Seventeen-year-old Ansuné Smith broke and reset her own national hammer throw record last month at the Unam/NUST Welwitschia Athletics Championships in Windhoek.
Smith has been aiming to qualify for the African Championships, which required her to reach 50.50 metres.
She explained that she had always believed a new record would be set if she achieved her goal, but reaching the 50m mark for the first time with the 4kg hammer was so overwhelming that she momentarily forgot about both the record and the qualifying standard.
“At first, I was in pure shock and disbelief. I thought it would be better than the other throws, but it never crossed my mind that it would be over 50m. I was overwhelmed with emotions, but mostly filled with joy,” Smith said.
To surpass her previous record, Smith maintained her usual gym routine and practice hours but shifted her focus from chasing the record itself to achieving her broader goals.
“This helped me gain that extra bit of trust in myself to be able to go past it. I might add that I am in a very unique situation, being the only Namibian woman competing in the event. For now, whenever I reach a personal best distance, it will automatically be a new national record, so I am not necessarily going for the record books, but rather for the goals I set for myself for the year,” she explained.
Smith began hammer throwing a few years ago alongside her sister, Annelize Smith. Training and travelling together helped deepen her interest in the sport.
The Smith sisters initially trained under Henk Botha in discus and shot put. When Smith was around 10 or 11 years old, a South African coach at the Quinton-Steele Botes Camp suggested she had the potential to take up the hammer throw.
“That comment stuck, and a few years later, we decided to try our hands at it. In December 2021, coach Botha started teaching me and Annelize the basics, and it just grew from there. I fell in love with it, and now here we are,” she recalled.
Despite being only 17, Smith already competes at a senior level. She chooses not to dwell on the age gap, instead using it as an opportunity to learn from more experienced athletes, which helps her mature faster and remain humble.
Her training regimen focuses on strength, technique and consistency. She goes to the gym three times a week before school for strength training, and in the afternoons, spends one to two hours on the field working on her technique and consistency.
“I take videos that I send to my dad and coach Constand van Rooyen, who analyses my throws and gives me feedback. The week before a competition, my father will normally come to practice with me to ensure that we are ready,” she said.
One of the biggest challenges she faces is the lack of adequate facilities, limited opportunities and the fact that hammer throw remains relatively unknown in Namibia.
“Hammer throw, as you can expect, can be very dangerous. This makes it difficult to just practice in any field, due to the number of other athletes and teams also using the facilities,” she said.
The lack of competition at her age also makes it difficult for her to stay calm during major events, where other athletes are more accustomed to the environment. To overcome this, she participates in as many competitions as possible to build confidence.
Balancing early morning gym sessions with school can make for long days, but Smith credits her parents and school for their continued support and understanding of the sacrifices required.
Her immediate goal is to remain consistent above the 50m mark and continue improving. She is currently working toward qualifying for the CAA African Senior Championships and hopes to eventually represent Namibia on the global stage, including at the World U/20 Championships.
Smith also looks forward to competing at the Olympics or World Championships in the future, stating that she is still young and will take it one step at a time. Smith hopes her achievements will bring attention to field events in Namibia, a country largely known for its runners. She aims to show that Namibians can also succeed in throwing events and hopes to inspire schools to invest in hammer throw facilities and development, as the discipline is currently not included in the school athletics calendar.