'Winning this award is a privilege' – ASA female athlete of the year Jo-Ane van Dyk

The strength of field events in South Africa was rewarded when javelin thrower Jo-Ane van Dyk scooped the female athlete of the year award at the ASA awards at Montecasino on Saturday night (January 25). After grabbing the field athlete of the year award, Van Dyk beat the likes of Glenrose Xaba, who won the Female Outside Stadium Athlete of the Year, and Female Track Athlete of the Year Rogail Joseph to the top award following her silver medal in the women's javelin throw at the Paris Olympics last August.

"It's amazing to win this award. We have so many top athletes in SA. To be amongst the top is such a privilege and a great achievement," she told #TheTopRunner.

van Dyk was the toast of the ASA Awards after her fabulous performances during the 2024 season which saw her win an Olympic silver medal. Photo Credit: ASA Media.

After throwing 57.69m for 24th in Tokyo in 2021, the 27-year old tossed a personal best 63.93m - 1.87m behind winner Haruka Kitaguchi’s 65.80m and 25mm further than bronze-medalist Nikola Ogrodnikova’s 63.68m - to become the second South African javelin thrower to medal at the Olympics after Sunette Viljoen's silver at #Rio2016. Reflecting on that performance inside the Stade de France, Van Dyk revealed that she initially felt that her monstrous throw, which eclipsed her previous best mark of 60.80 set at the African Games in Accra last March, wouldn't be enough for a podium position.

"I knew it was enough to get me into the top eight. But I didn't think it was enough for a silver medal. When I got the throw and was in the top eight, I decided to contest for a better position. I didn’t think I would stay in the top three," said Van Dyk whose journey has been guided by Terseus Liebenberg at the North West University - the same legendary coach that guided Viljoen to her silver in Rio and was named ASA Coach of The Year on Saturday.

du Plessis poses for a photo with coach Terseus Liebenberg at the Union Buildings after they were honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa for their achievements at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo Credit: Supplied.

van Dyk, who is now Jo-Ane du Plessis after she was recently married, is excited about the future of the sport in the country. While her main goal for the year ahead is to medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, she would like to keep encouraging young throwers to keep dreaming big.

"When I was young, I was told that I could achieve great things. I've incorporated that mentality into training and coaching to help others dream big and believe in themselves. I'm excited about throwing in SA. There are lots of great young shot-putters, javelin and discus throwers. And we must remember that we have a few throwers who have brought medals home from the Olympics and World Champs. I'm excited to see what's going to happen in the future because of our pool of talented young people."