Hammer throw
The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin.
Contents
History[edit]
With roots dating back to the 15th century, the contemporary version of the hammer throw is one of the oldest of Olympic Games competitions, first included at the 1900 games in Paris, France (the second Olympiad of the modern era). Its history since the late 1960s and legacy prior to inclusion in the Olympics have been dominated by European and Eastern European influence, which has affected interest in the event in other parts of the world.
The hammer evolved from its early informal origins to become part of the Scottish Highland games in the late 18th century, where the original version of the event is still contested today. It is believed that, like many Highland games events, the origin of the hammer throw is tied to a prohibition by King Edward I of England against Scotsmen possessing weapons during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.[citation needed]
In the absence of weapons of war, the Scots turned to alternative methods of military training. The Highland Games became a more formalized event after the Highland Clearances of the late 18th century, which were an agricultural revolution that involved forced displacement of commoners in the Scottish Highlands by the aristocracy.
While the men's hammer throw has been part of the Olympics since 1900, the International Association of Athletics Federations did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 summer games in Sydney, Australia, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.
Competition[edit]
The men's hammer weighs 16 pounds (7.26 kg) and measures 3 feet 11 3⁄4 inches (121.3 cm) in length, and the women's hammer weighs 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 ft 11 in (119.4 cm) in length.[1] Like the other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the implement the farthest.
Although commonly thought of as a strength event, technical advancements in the last 30 years have evolved hammer throw competition to a point where more focus is on speed in order to gain maximum distance.
The throwing motion involves about two swings from stationary position, then three, four or very rarely five rotations of the body in circular motion using a complicated heel-toe movement of the foot. The ball moves in a circular path, gradually increasing in velocity with each turn with the high point of the hammer ball toward the target sector and the low point at the back of the circle. The thrower releases the ball from the front of the circle.
As of 2015[update] the men's hammer world record is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 86.74 m (284 ft 63⁄4 in) at the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, West Germany on 30 August.
The world record for the women's hammer is held by Anita Włodarczyk, who threw 82.29 m (269 ft 113⁄4 in) during the Rio Olympic games on 15 August 2016.
All-time top 25[edit]
Men[edit]
- Updated August 2015
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Location | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86.74 m (284 ft 63⁄4 in) | Stuttgart | 30 August 1986 | ||
| 2 | 86.04 m (282 ft 31⁄4 in) | Dresden | 3 July 1986 | ||
| 3 | 84.90 m (278 ft 61⁄2 in) | Minsk | 21 July 2005 | ||
| 4 | 84.86 m (278 ft 43⁄4 in) | Prague | 29 June 2003 | ||
| 5 | 84.62 m (277 ft 71⁄4 in) | Seville | 6 June 1992 | ||
| 6 | 84.51 m (277 ft 3 in) | Grodno | 9 July 2008 | ||
| 7 | 84.48 m (277 ft 13⁄4 in) | Lausanne | 12 July 1990 | ||
| 8 | 84.40 m (276 ft 103⁄4 in) | Banská Bystrica | 9 September 1984 | ||
| 9 | 84.19 m (276 ft 21⁄2 in) | Szombathely | 10 August 2003 | ||
| 10 | 83.93 m (275 ft 41⁄4 in) | Szczecin | 9 August 2015 | [2] | |
| 11 | 83.68 m (274 ft 61⁄4 in) | Zalaegerszeg | 19 September 1998 | ||
| 12 | 83.46 m (273 ft 93⁄4 in) | Sochi | 26 May 1990 | ||
| 13 | 83.43 m (273 ft 81⁄2 in) | Adler | 10 February 2002 | ||
| 14 | 83.40 m (273 ft 71⁄4 in) | Athens | 16 May 1988 | ||
| 15 | 83.38 m (273 ft 61⁄2 in) | Edmonton | 5 August 2001 | ||
| 16 | 83.30 m (273 ft 31⁄2 in) | Lahti | 14 July 2004 | ||
| 17 | 83.04 m (272 ft 51⁄4 in) | Frankfurt | 29 June 1997 | ||
| 18 | 83.00 m (272 ft 31⁄2 in) | Saint-Denis | 4 June 1998 | ||
| 19 | 82.78 m (271 ft 7 in) | Dortmund | 26 June 1999 | ||
| 20 | 82.69 m (271 ft 31⁄2 in) | Zürich | 16 August 2014 | ||
| 21 | 82.64 m (271 ft 11⁄2 in) | Dresden | 3 August 1985 | ||
| 22= | 82.62 m (271 ft 03⁄4 in) | Zalaegerszeg | 30 May 1998 | ||
| 22= | 82.62 m (271 ft 03⁄4 in) | Kiev | 27 April 2002 | ||
| 24 | 82.58 m (270 ft 11 in) | Celje | 2 September 2009 | ||
| 25 | 82.54 m (270 ft 91⁄2 in) | Krasnodar | 13 May 1992 |
Non-Legal Marks[edit]
- Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus also threw 86.73 on 3 July 2005 in Brest, but this was subsequent to drugs disqualification.
Women[edit]
- Updated August 2016
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 82.98 m (272 ft 23⁄4 in) | 28 August 2016 | Warsaw | [3] | |
| 2 | 79.42 m (260 ft 63⁄4 in) | 21 May 2011 | Halle | ||
| 3 | 78.80 m (258 ft 61⁄4 in) | 16 August 2013 | Moscow | ||
| 4 | 78.69 m (258 ft 2 in) | 18 July 2012 | Minsk | ||
| 5 | 77.68 m (254 ft 101⁄4 in) | 29 March 2014 | Chengdu | ||
| 6 | 77.33 m (253 ft 81⁄4 in) | 28 September 2014 | Incheon | ||
| 7 | 77.26 m (253 ft 51⁄2 in) | 12 June 2006 | Tula | ||
| 8 | 77.13 m (253 ft 01⁄2 in) | 30 June 2013 | Zhukovskiy | ||
| 9 | 76.90 m (252 ft 31⁄2 in) | 16 May 2009 | Trnava | ||
| 10 | 76.83 m (252 ft 03⁄4 in) | 11 May 2007 | Doha | ||
| 11 | 76.72 m (251 ft 81⁄4 in) | 23 June 2012 | Zhukovsky | ||
| 12 | 76.66 m (251 ft 6 in) | 23 June 2006 | Minsk | ||
| 13 | 76.63 m (251 ft 43⁄4 in) | 23 June 2006 | Zhukovsky | ||
| 14 | 76.62 m (251 ft 41⁄2 in) | 9 September 2008 | Zagreb | ||
| 15 | 76.56 m (251 ft 2 in) | 12 June 2012 | Minsk | ||
| 16 | 76.33 m (250 ft 5 in) | 29 June 2008 | Minsk | ||
| 17 | 76.21 m (250 ft 01⁄4 in) | 26 May 2007 | Sochi | ||
| 18 | 76.17 m (249 ft 103⁄4 in) | 24 July 2013 | Moscow | ||
| 19 | 76.07 m (249 ft 63⁄4 in) | 29 August 1999 | Rüdlingen | ||
| 20 | 76.05 m (249 ft 6 in) | 10 August 2012 | London | ||
| 21 | 75.73 m (248 ft 51⁄4 in) | 22 June 2013 | Des Moines | ||
| 75.73 m (248 ft 51⁄4 in) | 22 May 2014 | Tucson | |||
| 23 | 75.68 m (248 ft 31⁄2 in) | 4 June 2000 | Tula | ||
| 24 | 75.09 m (246 ft 41⁄4 in) | 15 July 2013 | Moscow | ||
| 25 | 75.08 m (246 ft 33⁄4 in) | 17 July 2007 | Warsaw |
- Note: Anita Włodarczyk also threw 82.29 m (2016), 81.77 m (2016), 81.74 (2016), 81.27 m (2016), 81.08 (2015), 80.85 m (2015), 80.40 (2016), 80.31 m (2016), 80.26 m (2016), 79.68 m (2016), 79.67 m (2016), 79.62 m (2016), 79.61 m (2016), 79.58 m (2016), 79.39 m (2016), 78.14 m (2016) and 78.10 (2016).
- Note: Betty Heidler also threw 77.13 m (2012), 77.12 m (2009), 76.38 m (2010), 76.06 m (2011), 75.83 m (2009) and 75.77 m (2016).
Non-Legal Marks[edit]
- Gulfiya Agafonova of Russia also threw 77.36 on 26 May 2007 in Sochi, but this performance was annulled due to doping offense.
- Gwen Berry of the United States threw 76.31 on 21 May 2016 in Tucson, but this performance was annulled due to doping offense.
- Manuela Montebrun of France threw 75.20 on 18 May 2003 in Vineuil. The throw was made onto sloping ground, and therefore not a legal performance.
Olympic medalists[edit]
Men[edit]
Women[edit]
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Sydney |
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| 2004 Athens |
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| 2008 Beijing |
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| 2012 London |
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| 2016 Rio de Janeiro |
World Championships medalists[edit]
Men[edit]
Women[edit]
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Seville | |||
| 2001 Edmonton | |||
| 2003 Saint-Denis | |||
| 2005 Helsinki | |||
| 2007 Osaka | |||
| 2009 Berlin | |||
| 2011 Daegu | |||
| 2013 Moscow | |||
| 2015 Beijing |
Season's bests[edit]
Men[edit]
|
Women[edit]
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Notes and references[edit]
- ^ "Hammer Throw - Introduction". IAAF. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ^ Phil Minshull (9 August 2015). "Fajdek throws 83.93m in Szczecin". IAAF. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "Wlodarczyk extends hammer world record in Warsaw". IAAF. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ 2004 Olympic Hammer Throw Medalists. Olympic.org. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
- ^ a b Engeler, Elaine (June 10, 2010). "CAS Reinstates Medals for Hammer Throwers". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-06-15.