Former swimmer Cheyenne Smith reflects on whirlwind weightlifting journey

The 26-year-old recently became one of the first African lifters to compete at a European Championship staged in Georgia last month, marking another milestone in what is rapidly becoming an international career.

Speaking to SABC Sport after the trip, Smith reflected on her journey into weightlifting, a sport she only took up three years ago.

"I think I started weightling pretty similarly to most people have in the country and even overseas. I started at a CrossFit gym, and I really enjoyed that. My heart really definitely lay with picking up the heavier weights," said Smith

"I had a lovely coach there who actually kind of pushed me into doing a competition. I entered that competition; I had no coach and had a terrible competiton, but somehow it hooked me, and I never looked back since then."

"This was 2023, I think, so I have only been doing this for about three years. I'm still very much a baby in the sport. We have a lot of people that have been doing this for numerous years, so I am excited to see where this goes."

With the build of a natural weightlifter and the height to match, Smith revealed she actually started out as a swimmer.

Smith says travelling to Batumi was not only about breaking barriers as Africans but a shot at increasing her chances to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland later this year.

Her time in Georgia opened her eyes to what weightlifting in South Africa could look like with more support and interest.