‘I want to be the best in the world’: Dambile looks ahead after winning Commonwealth gold

Sinesipho Dambile winning the men’s 200m final at the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Charmaine Visser With his first major individual title in the bag, sprinter Sinesipho Dambile says he has larger ambitions as he aims to dominate global 200m sprinting. Dambile won the men’s 200m final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday night, storming home in 19.96 seconds.

He finished 0.13 clear of Nigerian silver medallist Udodi Onquzurike, who completed the half-lap race in 20.09. “It’s a beautiful moment. It’s something that I’ve been working for this season,” Dambile told theSascoc website.

“Since I started performing in South Africa, winning the South African championship (it Stellenbosch in April) it was all just a build-up for this moment, and I did it where it matters the most.” A two time-former medallist at the World Athletics Relays, the 24-year-old speedster had enjoyed a superb 2026 campaign. Afterwinning the SA title, he reached the podium at fourDiamond Leaguemeetings, including a victory in Doha in June where he set a lightning fast 200m personal best of 19.74. Looking ahead, he was eager to continue gaining momentum as he aimed to dominate his specialist event on the international circuit.

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“I’m working to try to be the best 200m runner in the world,” said Dambile, who was expected to compete again in the 4x100m relay in Glasgow on Saturday. “I know that I have a lot of improvement when it comes to the 200m, and I’m just being patient and working with the team. In other track and field finals on Friday, Douw Smith took fifth place in the men’s javelin throw with a best attempt of 82.88m, while Liezel Gouws was seventh in the women’s T38 long jump with a 4.38m leap (with the benefit of a +2.7m/s tailwind).

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