Aiden Smith
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 October 2004 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Shot put |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | Shot put: 20.73 m (Pretoria, 2025) |
Medal record | |
Aiden Smith (born 11 October 2004) is a South African shot putter. In 2026, he became the African Champion having won South African national titles in 2025 and 2026, and the gold medal at the 2025 Summer World University Games.[1]
Biography
In March 2025, he threw a personal best shot put of 20.73 metres whilst competing in Pretoria and won the first leg of the ASA Grand Prix series.[2][3] He won the 2025 South African Athletics Championships in April 2025 in Potchefstroom ahead of Kyle Blignaut with a throw of 20.31 metres, representing Athletics Gauteng North.[4][5][6]
He threw 20.24 metres to win the shot put title at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Championship in May 2025.[7] In July 2025, he won the shot put title at the 2025 University Games in Germany, moving from fifth to first place with his final round throw of 20.25 metres.[8][9][10] He competed at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[11]
In March 2026, he was selected for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, placing fifteenth overall with a distance of 19.07 metres.[12][13] The following month, he won the South African championships shot put title with a 20.51m throw, and won with a 20.55 metres throw at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix ahead of Italian Zane Weir.[14][15]
Smith won the gold medal at the 2026 African Championships in Athletics in Accra, Ghana with a best effort of 20.01 metres.[16]
References
- ^ "Aiden Smith". World Athletics. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ Isaacson, David (12 March 2025). "Marioné Fourie, Prudence Sekgodiso in good form ahead of world champs". Timeslive.co.za. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "EXCITING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: SOUTH AFRICA'S JUNIOR ATHLETES PREPARE FOR GLORY". Magic828.co.za. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "South African Champiobships". World Athletics. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Leotlela, Mbisha claim 100m titles at 2025 ASA Senior Championships – Day 1". Athletics.Africa. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Pretoria still the athletics Mecca of South Africa". Citizen.co.za. 30 April 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Tuks athletes win most gold medals, but finish second in student athletics championship". Citizen.co.za. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Aiden Smith Claims Dramatic Gold in Men's Shot Put at World University Games". Sportsouthafrica.co.za. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ Isaacson, David (24 July 2025). "Bayanda Walaza claims Universiade sprint double, last-gasp gold for Smith". Timeslive.co.za. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "China wins first athletics gold, Walaza claims 200m title at Universiade". News.cn. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ "SA Team ready for World Indoor Champs, amid challenges". Super Sport. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "World Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ^ "DAY 1 WRAP: Joviale, Gift, Tayla shine at the SA Senior Track & Field Champs". Supersport. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ^ "World Athletics Continental Tour 2026: Gabby Thomas storms to 100m personal best in Botswana, Jerome Blake edges De Grasse and Omanyala in men's 100m". Olympics.com. 26 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ^ "African Athletics Championships 2026: South Africa's Aiden Smith wins shot put gold on Day 1, Rwanda's Emeline Imanizabayo claims shock 5,000m gold". Olympics.com. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.