Allan Cumming (born 21 March 1996) is a South African hammer thrower. He won the gold medal at the 2022 African Championships.

Allan Cumming
Personal information
NationalitySouth African
Born (1996-03-21) 21 March 1996 (age 28)
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventHammer throw
College teamNorth-West University
Coached byChris Harmse[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best73.00 m (2021)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  South Africa
African Games
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Accra Hammer throw
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Mauritius Hammer throw
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Douala Hammer throw

His personal best is 73.00 metres, set in 2021 in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Career

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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]

Personal life

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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]

Achievements

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All information taken from World Athletics profile.[14]

Personal bests

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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

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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
African Championships Douala, Cameroon 3rd Hammer throw 69.43 m

National championships

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Isaacson, David (17 April 2021). "Brother and sister win SA hammer throw titles". The Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  2. ^ "CAA 12th African Junior Athletics Championships - Results" (PDF). Africathle. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Cumming: We made history". Varsity Sports. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  4. ^ "South Africa Name Strong Team Of 79 For Asaba 2018 CAA African Senior Championships". AthleticsAfrica. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Alkana retains continental crown with gold in Asaba". Sport24. City Press. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  6. ^ Pienaar, Wouter (4 May 2019). "ACNW athletes turn in terrific performance at SA champs". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  7. ^ Pienaar, Wouter (17 October 2019). "Athletics stars take crown as the best at 2019 NWU Sports Awards". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  8. ^ Pienaar, Wouter (20 May 2021). "NWU wins USSA athletics title for fifth year in a row". Potchefstroom Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  9. ^ Lambley, Garrin (24 April 2022). "ASA Championships results: Upsets aplenty on final day". The South African. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  10. ^ van Rensburg, Ettienne (7 May 2022). "Siblings show their mettle". Vaalweekblad. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Two gold medals for SA team in Mauritius". SuperSport. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "students - NWU". North-West University. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  14. ^ Allan Cumming at World Athletics
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