Hammer throw

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 men's hammer weighs for college and professional meets; the women's hammer weighs .

History Tradition traces it to the Tailteann Games in Tara, Ireland, around the year 1830 BC.'Origins'. Hammer Throw, undated. Retrieved 28 January 2025 Some time later the Celtic warrior Culchulainn reputedly took a chariot axle with a wheel still attached, spun it around and hurled it a long way. 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 16 lb. ball attached to a wire and a handle, but the Scottish hammer throw as seen in 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 , with the wire in either case no more than in length. 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.

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). 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). 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. 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.

Implement weights According to World Athletics Technical Rules (Rule 32 / Rule 36), the official implement weight used in competition varies according to gender and age category. Senior and Under-23 (U23) athletes compete with the standard senior implement. For junior age brackets, lighter implements are used: Under-20 (U20) men use a 6 kg hammer, while Under-18 (U18) athletes throw 5 kg (men) and 3 kg (women).

+ Hammer throw implement weights by category Age category Men Women Weight (kg) Weight (lb) Weight (kg) Weight (lb) Under-18 (U18) 5.000 kg 11.02 lb 3.000 kg 6.61 lb Under-20 (U20) 6.000 kg 13.23 lb 4.000 kg 8.82 lb Under-23 (U23) 7.260 kg 16.00 lb 4.000 kg 8.82 lb Senior (Open) 7.260 kg 16.00 lb 4.000 kg 8.82 lb

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." For example, hammer throws resulted in four deaths in Europe in 2000 alone, 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.

Area records Updated 4 October 2026.

Area Men Women Mark Season Athlete Mark Season Athlete World 1986 2016 Area records Africa 2014 2026 Asia 2003 2026 Europe 1986 2016 North, Central Americaand Caribbean 2025 2026 Oceania 2002 2021 South America 2016 2010

All-time top 25

Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 hammer throw marks and the top 25 athletes:- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 hammer throw marks- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 hammer throw marks, by repeat athletes- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 hammer throw marks

Men Correct as of August 2026. Mark Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 Yuriy Sedykh 30 August 1986 Stuttgart 2 Sedykh #2 22 June 1986 Tallinn 3 Sedykh #3 3 July 1984 Cork 2 4 Sergey Litvinov 3 July 1986 Dresden 5 Litvinov #2 30 August 1986 Stuttgart 6 Sedykh #4 11 August 1986 Budapest 7 Sedykh #5 13 July 1984 London Sedykh #6 17 August 1984 Moscow 9 Litvinov #3 3 July 1984 Cork 10 Litvinov #4 11 July 1986 London Sedykh #7 4 September 1988 Moscow 12 Sedykh #8 20 August 1984 Budapest 13 Sedykh #9 3 July 1986 Dresden 3 14 Vadim Devyatovskiy 21 July 2005 Minsk 15 Litvinov #5 10 September 1986 Rome 4 16 Koji Murofushi 29 June 2003 Prague 17 Litvinov #6 26 September 1988 Seoul 18 Sedykh #10 9 July 1986 Moscow 5 19 Ethan Katzberg 16 September 2025 Tokyo 20 Litvinov #7 9 July 1986 Moscow 6 21 Igor Astapkovich 6 June 1992 Seville 22 Sedykh #11 14 September 1984 Tokyo 23 Sedykh #12 8 June 1986 Leningrad 7 24 Ivan Tsikhan 9 July 2008 Grodno 8 25 Igor Nikulin 12 July 1990 Lausanne 9Jüri Tamm 9 September 1984Banská Bystrica10Bence Halász11 August 2026Birmingham11Adrián Annus 10 August 2003Szombathely12Paweł Fajdek 9 August 2015Szczecin13Tibor Gécsek 19 September 1998Zalaegerszeg14Andrey Abduvaliyev 26 May 1990Adler15Aleksey Zagornyi 10 February 2002Adler16Ralf Haber 16 May 1988Athens17Szymon Ziółkowski 5 August 2001Edmonton18Olli-Pekka Karjalainen 14 July 2004Lahti19Rudy Winkler 5 July 2025Eugene20Heinz Weis 29 June 1997Frankfurt21Balázs Kiss 4 June 1998Saint-Denis22Karsten Kobs 26 June 1999Dortmund23Merlin Hummel16 September 2025Tokyo24Krisztián Pars 16 August 2014Zürich25Günther Rodehau 3 August 1985Dresden

Annulled marks Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus also threw 86.73 in Brest on 3 July 2005. This performance was annulled due to doping offences.

Women Correct as of August 2026.

Mark Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 Anita Włodarczyk 28 August 2016 Warsaw 2 Włodarczyk #2 29 July 2017 Władysławowo 3 Włodarczyk #3 15 August 2016 Rio de Janeiro 24Camryn Rogers2 April 2026Austin 5 Włodarczyk #4 1 August 2015 Władysławowo 6 Włodarczyk #5 27 August 2015 Beijing 7 Włodarczyk #6 23 July 2017 Białystok 8 Rogers #2 15 September 2025 Tokyo 3 9 DeAnna Price 26 June 2021 Eugene 10 Włodarczyk #7 12 July 2016 Władysławowo 4 11 Brooke Andersen 20 May 2023 Tucson 11Rogers #33 June 2026Turku12Rogers #424 April 2026Nairobi 13 Andersen #2 4 May 2024 Tucson 15 Włodarczyk #8 15 August 2017 Warsaw Andersen #3 20 April 2023 Charlottesville 17 Włodarczyk #9 6 May 2017 Doha 18 Włodarczyk #10 27 June 2017 Ostrava 19Rogers #510 April 2026Ramona 20 Włodarczyk #11 18 June 2016 Szczecin 21 Włodarczyk #12 22 July 2018 Lublin 22 Włodarczyk #13 31 August 2014 Berlin 23 Włodarczyk #14 21 May 2016 Halle 24 Włodarczyk #15 29 May 2016 Forbach 5 25 Betty Heidler 21 May 2011 Halle 6 Rachel Richeson 6 June 2026 College Station 7 Zhang Jiale 16 August 2026 Quzhou 8 Tatyana Lysenko 5 July 2012 Cheboksary 9 Zhao Jie 3 April 2026 Chengdu 10 Janee' Kassanavoid 21 May 2022 Tucson 11 Gwen Berry 8 June 2018 Chorzów 12 Wang Zheng 29 March 2014 Chengdu13Anastasiya Maslova7 May 2026Brest14Anthonett Nabwe23 April 2026Des Moines 15 Krista Tervo 28 May 2026 Bergen 16 Zhang Wenxiu 28 September 2014 Incheon 17 Aksana Miankova 29 June 2008 Minsk 18 Gulfiya Agafonova 12 June 2006 Tula 19 Oksana Kondratyeva 30 June 2013 Zhukovskiy 20 Hanna Skydan 23 August 2023 Budapest 21Silja Kosonen15 March 2025Nicosia 22 Martina Hrašnová 16 May 2009 Trnava 23 Malwina Kopron 26 August 2017 Taipei City 24 Kamila Skolimowska 11 May 2007 Doha 25 Mariya Bespalova 23 June 2012 Zhukovsky

Annulled marks The following athletes had their performances (over 77.00 m) annulled due to doping offences: Tatyana Lysenko (Russia) 78.80 (2013) and 78.15 (2013). Aksana Miankova (Belarus) 78.69 and 78.19 (both 2012). Gulfiya Agafonova (Russia) 77.36 (2007).

Olympic medalists Men

Women

World Championships medalists Men

Women

World leading marks

Men YearMarkAthletePlace1971Lahr1972Kyiv1973Moscow1974Munich1975Frankfurt1976Sochi1977Gelsenkirchen1978Heidenheim1979Leipzig1980Moscow1981Obersühl1982Moscow1983Moscow1984Cork1985Budapest1986Stuttgart1987Karl-Marx-Stadt1988Moscow1989Berlin1990Lausanne1991Reims1992Seville1993Nitra1994Budapest1995Tashkent1996Milan1997Frankfurt1998Zalaegerszeg1999Dortmund2000Staiki2001Toyota2002Adler2003Prague2004Minsk2005Minsk2006Minsk2007Osaka2008Grodno2009Celje2010Rieti2011Szombathely2012Brest2013Dubnica2014Warsaw2015Szczecin2016Bydgoszcz2017Ostrava2018Székesfehérvár2019Poznań2020Wallkill2021Chorzów2022Munich2023Oslo2024Nairobi2025Tokyo2026Birmingham

Women YearMarkAthletePlace1988Los Gatos1989Frunze1990Adler1991Adler1992Bryansk1993Krasnodar1994Minsk1995Moscow1996Sydney1997Munich1998Tolyatti1999Rüdlingen2000Tula2001Adler2002Annecy2003Savona2004Havana2005Moscow2006Tallinn2007Adler2008Minsk2009Berlin2010Bydgoszcz2011Halle2012Minsk2013Moscow2014Berlin2015Władysławowo2016Warsaw2017Cetniewo2018Lublin2019Des Moines2020Minsk2021Eugene2022Tucson2023Tucson2024Tucson2025Tokyo2026Austin

Hammer throw

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