Allan_Cumming
Allan Cumming
South African hammer thrower
Allan Cumming (born 21 March 1996) is a South African hammer thrower. He won the gold medal at the 2022 African Championships.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | (1996-03-21) 21 March 1996 (age 28) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Hammer throw |
| College team | North-West University |
| Coached by | Chris Harmse[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | 73.00 m (2021) |
Medal record | |
His personal best is 73.00 metres, set in 2021 in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Cumming finished fourth at the 2015 African Junior Championships in Ethiopia, narrowly missing out on the podium.[2] That same year he began competing at the collegiate level for North-West University, breaking the Varsity Sports record with a personal best throw of 58.13 m at his maiden meet in Stellenbosch.[3] He was selected for his first senior international competition, the 2018 African Championships held in Nigeria,[4] though he finished in sixth place after throwing for 67.37 m.[5]
In 2019, Cumming won a bronze medal at the South African Championships before placing eighth at the Summer Universiade in Italy.[6][7] Cumming won his first senior national title at the 2021 South African Championships, recording a throw of 72.78 m to defeat incumbent champion Tshepang Makhethe.[1] He also won the national university title with a throw of 70.89 m, contributing to North-West University's fifth consecutive USSA team title.[8]
Cumming achieved the double again in 2022, capturing the national title in April and the national university title in May.[9][10] Then, in June, he captured the continental title at the African Championships in Mauritius with a throw of 69.13 m in the final round, finishing just ahead of Tshepang Makhethe for the gold medal.[11][12]
Cumming's sister, Margo, is the national record holder in the women's hammer throw.[1] The duo both won national championships in 2021.[1]
Cumming earned his Bachelor of Education (BEd) from North-West University.[13]
All information taken from World Athletics profile.[14]
Personal bests
| Type | Event | Time | Date | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | Hammer throw | 73.00 m | 6 May 2021 | Potchefstroom, South Africa | |
| Hammer throw (6 kg) | 66.68 m | 6 March 2015 | Addis Abeba, Ethiopia | ||
| Hammer throw (5 kg) | 61.87 m | 6 April 2013 | Pretoria, South Africa |
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  South Africa | |||||
| 2015 | African Junior Championships | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 4th | Hammer throw (6 kg) | 66.68 m |
| 2018 | African Championships | Asaba, Nigeria | 6th | Hammer throw | 67.37 m |
| 2019 | Universiade | Napoli, Italy | 8th | Hammer throw | 66.49 m |
| 2022 | African Championships | Saint Pierre, Mauritius | 1st | Hammer throw | 69.13 m |
| 2024 | African Games | Accra, Ghana | 3rd | Hammer throw | 67.57 m |
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | South African U18 Championships | Pretoria | 2nd | Hammer throw (5 kg) | 61.87 m |
| 2015 | South African Junior Championships | Bloemfontein | 2nd | Hammer throw (6 kg) | 64.62 m |
| South African Championships | Stellenbosch | 6th | Hammer throw | 56.55 m | |
| 2016 | South African U23 Championships | Germiston | 2nd | Hammer throw | 61.92 m |
| South African Championships | Stellenbosch | 4th | Hammer throw | 62.00 m | |
| USSA Championships | Polokwane | 2nd | Hammer throw | 61.16 m | |
| 2017 | South African Championships | Potchefstroom | 4th | Hammer throw | 64.94 m |
| USSA Championships | Cape Town | 2nd | Hammer throw | 64.44 m | |
| 2018 | South African Championships | Pretoria | 5th | Hammer throw | 66.06 m |
| USSA Championships | Sasolburg | 2nd | Hammer throw | 65.46 m | |
| 2019 | USSA Championships | Stellenbosch | 2nd | Hammer throw | 66.46 m |
| South African Championships | Germiston | 3rd | Hammer throw | 68.79 m | |
| 2021 | South African Championships | Pretoria | 1st | Hammer throw | 72.78 m |
| USSA Championships | Johannesburg | 1st | Hammer throw | 70.89 m | |
| 2022 | South African Championships | Cape Town | 1st | Hammer throw | 70.74 m |
| USSA Championships | Cape Town | 1st | Hammer throw | 68.39 m |
National titles
- South African Championships
- Hammer throw: 2021, 2022
- USSA Championships
- Hammer throw: 2021, 2022
- Isaacson, David (17 April 2021). "Brother and sister win SA hammer throw titles". The Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "CAA 12th African Junior Athletics Championships - Results" (PDF). Africathle. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "Cumming: We made history". Varsity Sports. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "South Africa Name Strong Team Of 79 For Asaba 2018 CAA African Senior Championships". AthleticsAfrica. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "Alkana retains continental crown with gold in Asaba". Sport24. City Press. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- Pienaar, Wouter (4 May 2019). "ACNW athletes turn in terrific performance at SA champs". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- Pienaar, Wouter (17 October 2019). "Athletics stars take crown as the best at 2019 NWU Sports Awards". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- Pienaar, Wouter (20 May 2021). "NWU wins USSA athletics title for fifth year in a row". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- Lambley, Garrin (24 April 2022). "ASA Championships results: Upsets aplenty on final day". The South African. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- van Rensburg, Ettienne (7 May 2022). "Siblings show their mettle". Vaalweekblad. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "Two gold medals for SA team in Mauritius". SuperSport. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- Houston, Michael (8 June 2022). "Simbine and Omanyala to meet in men's 100m final at African Athletics Championships". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "students - NWU". North-West University. Retrieved 17 June 2022.