Competing the world over 

Since primary school, she’d been hoping to compete in the Olympics one day but in 2008 her dreams were dashed after falling ill to food poisoning. “I was angry because I had been training. I decided I needed a change and I needed to go to America and compete there,” explains Simone.  

She packed her bags and in August that Olympic year, Simone enrolled at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Texas, studying marketing and advertising as well as joining the track and field setup. Simone got a chance to compete on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) circuit, attending several athletic meets a week across the United States. The facilities and high standard of competition stood well for Simone and her drive to develop. “The NCAA gave me a stepping stone to compete on world circuits. The best junior athletes from all over the world come. They create the environment for you to accelerate,” explains Simone.  

Changing the lifestyle

It was the move to the States that commanded a new diet and training programme. From being 102kg on her arrival at SMU, Simone learnt a new way of living. “As an athlete you have to sleep, drink and eat differently,” says Simone. She lost 50kg over the past few years and retains her lifestyle.

She trained 7 hours a day and noticed changes in her body and technique, “I started to learn the shotput spin and rotational technique. It took two years to learn properly but it helped my game,” says Simone. Her weight-loss made her body adapt to the technique. It worked – she has grabbed the second furtherest shotput throw in the United States and the second furtherest discus throw of all time. She qualified for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, with a personal best of 17.49 metres, “The lifestyle changes were hard but then you see your own results. It was a bottomless pit of inspiration,” explains Simone. Simone was proof that you don’t have to be a big girl to be a big name in the sport.  

Seeing herself as a Ferrari 

Simone has used running in particular in her training regime. For the explosive power surges she is used to when competing, she uses sprint shuttles to improve her technique. Simone also runs longer distances everyday to feel better about herself and clear her head, “Running has been the best therapy and I run everyday as soon as I wake up. You feel better and nothing beats that endorphin rush afterwards,” she explains.  

Nutrition-wise, Simone controls her portions, “I see myself as a red Ferrari and I fill myself up with petrol to push as far as I can go. I used to feel like a bus – slow and passive – but now I’m not going to put bad petrol into me. The body is too precious,” she says.  

Giving back

Simone noticed how her changes affected people around her. “I knew from an athlete’s perspective I could help people find their own potential. I want to help one person a day,” she explains. Simone came back to South Africa at the end of 2011 and could not wait to get back to her family. Simone, who is now working at the University of Johannesburg as their sporting marketer, also spends her time working as a personal trainer, writes diets and exercise programmes and organises shotput clinics at various schools, “Ultimately, giving back is what you need to do in life. As an athlete, you could get selfish – it’s about you. Now, I want to live for others,” she explains.  

Simone, who won’t be competing in this year’s Olympics due to a knee injury, is not devastated. In 2008, she was aggravated and had decided to change. Now, she realises that one creates their own path for success, “All you have to do is find something that makes you smile – that is how you see your own true potential.”