The hammer throw at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men since the inaugural edition in 1983, and by women since 1999. The competition format typically has one qualifying round contested by two groups of athletes, with all those clearing the automatic qualifying distance or placing in top twelve overall advancing to the final round.
Poland is by far and away the most successful nation in the event, with 20 medals in total, 11 of them gold. They are the most successful nation in the men's event, as well as the women's event. Canada is the only nation aside from Poland that has won a gold medal in both the men's and the women's event.
Paweł Fajdek is the most successful athlete in the event, winning 5 gold medals in a row between 2013 and 2022. His 5 gold medals are the second-most for any athlete in a single individual event, a feat only bettered by Sergey Bubka in the pole vault. Anita Włodarczyk is the most successful woman, winning 4 gold medals between 2009 and 2017. Yipsi Moreno is the only other athlete besides Fajdek and Włodarczyk to have won more than 2 gold medals in the event.
The championship records for the event are 84.70 m for men, set by Ethan Katzberg in 2025, and 80.85 m for women, set by Włodarczyk in 2015.
Włodarczyk is the only athlete to have broken the world record at the championships, doing so in 2009.
The reigning world champions are Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, both from Canada.
Age records
All information from World Athletics.
DistinctionMaleFemaleAthleteAgeDateAthleteAgeDateYoungest champion21 years, 137 days20 Aug 202320 years, 261 days7 Aug 2001Youngest medalist21 years, 137 days20 Aug 202320 years, 261 days7 Aug 2001Youngest finalist18 years, 253 days2 Oct 201915 years, 138 days7 Aug 2001Youngest participant18 years, 171 days10 Aug 201315 years, 137 days6 Aug 2001Oldest champion36 years, 325 days29 Aug 201131 years, 364 days7 Aug 2017Oldest medalist36 years, 325 days29 Aug 201132 years, 328 days28 Aug 2003Oldest finalist40 years, 233 days25 Aug 200336 years, 191 days28 Sep 2019Oldest participant43 years, 157 days8 Aug 198338 years, 253 days26 Aug 2003
Medalists Men
Multiple medalists RankAthleteNationPeriodGoldSilverBronzeTotal1Paweł Fajdek2013-202250052Szymon Ziółkowski2001-200921033Sergey Litvinov1983-19872002Andrey Abduvaliyev1993-19952002Ivan Tsikhan2003-20072002Ethan Katzberg2023-202520027Koji Murofushi2001-20111113Primož Kozmus2007-201111139Heinz Weis1991-1997101210Igor Astapkovich1991-1995030311Wojciech Nowicki2015-2023023512Krisztián Pars2011-2013020213Bence Halász2019-2025003314Tibor Gécsek1993-19950022
Women
Medal table RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal1411623104321254210351405612037 1001804599003310 001100110011
Multiple medalists RankAthleteNationPeriodGoldSilverBronzeTotal1Anita Włodarczyk2009-201740042Yipsi Moreno2001-200731043Camryn Rogers2022-202521034Betty Heidler2007-201112035Tatyana Lysenko2005-201111026DeAnna Price2019-202310127Olga Kuzenkova1999-200303038Zhang Wenxiu2007-201502249Wang Zheng2013-2019012310Janee' Kassanavoid2022-2023011211Manuela Montebrun2003-20050022
Championship record progression
Men +Men's hammer throw World Championships record progressionMain > Men's Hammer Throw > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.MarkAthleteNationYearRoundDate75.78 mZdzisław Kwaśny 1983Qualification1983-08-0878.50 mSergey Litvinov1983Qualification1983-08-0879.22 mYuriy Sedykh1983Final1983-08-0882.68 mSergey Litvinov1983Final1983-08-0883.06 mSergey Litvinov1987Final1987-09-0183.38 mSzymon Ziółkowski2001Final2001-08-0583.89 m1Ivan Tsikhan2005Final2005-08-0883.63 mIvan Tsikhan2007Final2007-08-2784.70 mEthan Katzberg2025Final2025-09-16 1Subsequently disqualified after failing a doping testHelsinki 2005 re-tests reveal six adverse findings Women +Women's hammer throw World Championships record progressionMain > Women's hammer throw > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate65.52 mDebbie Sosimenko1999Final1999-08-2471.57 mMihaela Melinte1999Final1999-08-2473.23 mMihaela Melinte1999Final1999-08-2475.20 mMihaela Melinte1999Final1999-08-2475.27 mBetty Heidler2009Qualification2009-08-2077.96 m Anita Włodarczyk2009Final2009-08-2278.46 mAnita Włodarczyk2013Final2013-08-1678.80 m1Tatyana Lysenko2013Final2013-08-1678.52 mAnita Włodarczyk2015Final2015-08-2780.27 mAnita Włodarczyk2015Final2015-08-2780.85 mAnita Włodarczyk2015Final2015-08-27 1Subsequently disqualified after failing a doping test.
Best performances
Top ten furthest World Championship throws1
+ Furthest men's throws at the World ChampionshipsRankDistance (m)AthleteNationYearDate 1 84.70 m Ethan Katzberg 2025 2025-09-16 2 83.63 m Ivan Tsikhan 2007 2007-08-27 3 83.38 m Szymon Ziółkowski 2001 2001-08-05 4 83.07 m Sergey Litvinov 1987 1987-09-01 5 83.05 m Ivan Tsikhan 2003 2003-08-25 6 82.92 m Koji Murofushi 2001 2001-08-05 7 82.77 m Merlin Hummel 2025 2025-09-16 8 82.69 m Bence Halász 2025 2025-09-16 9 82.68 m Sergey Litvinov 1983 1983-08-09 10 82.60 m Vadim Devyatovskiy 2005 2005-08-08
+ Furthest women's throws at the World ChampionshipsRankDistance (m)AthleteNationYearDate 1 80.85 m Anita Włodarczyk 2015 2015-08-27 2 80.51 m Camryn Rogers 2025 2025-09-15 3 78.96 m Brooke Andersen 2022 2022-07-17 4 78.46 m Anita Włodarczyk 2013 2013-08-16 5 77.96 m Anita Włodarczyk 2009 2009-08-22 6 77.90 m Anita Włodarczyk 2017 2017-08-07 7 77.60 m Zhao Jie 2025 2025-09-15 8 77.54 m DeAnna Price 2019 2019-09-28 9 77.52 m Camryn Rogers 2025Q 2025-09-15 10 77.22 m Camryn Rogers 2023 2023-08-24 1Does not include ancillary marks
See also
Hammer throw Hammer throw at the Olympics
References
Bibliography
External links Official World Athletics website