The hammer throw at the Summer Olympics is one of four track and field throwing events held at the multi-sport event. The men's hammer throw has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900, becoming the third Olympic throws event after the shot put and discus throw. The women's event was a much later addition, being first contested at the 2000 Olympics.
| Hammer throw at the Olympic Games | |
|---|---|
 The 1908 hammer throw competition | |
| Overview | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | Men: 1900 – 2020 Women: 2000 – 2020 |
| Olympic record | |
| Men | 84.80m Sergey Litvinov (1988) |
| Women | 82.29m Anita Włodarczyk (2016) |
| Reigning champion | |
| Men |  Wojciech Nowicki (POL) |
| Women | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) |
The Olympic records are 84.80 m (278 ft 2+1⁄2 in) for men, set by Sergey Litvinov in 1988, and 82.29 m (269 ft 11+3⁄4 in) for women, set by Anita Włodarczyk in 2016.
Medalists edit
Men edit
Multiple medalists edit
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Flanagan |  United States (USA) |
1900–1908 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Yuriy Sedykh |  Soviet Union (URS) |
1976–1988 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Pat O'Callaghan |  Ireland (IRL) |
1928–1932 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Matt McGrath | United States (USA) |
1908–1924 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyula Zsivótzky |  Hungary (HUN) |
1960–1968 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 6 | Romuald Klim | Soviet Union (URS) |
1964–1968 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Sergey Litvinov | Soviet Union (URS) |
1980–1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Primož Kozmus |  Slovenia (SLO) |
2008–2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | Imre Németh | Hungary (HUN) |
1948–1952 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Anatoliy Bondarchuk | Soviet Union (URS) |
1972–1976 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Koji Murofushi |  Japan (JPN) |
2004–2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wojciech Nowicki | Poland (POL) |
2016–2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | Igor Astapkovich |  Unified Team (EUN) Belarus (BLR) |
1992–2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ivan Tsikhan | Belarus (BLR) |
2008–2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 15 | Jüri Tamm | Soviet Union (URS) |
1980–1988 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Medalists by country edit
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) |
7 | 5 | 7 | 19 |
| 2 | Soviet Union (URS) |
6 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| 3 | Hungary (HUN) |
5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Poland (POL) |
2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Ireland (IRL) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |  Germany (GER)[nb] |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Unified Team (EUN) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |  Finland (FIN) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Slovenia (SLO) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10 | Japan (JPN) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Tajikistan (TJK) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Belarus (BLR) |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 13 |  Sweden (SWE) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 |  Canada (CAN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| West Germany (FRG) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 |  East Germany (GDR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Italy (ITA) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Yugoslavia (YUG) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Norway (NOR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 20 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Ukraine (UKR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
- nb The German total includes teams both competing as Germany and the United Team of Germany, but not East or West Germany.
Women edit
Multiple medalists edit
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anita Włodarczyk | Poland (POL) |
2012–2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Olga Kuzenkova |  Russia (RUS) |
2000–2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Yipsi Moreno |  Cuba (CUB) |
2004–2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | Zhang Wenxiu |  China (CHN) |
2008–2016 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Medalists by country edit
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland (POL) |
4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Cuba (CUB) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Russia (RUS) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | China (CHN) |
0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Germany (GER) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 |  France (FRA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Intercalated Games edit
The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and Iloilo and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece and Philippines in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan realized its dream and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided to approve these games as part of the official Olympic series and highly recommended it for those countries which has yet to win a gold medal or at least a medal. Some sports historians also continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[3]
Martin Sheridan, the Olympic champion in 1904 and 1908, won the 1906 title as well. A 1904 medallist, Nikolaos Georgantas, was runner-up, while Verner Järvinen took the bronze medal in addition to the Greek-style event gold medal he won at the 1906 Games.[4]
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 Athens |
 Martin Sheridan (USA)
|
 Nikolaos Georgantas (GRE)
|
Verner Järvinen (FIN)
|
Non-canonical Olympic events edit
In addition to the main 1904 Olympic men's hammer throw, a handicap competition was held that year. The reigning Olympic champion John Flanagan won the event with a throw of 46.75 m with a zero handicap. Albert Johnson, sixth in the main event, came second with 46.20 m off a 30 ft handicap. James Mitchel, a weight throw medallist in 1904, won the bronze with 46.16 m given a 23 ft handicap.[5]
These events are no longer considered part of the official Olympic history of the hammer throw or the athletics programme in general. Consequently, medals from these competitions have not been assigned to nations on the all-time medal tables.[5]
References edit
- Participation and athlete data
- Athletics Men's Hammer Throw Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-18.
- Athletics Women's Hammer Throw Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-18.
- Olympic record progressions
- Mallon, Bill (2012). TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS - OLYMPIC RECORD PROGRESSIONS. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- Specific
- ^ a b 2004 Olympic Hammer Throw Medalists. Olympics.com. Retrieved on 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b Engeler, Elaine (June 10, 2010). "CAS Reinstates Medals for Hammer Throwers". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
- ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
- ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
- ^ a b 1904 Handicap Events - Olympic medalists. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
External links edit
- IAAF hammer throw homepage
- Official Olympics website
- Olympic athletics records from Track & Field News