The Hammer Throw is an
athletics event, that has been contested in the
Olympics since the turn of the 20th century for men, and since 2000 for women. All women throw a 4 kilogram hammer, but high school boys throw a 5.45 kilogram hammer, junior boys throw a 6 kilogram hammer, and open (College and higher) throw a 7.26 kilogram hammer. Including the ball, the handle, and the wire, the length of a hammer is up to 45 inches. The throw is contested out of a 7 foot in diameter
throwing circle and the hammer must land between two
foul lines which are approximately 34.9 degrees apart.
The men's world record is 86.74 meters, set by Yuiry Sedykh in 1986, and the woman's world record is 77.41 meters, set by Tatyana Lysenko in 2005.
Technique for the hammer throw generally involves 2 winds and 3 to 4 turns. The thrower starts by performing two winds, where the hammer is swung around the torso and over the head to get the hammer moving. After this, the thrower either performs 3 heel turns, or 1 toe turn and 3 heel turns. Inexperienced throwers may do less then 3 turns, but it is rare to see a thrower do less then 3 turns in competition.
A similar event to the hammer is the
weight throw