Hammer throw

The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown. Such competitions are still part of the Scottish Highland Games, where the implement used is a steel or lead weight at the end of a cane handle.

Like other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the ball the farthest. The men's hammer weighs 16 pounds (7.257 kg) and measures 3 feet 11 34 inches (121.5 cm) in length and the women's hammer weighs 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 feet 11 inches (119.5 cm) in length.[1] Competitors gain maximum distance by swinging the hammer above their head to set up the circular motion. Then they apply force and pick up speed by completing one to four turns in the circle. In competition, most throwers turn three or four times. The ball moves in a circular path, gradually increasing in velocity with each turn with the high point of the ball toward the sector and the low point at the back of the circle. The thrower releases the ball from the front of the circle. The two most important factors for a long throw are the angle of release (45° up from the ground) and the speed of the ball (the highest possible).

While the men's hammer throw has been in the Olympic Games since 1900, the IAAF did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.

The current world record for the men's hammer was set by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 86.74 metres (284 ft 7 in) at the European athletics championships held in Stuttgart, West Germany in 1986.

The current world record for the women's hammer was set by Betty Heidler, who threw 79.42 metres (260 ft 7 in) in Halle, Germany on May 21st, 2011.

Contents

Men's Seasons Best

Year Distance (m) Athlete Place
1971 76.40  Walter Schmidt (FRG) Lahr
1972 75.88  Anatoliy Bondarchuk (URS) Kiev
1973 75.20  Anatoliy Bondarchuk (URS) Moscow
1974 76.66  Aleksey Spiridonov (URS) Munich
1975 79.30  Walter Schmidt (FRG) Frankfurt
1976 78.86  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) Sochi
1977 77.60  Karl-Hans Riehm (FRG) Gelsenkirchen
1978 80.32  Karl-Hans Riehm (FRG) Heidenheim
1979 79.82  Sergey Litvinov (URS) Leipzig
1980 81.80  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) Moscow
1981 80.56  Klaus Ploghaus (FRG) Obersühl
1982 83.98  Sergey Litvinov (URS) Moscow
1983 84.14  Sergey Litvinov (URS) Moscow
1984 86.34  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) Cork
1985 84.08  Jüri Tamm (URS) Budapest
1986 86.74  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) Stuttgart
1987 83.48  Sergey Litvinov (URS) Karl-Marx-Stadt
1988 85.14  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) Moscow
1989 82.84  Heinz Weis (FRG) Berlin
1990 84.48  Igor Nikulin (URS) Lausanne
1991 84.26  Igor Astapkovich (BLR) Reims
1992 84.62  Igor Astapkovich (BLR) Seville
1993 82.78  Andrey Abduvaliyev (UZB) Nitra
1994 83.36  Andrey Abduvaliyev (UZB) Budapest
1995 83.10  Andrey Abduvaliyev (UZB) Tashkent
1996 82.52  Lance Deal (USA) Milan
1997 83.04  Heinz Weis (GER) Frankfurt
1998 83.68  Tibor Gécsek (HUN) Zalaegerszeg
1999 82.78  Karsten Kobs (GER) Dortmund
2000 82.58  Igor Astapkovich (BLR) Stayki
2001 83.47  Koji Murofushi (JPN) Toyota
2002 83.43  Aleksey Zagornyi (RUS) Adler
2003 84.86  Koji Murofushi (JPN) Prague
2004 84.46  Ivan Tikhon (BLR) Minsk
2005 86.73  Ivan Tikhon (BLR) Brest
2006 82.95  Vadim Devyatovskiy (BLR) Stayki
2007 83.63  Ivan Tikhon (BLR) Osaka
2008 84.51  Ivan Tikhon (BLR) Grodno
2009 82.58  Primož Kozmus (SLO) Celje
2010 80.99  Koji Murofushi (JPN) Rieti

Women's Seasons Best

Year Distance (m) Athlete Place
1988 58.94  Carol Cady (USA) Los Gatos
1989 61.50  Yelena Pichugina (URS) Frunze
1990 61.96  Larisa Baranova (URS) Adler
1991 64.44  Alla Davydova (URS) Adler
1992 65.40  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Bryansk
1993 64.64  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Krasnodar
1994 67.34  Svetlana Sudak (BLR) Minsk
1995 68.16  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Moscow
1996 69.46  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Sydney
1997 73.10  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Munich
1998 73.80  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Tolyatti
1999 76.07  Mihaela Melinte (ROM) Rüdlingen
2000 75.68  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Tula
2001 73.62  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Adler
2002 73.07  Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) Annecy
2003 75.14  Yipsi Moreno (CUB) Savona
2004 75.18  Yipsi Moreno (CUB) Havana
2005 77.06  Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) Moscow
2006 77.80  Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) Tallinn
2007 77.30  Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) Adler
2008 77.32  Aksana Miankova (BLR) Minsk
2009 77.96  Anita Włodarczyk (POL) Berlin
2010 78.30  Anita Włodarczyk (POL) Bydgoszcz

Top 10

Men's best throwers of all time

Rank Mark Athlete Place Date
1. 86.74 m  Yuriy Sedykh (URS) Stuttgart 1986-08-30
2. 86.73 m  Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) Brest 2005-07-03
3. 86.04 m  Sergey Litvinov (URS) Dresden 1986-07-03
4. 84.90 m  Vadim Devyatovskiy (BLR) Minsk 2005-07-21
5. 84.86 m  Koji Murofushi (JPN) Praha 2003-06-29
6. 84.62 m  Igor Astapkovich (BLR) Seville 1992-06-06
7. 84.48 m  Igor Nikulin (URS) Lausanne 1990-07-12
8. 84.40 m  Jüri Tamm (URS) Banská Bystrica 1984-09-09
9. 84.19 m  Adrián Annus (HUN) Szombathely 2003-08-10
10. 83.68 m  Tibor Gécsek (HUN) Zalaegerszeg 1998-09-19

Women's best throwers of all time

Rank Mark Athlete Place Date
1. 79.42 m  Betty Heidler (GER) Halle 2011-05-21
2. 78.30 m  Anita Włodarczyk (POL) Bydgoszcz 2010-06-06
3. 77.80 m  Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) Tallinn 2006-08-15
4. 77.32 m  Aksana Miankova (BLR) Minsk 2008-06-29
5. 77.26 m  Gulfiya Khanafeyeva (RUS) Tula 2006-06-12
6. 76.90 m  Martina Hrašnová (SVK) Trnava 2009-05-16
7. 76.83 m  Kamila Skolimowska (POL) Doha 2007-05-11
8. 76.66 m  Volha Tsander (BLR) Minsk 2005-07-21
9. 76.63 m  Ekaterina Khoroshikh (RUS) Trnava 2006-06-24
10. 76.62 m  Yipsi Moreno (CUB) Zagreb 2008-09-09

See also

References

External links