Matt Amankonah started throwing with youth track and field in middle school, continuing on into high school. He was mainly self coached in the throws until his senior year, when UCSD Alumni Matt Seefeld took over the throws coaching position and helped to propel him to a CIFSDS Championship win in the Shot put and a 6th place finish in the discus. Additionally, he competed in the Pole Vault and as a Wrestler in high school.

After graduating in 2019, he walked on to UCSD’s throws program with the help of Seefeld. There, Tony Salerno, one of San Diego’s most decorated throws coaches, developed him to throwing a Division 2 2nd ranked toss in the Shotput before Covid shut down all competition. Through Covid, he kept training and coaching in his off time, helping out his high school Coach Seefeld.

After a successful Junior year, he continued to train after Salerno’s retirement with Olympian Nicholas Scarvelis, where he picked up the hammer and was ranked in the Big West for all of his events, not being able to compete at their conference meet or NCAA Championships due to the Division 1 transfer window probation being in effect. He graduated from UCSD being second ranked all time in the Shotput and setting the Indoor Shotput and Weight Throw records.

After graduating from UCSD with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Psychology, he continues to throw the hammer with the goal to qualify for the Ghanaian National team. Overlapping with his college career took on more of a prominent coaching role at his alma mater high school. In 2024, he took on a previous Sectional Champion from Seefeld and developed her to throw a state leading mark in the Discus. In 2025, he took another athlete to the CIF State Meet who took 2nd at San Diego Sectionals. He saw another athlete qualify for sectionals that year, along with a record number of throwers qualify for the divisional meet. With his success at the high school level and recommendation from his coach and mentor Tony Salerno, he was hired as the Throws Coach for San Diego Mesa.

He enjoys cooking and fantasy writing in his spare time, and can be found watching basketball and mma bouts on the weekends