, Canada, Japan and Italy.

Jamaica sensationally missed out on a place in the final.

The final will be held on Friday, 9 August at 19:47 (SA time).