hammer throw

The rules for the hammer throw were written in England in 1887. The mass of the weight was set early on at 7.257 kg, but the way it was dropped changed several times. It was not until later that people were thrown out of a circle, the diameter has been 2.135 m since 1878. It was not until the 20th century that the final length of the wire on which the weight was suspended was specified as 1.219 m. The hammer used by men today was introduced in 1912.

In the competition, the best 8 hammer throwers have 6 attempts, the longest distance decides the victory. If the distance is the same, the next best attempts will decide. A throw is only valid if the hammer lands in a marked, acute-angled sector. After the throw, the circle may only be left after the hammer has been hit and only to the rear. In hammer throwing, the athlete may wear gloves or wrap bandages around individual finders. The hammer throw circle is equipped with a so-called. surrounded by a protective cage, which is up to 10 m high in some places, to protect people in the stadium from uncontrolled throws.

The first competition in hammer throwing took place in Germany in May 1893 in Berlin, official German records were not registered until the mid-1920s. The men's hammer throw has been part of the Olympic Games program since 1900. For women, it has been held in international competitions since 1997 and at the Olympic Games since 2000. The best hammer throwers reach distances of around 85 m for men (world record: 86.74 m) and for women around 75 m (world record: 77.80 m).