The YouTube Thrower

An athlete would love a coach that is available 24 hours a day, right? Seven days a week, even on holidays?

That is what University of Iowa freshman Annemie Smith had as she developed into one of South Africa's great young throwing talents. Her coach goes by the name YouTube.

She sought out online videos to teach herself both the basics and the finer points of effective weight throwing. "I'm a very visual person," she told Ian Martin of the Daily Iowan. "It's easier for me to learn when I see it, instead of when someone tells me."

Smith — already considered a contender for the Big 10 title — thinks that the Iowa program record is within her reach, as might be a spot on the South African Olympic team in the future.

She also could make an appearance at The Armory at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in February, as the Hawkeyes have already committed to meet and, in the past, have arrived with only weight throwers.