The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular 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. The size of the ball varies between men's and women's competitions.
Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running, and racewalking.
Yuriy Georgiyevich Sedykh is a retired Soviet track and field athlete who represented the Soviet Union, specialising in the hammer throw. He was a World and Olympic Champion and holds the world record with a throw of 86.74 m.
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland, the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic events, some of which were included as exhibition events. Much of the event was played in extremely heavy rainfall.
Yipsi Moreno González is a Cuban hammer thrower. She is a triple world champion and Olympic silver medalist, a former world junior record holder and current area record holder.
Yunaika Crawford Rogert is a Cuban hammer thrower who won the Olympic bronze medal in 2004 with a personal best throw of 73.16 metres.
Tatyana Viktorovna Lysenko is a Russian hammer thrower. A two-time World Champion, her career has been blighted by repeated doping infractions. In February 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed her an eight-year ban for doping, starting from 2 July 2016.
Dilshod Jamoliddinovich Nazarov is a Tajik track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw. He has represented his country at the Olympic Games on four occasions, winning the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, the first gold medal for Tajikistan in the history of the Olympic Games.
The women's hammer throw event at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 18–20 August at the Beijing National Stadium.
Anita Włodarczyk is a Polish hammer thrower. She is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion and the first woman in history to throw the hammer over 80 m; she currently holds the women's world record of 82.98 m. She is considered the greatest women’s hammer thrower of all time.
The first World Record in the hammer throw for women (athletics) was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1994.
The IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge is an annual hammer throw series, organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. First held in 2010, the series of hammer throw competitions for men and women are primary held at meetings with IAAF World Challenge status. The rankings are decided by combining the total of each athlete's three greatest throws at the permit events during the season. Further points can be gained by those who break or equal the world record mark for the event.
Julia Susan Ratcliffe is a New Zealand track and field athlete who specialises in the hammer throw. She won the Gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, having won the Silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Sophie Hitchon is a British hammer thrower. She is the British record-holder with a throw of 74.54 metres, set when winning the Olympic bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games, Great Britain's first ever Olympic medal in the event. She also reached the hammer final at the 2012 London Olympics, and is the 2010 World Junior Champion, the 2013 European U23 Champion, and the 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist.
The women's hammer throw event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on September 2 and 4.
Athletics has featured as a sport at the Youth Olympic Summer Games since its first edition in 2010. The Youth Olympic Games are multi-sport event and the games are held every four years just like the Olympic Games. Athletes under the age of 18 can participate in the Games. This age group corresponds with the youth category of athletics competition.
The 2013 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge was the fourth edition of the annual, global series of hammer throw competitions organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The winners were Paweł Fajdek and Anita Włodarczyk, both of Poland. Both the final scores were records for the challenge.
The 2015 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge was the sixth edition of the annual, global series of hammer throw competitions organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The winners were Paweł Fajdek and Anita Włodarczyk, both of Poland. This was Włodarczyk's third straight title and Fajdek's second title, after his win in 2013. Fajdek and Włodarczyk each improved the challenge record totals. Włodarczyk twice broke the hammer throw world record that year, but these marks were achieved outside of the series.
The women's hammer throw at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 5 and 7 August.
The women's hammer throw at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from 27 to 28 September 2019.
