Canadian clinches historic Olympic gold medal thanks to huge first throw in Paris

When Ethan Katzberg won gold in the men’s hammer competition at last year’s World Championships, the then 21-year-old was a surprise victor. There was nothing unexpected, however, about the Canadian’s success in the Olympic final in Paris on Sunday evening (August 4).

An opening throw of 84.12m – the second-best throw ever seen at the Olympics and the second-best throw of his life – gave the now 22-year-old the honour of becoming his nation’s first ever Olympic hammer champion, as well as the youngest ever Olympic hammer champion.

Two-time world bronze medallist Bence Halasz of Hungary celebrated his 27^th birthday with silver thanks to his third-round 79.97m, while 23-year-old Ukrainian Mykhaylo Kokhan grabbed bronze – his country’s third of the night after their high jump success – with his second-round effort of 79.39m.

Katzberg entered the competition as the world leader following a throw of 84.38m in Nairobi back in April and his opening salvo in Paris suggested he might be about to threaten it. The effort certainly helped quell any anxieties he had over contesting his first Olympic final.

“Our plan was to get a good one out in the first round. For it to be 84 metres felt really good and definitely released some of the nerves,’ he said. “After that, I still tried to go for it, get a little more open. I just couldn’t get it technically.”

Katzberg produced only one other legal throw in the competition but it mattered not, given the size of lead he had given himself to play with.

“I didn’t want to assume [the job was done],” he said. “Having a bit of a cushion felt good, but there are definitely still nerves. This is the Olympics, the event that people are most ready for. Everybody is at their best.

“Coming from the Commonwealth silver [in 2022] to the world champion… next was to come to the Olympics and take home the gold.”

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