Consistency proved key in Sinesipho Dambile’s remarkable year

South Africa sprint star Sinesipho Dambile has enjoyed a consistent season on the track, with a string of world-class performances reinforcing his belief in what is possible.

A great deal happens behind the scenes before an athlete steps onto the track to race against the world’s best. Months of training and preparation are involved, with life’s inevitable setbacks coming into the mix. All of that shapes what unfolds in those few seconds of competition and the challenge is to bring it all together to perform consistently.

This season, South African sprinter Sinesipho Dambile has done just that.

The 24-year-old, who hails from the Eastern Cape township of Dimbaza, in Buffalo City, has been in superb form this year.

On the Diamond League circuit, Dambile finished first in the standings, having claimed one victory in Doha, five second-place finishes and one third-place finish. That includes the Diamond League final in Brussels, where he secured second overall.

He placed fourth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest a week ago, but that result was hardly reflective of the season he has enjoyed.

Dambile clocked two personal bests this season, one of which included a 19.74 in Doha in June, and nine sub-20 performances, including eight in succession since June.

This after he dipped under 20 seconds for the first time last year, clocking 19.97 at the World Championships semifinal in Tokyo.

“I knew I could run fast and I believed I could compete internationally, but doing it consistently is different,” said Dambile. “This year has given me a lot of confidence about what is possible.

“Before, running under 20 seconds was something that felt like a really big performance,” he added. “Now I know that I can run those times. Once you have done it a few times, you don’t go onto the track hoping it happens. You know what you are capable of.

“But I have also put in a lot of work on the track and in the gym this year, and the hard work is paying off. It was one of the toughest pre-seasons I have had.”

Dambile said the highlight of his season was winning 200m gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

With a time of 19.96, he was the first South African to win the men’s 200m title in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

There was little separating the eight finalists coming off the bend, but the composed South African found an extra gear in the closing stages to pull clear of the field.