Discus thrower Mila Ueckermann still amazed at being 'the African champ at my very first African games'

JOHANNESBURG -  Mila Ueckermann was crowned African champion at the CAA U18 & U20 Championships campaign in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria.

The 17-year-old brought home a gold medal in discus with a throw of 52.99m, dominating her competitors, with silver medallist Tunisia’s Katr Jaoued throwing 48.28 and the bronze medallist, Namibia’s Marika Weitz, throwing 44.84.

"Felt familiar even though it was my first time. Super nervous at the start, but when I knew I had it in the bag, I realised I had a good shot at winning this competition, and I did. I walked into the competition with a good mindset and with the goal to break my PB. So, I was pretty chuffed and proud to be able to bring gold home for South Africa and to represent my country. I was filled with emotions after my big win, but it finally sank in the night after my competition when I finally realised I was the African champ at my very first African games," said Ueckermann.

The Hoërskool Stellenbosch learner said the championships that took place between 16-20 July in Abeokuta, Nigeria, were an opportunity for the best athletes from each country to compete for the chance to be crowned as best on the continent.

"I threw on the 17th of July and received a gold medal for Women's U18 discus throw with a distance of 52.99, almost 53m. I broke my previous PB with a distance of over 2 meters. I knew then that whatever happened next, we came into the competition to break my PB, and I accomplished it, and that alone made me excited."

She told Eyewitness News that her father’s passion for throwing sports was what grabbed her interest at a young age, and she wanted to follow in his footsteps.

"So my dad was very passionate about discus throw and shot put. Seeing as he had gotten his provincial colours himself for discus throw when he was in high school, it inspired me to take part in shot put at the age of 10 years old in 2018.

"I started off as a shot putter and went to Junior South African champs in the same year I started doing shot put, and placed 2nd in the 2018 SA junior school champs. When the time came, I was old enough to pursue discus throw in 2019, and my dad was my full-time coach."

The African champion said that juggling school and sports wasn’t easy, as she tries to stick to time slots for everything she needs to do daily to better herself as an athlete and to keep her marks up at school.

"I want to strive to get my technique better, and with better technique comes better distances. I also want to focus on my academics because school comes first  and my end-of-year marks mean a lot toward my future."