Hammer throw explained

Event:Hammer throw
Wrmen: Yuriy Sedykh (1986)
Ormen: Sergey Litvinov (1988)
Crmen: Ivan Tsikhan (2007)
Wrwomen: Anita Włodarczyk (2016)
Orwomen: Anita Włodarczyk (2016)
Crwomen: Anita Włodarczyk (2015)

The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin.

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. These three components are each separate and can move independently. Both the size and weight of the ball vary between men's and women's events. The women's hammer weighs 4kg (09lb) for college and professional meets while the men's hammer weighs 7.26kg (16.01lb).[1]

History

The exact origins of the hammer throw are a mystery to modern historians. According to legend, at the Tailteann Games in Tara, Ireland, as far back as 2000 BC the Celtic warrior Culchulainn took a chariot axle with a wheel still attached and spun it around and hurled it.[2] The wheel was later replaced by a rock with a wooden handle attached. A sledgehammer began to be used for the sport in Scotland and England during the Middle Ages. In current times, the hammer has changed to the more modern 7.26 kg ball attached to a wire and a handle, but the Scottish Highland Games still feature the older style of hammer throw with the rock and the solid wood handle.

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 and the women's weighs 4kg (09lb), with the wire in either case no more than in length.[3] Like the other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the implement the farthest.

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.[4]

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).[5] [6] A violation of the rules results in a foul and the throw not being counted.

the men's hammer world record is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 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 during the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on 28 August 2016. Sedykh's 1986 world record has been noted for its longevity, and for dating from "a time when track and field was starting to realize the scale of performance-enhancing drug use" (AP).[7] According to Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, Sedykh was a heavy user of steroids, which Sedykh denied.

The throwing distance depends on the velocity and height at which the hammer is released, but also on other factors that are not under the athlete's control.[8] In particular, Earth's rotation affects it via the location's latitude (due to the centrifugal force, the hammer will fly a bit further in a location closer to the equator) and to a lesser extent also via the throw's azimuth (i.e. its compass direction, due to Coriolis forces). According to a 2023 study, such effects are large enough that the top 20 world-record rankings for both men and women at the time could somewhat change if they were adjusted for latitude and azimuth.

Safety issues

Hammer throwing has been described as involving "inherent danger [...]. Athletes, coaches, and spectators participating in the event are at risk; steel hammers [...] are hurled through the air at great speeds, [travel] far distances, and [are] sometimes difficult to spot in flight."[9] For example, hammer throws resulted in four deaths in Europe in 2000 alone,[10] and have caused deaths and permanent brain damage injuries in the United States too.

To mitigate such risks, a C-shaped "hammer cage" was introduced, which is built around the throwing circle, preventing the hammer from flying off in unwanted directions. In 2004, the IAAF changed its rules to increase the mandatory height of hammer cages to 10m and reduce their "danger zone" angle to around 53°. The change also moved the cage gates further away from the throwing circle, thus reducing the risk of a misdirected hammer bouncing back on the thrower.[11]

All-time top 25

See also: Men's hammer throw world record progression and Women's hammer throw world record progression.

Men

Mark Athlete Nation Date Place
1 1 30 August 1986
2 Sedykh #2 22 June 1986
3 Sedykh #3 3 July 1984
2 4 3 July 1986
5 Litvinov #2 30 August 1986
6 Sedykh #4 11 August 1986
7 Sedykh #5 13 July 1984
Sedykh #6 17 August 1984
9 Litvinov #3 3 July 1984
10 Litvinov #4 11 July 1986
Sedykh #7 4 September 1988
12 Sedykh #8 20 August 1984
13 Sedykh #9 3 July 1986
3 14 21 July 2005
15 Litvinov #5 10 September 1986
4 16 29 June 2003
17 Litvinov #6 26 September 1988
18 Sedykh #10 9 July 1986
19 Litvinov #7 9 July 1986
5 20 6 June 1992
21 Sedykh #11 14 September 1984
22 Sedykh #12 8 June 1986
6 23 9 July 2008
7 24 12 July 1990
25 Sedykh #13 14 September 1988
Tsikhan #2 7 May 2004
89 September 1984Banská Bystrica
920 April 2024Nairobi[13]
10Adrián Annus10 August 2003Szombathely
119 August 2015Szczecin[14]
1219 September 1998Zalaegerszeg
1326 May 1990Adler
1410 February 2002Adler
1516 May 1988Athens
165 August 2001Edmonton
1714 July 2004Lahti
1829 June 1997Frankfurt
194 June 1998Saint-Denis
2026 June 1999Dortmund
2120 June 2021Eugene[15]
2216 August 2014Zürich
233 August 1985Dresden
2430 May 1998Bryansk
27 April 2002Kyiv

Annulled marks

Women

Mark Athlete Nation Date Place
1 1 28 August 2016 [17]
2 Włodarczyk #2 29 July 2017
3 Włodarczyk #3 15 August 2016
4 Włodarczyk #4 1 August 2015
5 Włodarczyk #5 27 August 2015
6 Włodarczyk #6 23 July 2017
2 7 26 June 2021 [18]
8 Włodarczyk #7 12 July 2016
3 9 20 May 2023 [19]
10 Andersen #2 4 May 2024 [20]
11 Włodarczyk #8 15 August 2017
Andersen #3 20 April 2023 [21]
13 Włodarczyk #9 6 May 2017
14 Włodarczyk #10 27 June 2017
15 Włodarczyk #11 18 June 2016
16 Włodarczyk #12 22 July 2018
17 Włodarczyk #13 31 August 2014
18 Włodarczyk #14 21 May 2016
19 Włodarczyk #15 29 May 2016
4 20 21 May 2011
21 Andersen #4 30 April 2022 [22]
22 Andersen #5 17 July 2022 [23]
23 Włodarczyk #16 12 August 2018
24 Andersen #66 June 2023 Bydgoszcz[24]
25 Włodarczyk #1715 August 2014 Zürich
5Camryn Rogers26 May 2023Westwood[25]
65 July 2012
7Janee' Kassanavoid21 May 2022Tucson[26]
8Gwen Berry8 June 2018Chorzów[27]
9Wang Zheng29 March 2014Chengdu
10Zhang Wenxiu28 September 2014Incheon
11Aksana Miankova29 June 2008Minsk
12Gulfiya Agafonova12 June 2006Tula
13Oksana Kondratyeva30 June 2013Zhukovskiy
14Hanna Skydan23 August 2023Budapest[28]
15Martina Hrašnová16 May 2009Trnava
16Malwina Kopron26 August 2017Taipei City[29]
17Kamila Skolimowska11 May 2007Doha
18Mariya Bespalova23 June 2012Zhukovsky
19Volha Tsander21 July 2005Minsk
20Yekaterina Khoroshikh24 June 2006Zhukovsky
21Yipsi Moreno9 September 2008Zagreb
22Alena Matoshka12 June 2012Minsk
23Joanna Fiodorow28 September 2019Doha[30]
24Darya Pchelnik29 June 2008Minsk
25Hanna Malyshik27 April 2018Brest

Annulled marks

The following athletes had their performances (over 77.00 m) annulled due to doping offences:

Olympic medalists

Women

World Championships medalists

Women

Season's bests

Men

YearMarkAthletePlace
1971Lahr
1972Kyiv
1973Moscow
1974Munich
1975Frankfurt
1976Sochi
1977Gelsenkirchen
1978Heidenheim
1979Leipzig
1980Moscow
1981Obersühl
1982Moscow
1983Moscow
1984Cork
1985Budapest
1986Stuttgart
1987Karl-Marx-Stadt
1988Moscow
1989Berlin
1990Lausanne
1991Reims
1992Seville
1993Nitra
1994Budapest
1995Tashkent
1996Milan
1997Frankfurt
1998Zalaegerszeg
1999Dortmund
2000Staiki
2001Toyota
2002Adler
2003Prague
2004Minsk
2005Minsk
2006Minsk
2007Osaka
2008Grodno
2009Celje
2010Rieti
2011Szombathely
2012Brest
2013Dubnica
2014Warsaw
2015Szczecin
2016Bydgoszcz
2017Ostrava
2018Székesfehérvár
2019Poznan
2020Wallkill
2021Chorzów
2022Munich
2023Oslo
2024Nairobi

Women

YearMarkAthletePlace
1988Los Gatos
1989Frunze
1990Adler
1991Adler
1992Bryansk
1993Krasnodar
1994Minsk
1995Moscow
1996Sydney
1997Munich
1998Tolyatti
1999Rüdlingen
2000Tula
2001Adler
2002Annecy
2003Savona
2004Havana
2005Moscow
2006Tallinn
2007Adler
2008Minsk
2009Berlin
2010Bydgoszcz
2011Halle
2012Minsk
2013Moscow
2014Berlin
2015Władysławowo
2016Warsaw
2017Cetniewo
2018Lublin
2019Des Moines
2020Minsk
2021Eugene
2022Tucson
2023align=leftRTucson
2024align=leftRTucson

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/hammer-throw Hammer Throw Facts
  2. Web site: Hammer Throw . 2023-09-28 . worldathletics.org . en.
  3. Web site: Hammer Throw. World Athletics. May 12, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211119180903/https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/hammer-throw. November 19, 2021.
  4. News: Johannsen . Dana . Tokyo 2020: Why the Olympic hammer throw may become a new national obsession . 1 August 2021 . . 1 August 2021.
  5. Web site: Hammer Throw . World Athletics .
  6. Web site: Laying Out Sector Angles for the Track and Field Throwing Events . https://web.archive.org/web/20150513053210/http://www.pntf.org/officials/ivars/Throwing_Event_Sector_Angles_Rev_F1.pdf . 2015-05-13 . live . . 2022-03-19 . USA Track & Field Pacific Northwest . The shot, discus, hammer & weight throw sector is 34.92º. This angle was chosen due to its simple geometry..
  7. Web site: 2021-09-14 . Yuriy Sedykh, hammer world record holder, dies at 66 . 2023-06-28 . AP News . en.
  8. Horváth . Gábor . Hegedűs . Dénes . Slíz-Balogh . Judit . 2023-06-27 . Change of world-record rankings of shot put and hammer throw due to the effects of Earth rotation and athlete's height . Scientific Reports . en . 13 . 1 . 10409 . 10.1038/s41598-023-36665-5 . 37369722 . 10300113 . 2023NatSR..1310409H . 259273858 . 2045-2322.
  9. Web site: Academy . U. S. Sports . 2010-07-09 . An Analysis of Hammer Throw Facility Safety Factors in NCAA Division I . 2023-06-26 . The Sport Journal . en-US.
  10. Web site: 2008-12-29 . Catastrophic Injuries Pull Focus On Field Event Safety . 2023-06-26 . Athletic Business . en-us.
  11. Laruel . Benoit . Wilson . Denis . Young . Ray . 2004 . Hammer throw safety cages . New Studies in Athletics . 19 . 1 . 47–51.
  12. Web site: All-time men's best hammer throw. IAAF. 7 May 2017. 7 May 2017.
  13. Web site: Kip Keino Classic 2024 – Men's Hammer Throw Results. World Athletics. 20 April 2024.
  14. News: Fajdek throws 83.93m in Szczecin. IAAF. Phil Minshull. 9 August 2015. 10 August 2015.
  15. News: Bromell back to his best while Felix and Winkler make history in Eugene. World Athletics. Roy Jordan. 21 June 2021. 4 July 2021.
  16. Web site: All-time women's best hammer throw. World Athletics. 25 May 2023.
  17. News: Wlodarczyk extends hammer world record in Warsaw. IAAF. 28 August 2016. 28 August 2016.
  18. News: Holloway, Thomas, Benjamin and Price shine on superb day in Eugene. World Athletics. Roy Jordan. 27 June 2021. 13 July 2021.
  19. https://finishedresults.trackscoreboard.com/meets/11585/events/1/Final 2023 USATF Throws Fest - Womens Hammer Throw - results
  20. Web site: Hammer Throw Result. trackscoreboard.com. 4 May 2024. 6 May 2024.
  21. Web site: Hammer Throw Result. Flash Results. 20 April 2023. 21 April 2023.
  22. News: World U20 sprint records fall as Knighton runs 19.49 and Tebogo clocks 9.96. World Athletics. 30 April 2022. 27 May 2022.
  23. Web site: Women's Hammer Throw Results. https://web.archive.org/web/20220718180022/https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/7137279/AT-HT-W-f----.RS6.pdf . 2022-07-18 . live. World Athletics. 17 July 2022. 19 July 2022.
  24. Web site: Hammer Throw Results. szewinska.domtel-sport.pl. 6 June 2023. 6 June 2023. 1 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221201060922/https://szewinska.domtel-sport.pl/pdf/Km%C5%82ot_3_r.pdf. dead.
  25. Web site: Crouser breaks world shot put record with 23.56m in Los Angeles. World Athletics. Madeline Ryan. 27 May 2023. 2 June 2023.
  26. News: Kassanavoid climbs to No.6 all time with 78.00m hammer throw. World Athetlics. 22 May 2022. 10 June 2022.
  27. News: Berry and Nowicki topple hammer favourites in Chorzow. IAAF. Jon Mulkeen. 8 June 2018. 11 June 2018.
  28. Web site: Hammer Throw Qualification Results. World Athletics. 23 August 2023. 23 August 2023.
  29. Web site: Women's Hammer Final Results. 2017.taipei. 26 August 2017. 26 August 2017.
  30. Web site: Hammer Throw Results. IAAF. 28 September 2019. 29 September 2019.