Hammer Throw

The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal spherical object attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown. Such competitions are still part of the Scottish Highland Games, where the implement used is a steel or lead weight at the end of a cane handle.

Like other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the sphere the farthest. The men's hammer weighs 16 pounds (7.257 kg) and measures 3 feet 11  inches (121.5 cm) in length and the women's hammer weighs 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 feet 11 inches (119.5 cm) in length. Competitors gain maximum distance by swinging the hammer above their head to set up the circular motion. Then they apply force and pick up speed by completing one to four turns in the circle. In competition, most throwers turn three or four times. The ball moves in a circular path, gradually increasing in velocity with each turn with the high point of the ball toward the sector and the low point at the back of the circle. The thrower releases the ball from the front of the circle. The two most important factors for a long throw are the angle of release (45° up from the ground) and the speed of the ball (the highest possible).

While the men's hammer throw has been in the Olympic Games since 1900, the IAAF did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.

As of 2011 the world record for the men's hammer is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 86.74 metres (284 ft 7 in) at the European athletics championships in Stuttgart, West Germany on 30 August 1986.

As of 2011 the world record for the women's hammer is held by Betty Heidler, who threw 79.42 metres (260 ft 7 in) in Halle, Germany on 21 May 2011.