Hammer Throwing
Rules
The hammer is a metal ball connected by a steel wire to the handle. The length of the hammer for men is 117-121.5 cm, and the total weight is 7,265 kg (= 16 pounds). In women, its length ranges from 116 to 119.5 cm, and the total weight is 4 kg. That is, the weight of the hammer is equal to the weight of the core used by athletes of the corresponding gender. When throwing, the athlete is in a special circle with a diameter of 2,135 m, within which he spins and throws a sports projectile. In order for the attempt to be counted, the athlete must leave the circle only after hitting the ground with the hammer and only from the back of the circle. In addition, the hammer must fall within the designated area enclosed by a grid. Due to the danger that the flying hammer poses to athletes participating in other types of competitions, the angle of the sector was constantly narrowing. In the 1900s it was 90°, in the 1960s it was 60°, and currently it is about 35°. For the same reason, the hammer throw competition is often held at the beginning of the athletics program or moved to another stadium.
History
As a sport, hammer throwing originated in Scotland and Ireland, where initially some kind of massive weight was thrown with a wooden handle attached. Since 1866, the first hard-handled hammer throwing competitions have been held in England. The first record was 24.50 m. Modern rules were established in England in 1887. Since 1896, a modern hammer with a handle in the form of a flexible steel cable has been introduced into the practice of training and competition. IAAF world records in the hammer throw have been recorded since 1913. Since the 1990s, hammer throwing has become popular with women. Since 2000, it has been included in the Women’s Olympic Games program.
Interesting facts
German athlete and president Karl-Hans Riehm not only set a world record of 78.50 m at a competition in the German city of Rehlingen on May 19, 1975, but all his attempts were better than the previous world record of 76.66 m
Records
In open stadiums.
Men: Yuri Sedykh 86.74 m Stuttgart, Germany 1986.
Women: Betty Heidler 79.42 m in Halle, Germany 2011
Olympic records.
Men: Sergey Litvinov 84.80 m Seoul, Republic of Korea in 1988.
Women: Tatiana Lysenko 78.18 m London, United Kingdom 2012
