Bolt comparisons a 'privilege', says sprint star Dambile
Sinesipho Dambile says being compared with Usain Bolt is a "privilege". The 24-year-old South African told BBC Sport that "Pressure is a privilege" and "I love it because that's where I excel".
Dambile is the Commonwealth 200m champion. He won the title at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the first big gold of his career.
The Bolt link is not distant admiration. Dambile met the Jamaican athletics great in person at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Bolt's advice was simple: "make sure you enjoy this thing".
He is learning how to do that on fast tracks. In June, Dambile clocked 19.74 seconds for 200m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha. A Diamond League is athletics' season-long series of elite invitation meets. That run is his lifetime best, listed by World Athletics, and it was the fourth-fastest time recorded by any athlete in 2026.
Tokyo was harder. Dambile had won last year's South African national championships to secure his place there. In Japan he set a personal best, the fastest time of his life at that point, of 19.97 seconds in the semi-finals. He then finished eighth in the final.
He finished the year strongly. Dambile placed second behind Kenny Bednarek and ahead of Letsile Tebogo in the Diamond League final in Brussels. He then finished fourth in the inaugural Ultimate Championships, running 19.80 seconds in the semi-finals in Budapest and 19.91 seconds in the final.
Dambile is not only a solo sprinter. He was part of the South African quartet with Bayanda Walaza, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine that won 4x100m gold, four runners each covering 100m with a baton, at the World Relays in Guangzhou last year. He said he wants to compete in both the 100m and 200m going forward.
What makes this stand out is the balance. Dambile breathes hard at the sharp end of global finals. He still talks like a young athlete determined to enjoy the run.
