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.
Athletics Hammer throw | |
---|---|
World records | |
Men | Yuriy Sedykh 86.74 m (1986) |
Women | Anita Włodarczyk 82.98 m (2016) |
Olympic records | |
Men | Sergey Litvinov 84.80 m (1988) |
Women | Anita Włodarczyk 82.29 m (2016) |
World Championship records | |
Men | Ivan Tsikhan 83.63 m (2007) |
Women | Anita Włodarczyk 80.85 m (2015) |
The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consists of a metal ball attached by a steel wire to a grip. The size of the ball varies between men's and women's competitions.
History
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 has been dominated by Europe 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.
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
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 developed hammer throw competition to a point where more focus is on speed in order to gain maximum distance.
The throwing motion starts with the thrower swinging the hammer back-and-forth about two times to generate momentum. The thrower then makes three, four or (rarely) five full rotations using a complex heel-toe foot movement, spinning the hammer in a circular path and increasing its angular velocity with each rotation. Rather than spinning the hammer horizontally, it is instead spun in a plane that angles up towards the direction in which it will be launched. The thrower releases the hammer as its velocity is upward and toward the target.[2]
Throws are made from a throwing circle. The thrower is not allowed to step outside the throwing circle before the hammer has landed and may only enter and exit from the rear of the throwing circle. The hammer must land within a 34.92º throwing sector that is centered on the throwing circle. The sector angle was chosen because it provides a sector whose bounds are easy to measure and lay out on a field (10 metres out from the center of the ring, 6 metres across).[3][4] A violation of the rules results in a foul and the throw not being counted.
As of 2015 the men's hammer world record is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 86.74 m (284 ft 6+3⁄4 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 82.98 m (272 ft 2+3⁄4 in) during the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on 28 August 2016.
All-time top 25
Men
- Updated June 2021
Rank | Mark | Athlete | Place | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 86.74 m (284 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Yuriy Sedykh (URS) | Stuttgart | 30 August 1986 | |
2 | 86.04 m (282 ft 3+1⁄4 in) | Sergey Litvinov (URS) | Dresden | 3 July 1986 | |
3 | 84.90 m (278 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Vadim Devyatovskiy (BLR) | Minsk | 21 July 2005 | |
4 | 84.86 m (278 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Koji Murofushi (JPN) | Prague | 29 June 2003 | |
5 | 84.62 m (277 ft 7+1⁄4 in) | Igor Astapkovich (BLR) | Seville | 6 June 1992 | |
6 | 84.51 m (277 ft 3 in) | Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) | Grodno | 9 July 2008 | |
7 | 84.48 m (277 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | Igor Nikulin (URS) | Lausanne | 12 July 1990 | |
8 | 84.40 m (276 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Jüri Tamm (URS) | Banská Bystrica | 9 September 1984 | |
9 | 84.19 m (276 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | Adrián Annus (HUN) | Szombathely | 10 August 2003 | |
10 | 83.93 m (275 ft 4+1⁄4 in) | Paweł Fajdek (POL) | Szczecin | 9 August 2015 | [5] |
11 | 83.68 m (274 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | Tibor Gécsek (HUN) | Zalaegerszeg | 19 September 1998 | |
12 | 83.46 m (273 ft 9+3⁄4 in) | Andrey Abduvaliyev (URS) | Sochi | 26 May 1990 | |
13 | 83.43 m (273 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Aleksey Zagornyi (RUS) | Adler | 10 February 2002 | |
14 | 83.40 m (273 ft 7+1⁄4 in) | Ralf Haber (GDR) | Athens | 16 May 1988 | |
15 | 83.38 m (273 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Szymon Ziółkowski (POL) | Edmonton | 5 August 2001 | |
16 | 83.30 m (273 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | Olli-Pekka Karjalainen (FIN) | Lahti | 14 July 2004 | |
17 | 83.04 m (272 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | Heinz Weis (DEU) | Frankfurt | 29 June 1997 | |
18 | 83.00 m (272 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | Balázs Kiss (HUN) | Saint-Denis | 4 June 1998 | |
19 | 82.78 m (271 ft 7 in) | Karsten Kobs (DEU) | Dortmund | 26 June 1999 | |
20 | 82.71 m (271 ft 4+1⁄4 in) | Rudy Winkler (USA) | Eugene | 20 June 2021 | [6] |
21 | 82.69 m (271 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | Krisztián Pars (HUN) | Zürich | 16 August 2014 | |
22 | 82.64 m (271 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | Günther Rodehau (GDR) | Dresden | 3 August 1985 | |
23 | 82.62 m (271 ft 3⁄4 in) | Sergey Kirmasov (RUS) | Zalaegerszeg | 30 May 1998 | |
82.62 m (271 ft 3⁄4 in) | Andriy Skvaruk (UKR) | Kyiv | 27 April 2002 | ||
25 | 82.58 m (270 ft 11 in) | Primož Kozmus (SVN) | Celje | 2 September 2009 |
Notes
Below is a list of all other throws equal or superior to 86.50 m:
- Yuriy Sedykh 86.66 (1986). Sedykh also threw 86.68 and 86.62 ancillary marks during world record competition.
Annulled marks
- Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus also threw 86.73 in Brest on 3 July 2005, but this performance was annulled due to drugs disqualification.
Women
- Correct as of June 2021.[7]
Rank | Mark | Athlete | Date | Place | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 82.98 m (272 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | 28 August 2016 | Warsaw | [8] |
2 | 80.31 m (263 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | DeAnna Price (USA) | 26 June 2021 | Eugene | [9] |
3 | 79.42 m (260 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Betty Heidler (GER) | 21 May 2011 | Halle | |
4 | 78.51 m (257 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) | 5 July 2012 | Cheboksary | |
5 | 78.18 m (256 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Brooke Andersen (USA) | 10 April 2021 | Wichita | [10] |
6 | 77.78 m (255 ft 2 in) | Gwen Berry (USA) | 8 June 2018 | Chorzów | [11] |
7 | 77.68 m (254 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Wang Zheng (CHN) | 29 March 2014 | Chengdu | |
8 | 77.33 m (253 ft 8+1⁄4 in) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) | 28 September 2014 | Incheon | |
9 | 77.32 m (253 ft 8 in) | Aksana Miankova (BLR) | 29 June 2008 | Minsk | |
10 | 77.26 m (253 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Gulfiya Agafonova (RUS) | 12 June 2006 | Tula | |
11 | 77.13 m (253 ft 1⁄2 in) | Oksana Kondratyeva (RUS) | 30 June 2013 | Zhukovskiy | |
12 | 76.90 m (252 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | Martina Hrašnová (SVK) | 16 May 2009 | Trnava | |
13 | 76.85 m (252 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | Malwina Kopron (POL) | 26 August 2017 | Taipei City | [12] |
14 | 76.83 m (252 ft 3⁄4 in) | Kamila Skolimowska (POL) | 11 May 2007 | Doha | |
15 | 76.72 m (251 ft 8+1⁄4 in) | Mariya Bespalova (RUS) | 23 June 2012 | Zhukovsky | |
16 | 76.66 m (251 ft 6 in) | Volha Tsander (BLR) | 23 June 2006 | Minsk | |
17 | 76.63 m (251 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Yekaterina Khoroshikh (RUS) | 23 June 2006 | Zhukovsky | |
18 | 76.62 m (251 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Yipsi Moreno (CUB) | 9 September 2008 | Zagreb | |
19 | 76.56 m (251 ft 2 in) | Alena Matoshka (BLR) | 12 June 2012 | Minsk | |
20 | 76.35 m (250 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Joanna Fiodorow (POL) | 28 September 2019 | Doha | [13] |
21 | 76.33 m (250 ft 5 in) | Darya Pchelnik (BLR) | 29 June 2008 | Minsk | |
22 | 76.26 m (250 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Hanna Malyshik (BLR) | 27 April 2018 | Brest | |
23 | 76.21 m (250 ft 1⁄4 in) | Yelena Konevtseva (RUS) | 26 May 2007 | Sochi | |
24 | 76.17 m (249 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Anna Bulgakova (RUS) | 24 July 2013 | Moscow | |
25 | 76.07 m (249 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Mihaela Melinte (ROU) | 29 August 1999 | Rüdlingen |
Notes
Below is a list of all other performances (excluding ancillary throws) equal or superior to 78.00 m:
- Anita Włodarczyk also threw 82.87 (2017), 82.29 (2016), 81.08 (2015), 80.85 (2015), 80.79 (2017), 80.26 (2016), 79.80 (2017), 79.73 (2017), 79.72 (2017), 79.61 (2016), 79.59 (2018), 79.58 (2016), 79.48 (2016), 79.45 (2016), 78.94 (2018), 78.76 (2014), 78.74 (2018), 78.54 (2016), 78.48 (2021), 78.46 (2013), 78.30 (2010), 78.28 (2015), 78.24 (2015), 78.22 (2013), 78.17 (2014), 78.16 (2015), 78.14 (2016), 78.10 (2016) and 78.00 (2017).
- DeAnna Price also threw 79.98 (2021), 78.60 (2021), 78.51 (2021), 78.24 (2019), 78.16 (2021), 78.12 (2018).
- Betty Heidler also threw 78.07 (2012) and 78.00 (2014).
Annulled marks
The following athletes had their performances (over 77.00 m) annulled due to doping offences:
- Tatyana Lysenko (Russia) 78.80 (2013) and 78.15 (2013).
- Aksana Miankova (Belarus) 78.69 and 78.19 (both 2012).
- Gulfiya Agafonova (Russia) 77.36 (2007).
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1999 Seville |
Mihaela Melinte (ROU) | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) | Lisa Misipeka (ASA) |
2001 Edmonton |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) | Bronwyn Eagles (AUS) |
2003 Saint-Denis |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) | Manuela Montebrun (FRA) |
2005 Helsinki |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) | Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) | Manuela Montebrun (FRA) |
2007 Osaka |
Betty Heidler (GER) | Yipsi Moreno (CUB) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
2009 Berlin |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Betty Heidler (GER) | Martina Hrašnová (SVK) |
2011 Daegu |
Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) | Betty Heidler (GER) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
2013 Moscow |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) | Wang Zheng (CHN) |
2015 Beijing |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) | Alexandra Tavernier (FRA) |
2017 London |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Wang Zheng (CHN) | Malwina Kopron (POL) |
2019 Doha |
DeAnna Price (USA) | Joanna Fiodorow (POL) | Wang Zheng (CHN) |
Season's bests
Men
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Women
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See also
Notes and references
- "Hammer Throw – Introduction". IAAF. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- Johannsen, Dana (1 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020: Why the Olympic hammer throw may become a new national obsession". Stuff. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- "Hammer Throw". World Athletics. World Athletics.
- "Laying Out Sector Angles for the Track and Field Throwing Events" (PDF). USA Track & Field Pacific Northwest. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
The shot, discus, hammer & weight throw sector is 34.92º. This angle was chosen due to its simple geometry.
- Phil Minshull (9 August 2015). "Fajdek throws 83.93m in Szczecin". IAAF. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- Roy Jordan (21 June 2021). "Bromell back to his best while Felix and Winkler make history in Eugene". World Athletics. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- "All-time women's best hammer throw". IAAF. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- "Wlodarczyk extends hammer world record in Warsaw". IAAF. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- Roy Jordan (27 June 2021). "Holloway, Thomas, Benjamin and Price shine on superb day in Eugene". World Athletics. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- Steve Smythe (13 April 2021). "Deanna Price goes No.3 all-time in the hammer – weekly round-up". athleticsweekly.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- Jon Mulkeen (8 June 2018). "Berry and Nowicki topple hammer favourites in Chorzow". IAAF. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- "Women's Hammer Final Results" (PDF). 2017.taipei. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "Hammer Throw Results" (PDF). IAAF. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- 2004 Olympic Hammer Throw Medalists. Olympic.org. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
- Engeler, Elaine (10 June 2010). "CAS Reinstates Medals for Hammer Throwers". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 June 2010.