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.
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 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.
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
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 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 August 2015
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Location | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86.74 m (284 ft 6 3⁄4 in) |  Yuriy Sedykh (SUN) |
Stuttgart | 30 August 1986 | |
| 2 | 86.04 m (282 ft 3 1⁄4 in) | Sergey Litvinov (SUN) |
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) | .svg.png){kind=small} 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 (SUN) |
Lausanne | 12 July 1990 | |
| 8 | 84.40 m (276 ft 10 3⁄4 in) | Jüri Tamm (SUN) |
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 | [2] |
| 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 (SUN) |
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 (DDR) |
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 | 82.69 m (271 ft 3 1⁄2 in) | Krisztián Pars (HUN) |
Zürich | 16 August 2014 | |
| 21 | 82.64 m (271 ft 1 1⁄2 in) | Günther Rodehau (DDR) |
Dresden | 3 August 1985 | |
| 22= | 82.62 m (271 ft 0 3⁄4 in) | Sergey Kirmasov (RUS) |
Zalaegerszeg | 30 May 1998 | |
| 22= | 82.62 m (271 ft 0 3⁄4 in) |  Andriy Skvaruk (UKR) |
Kiev | 27 April 2002 | |
| 24 | 82.58 m (270 ft 11 in) |  Primož Kozmus (SVN) |
Celje | 2 September 2009 | |
| 25 | 82.54 m (270 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | Vasiliy Sidorenko (RUS) |
Krasnodar | 13 May 1992 |
Non-Legal Marks
- Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus also threw 86.73 on 3 July 2005 in Brest, but this performance was annulled due to drugs disqualification.
Women
- Updated August 2016
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 82.98 m (272 ft 2 3⁄4 in) | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) |
28 August 2016 | Warsaw | [3] |
| 2 | 79.42 m (260 ft 6 3⁄4 in) | Betty Heidler (DEU) |
21 May 2011 | Halle | |
| 3 | 78.80 m (258 ft 6 1⁄4 in) | Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) |
16 August 2013 | Moscow | |
| 4 | 78.69 m (258 ft 2 in) | Aksana Miankova (BLR) |
18 July 2012 | Minsk | |
| 5 | 77.68 m (254 ft 10 1⁄4 in) |  Zheng Wang (CHN) |
29 March 2014 | Chengdu | |
| 6 | 77.33 m (253 ft 8 1⁄4 in) | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
28 September 2014 | Incheon | |
| 7 | 77.26 m (253 ft 5 1⁄2 in) | Gulfiya Agafonova (RUS) |
12 June 2006 | Tula | |
| 8 | 77.13 m (253 ft 0 1⁄2 in) | Oksana Kondratyeva (RUS) |
30 June 2013 | Zhukovskiy | |
| 9 | 76.90 m (252 ft 3 1⁄2 in) |  Martina Hrašnová (SVK) |
16 May 2009 | Trnava | |
| 10 | 76.83 m (252 ft 0 3⁄4 in) | Kamila Skolimowska (POL) |
11 May 2007 | Doha | |
| 11 | 76.72 m (251 ft 8 1⁄4 in) | Mariya Bespalova (RUS) |
23 June 2012 | Zhukovsky | |
| 12 | 76.66 m (251 ft 6 in) | Volha Tsander (BLR) |
23 June 2006 | Minsk | |
| 13 | 76.63 m (251 ft 4 3⁄4 in) | Yekaterina Khoroshikh (RUS) |
23 June 2006 | Zhukovsky | |
| 14 | 76.62 m (251 ft 4 1⁄2 in) |  Yipsi Moreno (CUB) |
9 September 2008 | Zagreb | |
| 15 | 76.56 m (251 ft 2 in) | Alena Matoshka (BLR) |
12 June 2012 | Minsk | |
| 16 | 76.33 m (250 ft 5 in) | Darya Pchelnik (BLR) |
29 June 2008 | Minsk | |
| 17 | 76.21 m (250 ft 0 1⁄4 in) | Yelena Konevtseva (RUS) |
26 May 2007 | Sochi | |
| 18 | 76.17 m (249 ft 10 3⁄4 in) | Anna Bulgakova (RUS) |
24 July 2013 | Moscow | |
| 19 | 76.07 m (249 ft 6 3⁄4 in) |  Mihaela Melinte (ROU) |
29 August 1999 | Rüdlingen | |
| 20 | 76.05 m (249 ft 6 in) | Kathrin Klaas (DEU) |
10 August 2012 | London | |
| 21 | 75.73 m (248 ft 5 1⁄4 in) |  Amanda Bingson (USA) |
22 June 2013 | Des Moines | |
| 75.73 m (248 ft 5 1⁄4 in) |  Sultana Frizell (CAN) |
22 May 2014 | Tucson | ||
| 23 | 75.68 m (248 ft 3 1⁄2 in) | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) |
4 June 2000 | Tula | |
| 24 | 75.09 m (246 ft 4 1⁄4 in) | Yelena Rigert (RUS) |
15 July 2013 | Moscow | |
| 25 | 75.08 m (246 ft 3 3⁄4 in) |  Ivana Brkljačić (HRV) |
17 July 2007 | Warsaw |
Notes
Below is a list of throws equal or superior to 77.12m:
- 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).
- Betty Heidler also threw 77.13 m (2012), 77.12 m (2009).
Non-Legal Marks
- 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
Men
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Women
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Sydney |
Kamila Skolimowska (POL) |
Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) |
Kirsten Münchow (GER) |
| 2004 Athens |
Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) |
Yunaika Crawford (CUB) |
| 2008 Beijing |
.svg.png){kind=small} Aksana Miankova (BLR) |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) |
Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
| 2012 London |
Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) |
Betty Heidler (GER) |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro |
Anita Włodarczyk (POL) |
Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
 Sophie Hitchon (GBR) |
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
| Games | 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 | Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) |
Yipsi Moreno (CUB) |
Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) |
| 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 | Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) |
Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) |
Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
| 2015 Beijing | Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) |
Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) |
Alexandra Tavernier (FRA) |
Season's bests
Men
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Women
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Notes and references
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 Engeler, Elaine (June 10, 2010). "CAS Reinstates Medals for Hammer Throwers". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
External links
- IAAF list of hammer-throw records in XML
- HammerThrow.eu (Results, Top-Lists, Records, Videos, ...)
- HammerThrow.org (Information about the event, coaching tips and resources, ...)
- Statistics
- Hammer Throw Records
- Hammer Throw History