Mire Reinstorf, Maties Sportswoman of the Year in 2022 and renowned pole vault athlete recently was chosen as a wild card for the World Athletics Championship which was held in Budapest, Hungary.
Although Reinstorf dabbled in multiple sport codes and initially shied away from trying a new sport, when she eventually did try pole vault she “instantly loved it” – claiming she has not put the pole down since that day.
The Bcom Actuarial Science student insists that her training has only gotten better as the year has progressed. Even before being notified of her ticket to Budapest she says her technique was significantly improving, Reinstorf said: “I am so thankful to have had this opportunity. It was an amazing experience to be able to compete at such a high level together with all of the other elite athletes. Although the competition did not go as planned, I enjoyed it so much. I learned a lot and know what I have to work on now to be prepare for next year.”
Her biggest takeaway from this year is “to be successful, it requires hard work”. It has been a difficult year for Reinstorf as earlier in the year at SA Championships she had a disappointing performance but did not let this get her down. “I just realised that success doesn’t come by itself. You have to put in and keep up the work and effort to reach your goals. Even if you are having bad days, because that is when you learn the most. To push through the bad sessions and know that it will eventually come together,” she explained.
Reinstorf is grateful for the backing of Maties Sport saying, “Maties gave me the opportunity and support to continue doing the sport that I love while completing my studies. I have a daily routine which helps me balance everything and I think just having the discipline to stick to the routine helps immensely.”
The pole vaulter also sites her parents as her inspiration who have afforded her the opportunity to live out her dreams. “I am very thankful and blessed to have them in my life, because they are very supportive and if weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. They inspired me to work hard to become successful,” she said.
It is this attitude that goes a long way as Reinstorf hopes to accomplish her ultimate goal which is to clear a height of 5m or higher. “Only four female pole vaulter’s have ever cleared 5m, so it would be a very big accomplishment for me. I am currently training to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games that will take place in Paris. But if I don’t qualify for these games I will keep working towards the next Olympic Games. In the meantime, I plan to keep bettering my heights and increasing my world ranking,” Reinstorff concluded.
By Kimara Singh
