Two sports have events that fall under the name of weight throw one being the track and field event and the other being the Scottish highland games events. The track and field event is most popular in the United States as an indoor equivalent to the

hammer throw 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 consis ...

event, which can only be held outdoors. The 35 lb weight throw (men) and 20 lb weight throw (women) are not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The Scottish Highland Games contain two weight throwing events. In the one event the weight, 28 lb or 56 lb, is thrown in a similar manner to a discus. In the other event, the 56 lb weight gets thrown over a bar for height.

Weight throw for distance

The 56-pound weight throw was conducted twice at the Olympic Games, in 1904 and in 1920.

All-time top 25

*O = Outdoor performance *A = affected by altitude

Men

=Notes

= Below is a list of additional performances (excluding ancillary throws) equal or superior to 24.48 m: *

Lance Deal Lance Earl Deal (born August 21, 1961 in Riverton, Wyoming) is a former American athlete who won a silver medal in the hammer throw in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He also competed in the 1988, 1992, and 2000 Summer Olympics. In ...

also threw (1996), (1991), (1995), (1993) and (1993). * Libor Charfreitag also threw (2005), (2008), (2003), (2011), (2003) and (2005). * Alfred Kruger also threw (2010), (2007) and (2012). * Kibwé Johnson also threw (2007). *

Daniel Haugh Daniel Haugh (born May 3, 1995) is an American track and field athlete competing in the hammer throw. He competed in the men's hammer throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He won the gold medal in the men's hammer throw ...

also threw (2022), (2020). * Mike Lihrman also threw (2015). *

Conor McCullough Conor McCullough (born January 31, 1991) is an American hammer thrower. He is a two-time medalist (one gold, one silver) at the World Junior Championships. While competing for Chaminade College Preparatory School he set the US high sc ...

also threw (2018).

Women

=Notes

= Below is a list of additional performances (excluding ancillary throws) equal or superior to 24.30 m: * Gwen Berry also threw (2018), (2018), (2017), (2013), (2016) and (2014). *

Brittany Riley Brittany Riley (born August 26, 1986, in Flossmoor, Illinois) is a female hammer thrower from the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primar ...

also threw (2008), (2012), (2007) and (2012). * Shey Taiwo also threw (2022), * Janeah Stewart also threw (2020), (2019), (2019), (2020) and (2020). *

Amber Campbell Amber Campbell (born June 5, 1981) is an American hammer thrower. Campbell attended Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina and competed for the Chanticleer track team. She had her first international competition at the 2005 World Champion ...

also threw (2010), (2007), (2009), (2016) and (2010). * DeAnna Price also threw (2019), (2019), (2018) and (2017). Note that Gwen Berry threw 24.35 m in 2016 but the performance was annulled due to violation of anti-doping procedures

International competition

The event, held outdoors and indoors, is a

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

event in World Masters Athletics. Outdoors, it is also the final event of the

Throws pentathlon The throws pentathlon also called the weight pentathlon is a combined event in track and field. Like all pentathlon events, it consists of five events; the four Olympic throwing events hammer throw, shot put, discus throw and javelin throw, plus ...

Masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...

has different weight specifications for different age groups.

Indoor event

The weight throw is an indoor

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. 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 ...

event, predominately in the US. The technique implemented to throw the weight is similar to that of the

in outdoor competition. In international competition, the men's weight is a 35 lb ball (25 for high school) with a D-ring or triangle handle attached directly to the weight. The technique in wide use is to start in a throwing circle with the thrower's back to the landing area. The weight is then swung overhead to gain momentum before transitioning into the spinning position. The thrower then turns heel to toe up to four times across the ring and toward the front of the circle. At the front of the circle, the thrower releases the weight over his/her shoulder and into the landing area. The landing area is a sector of 34.92° which is identical to the

Hammer throw 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 consis ...

, Discus throw and

Shot Put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

. Because of the demands of the landing area,

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

rules allow for the event as part of an indoor meet to be held outdoors. The world best for men is 25.41 m (outdoor) and 25.86 m (84'10") (indoor) and is held by American

. For women, who throw a weight of 20 lb, the world best is 24.57 m (80'07½") (outdoor) set by

of Southern Illinois University on 27 January 2007 and 25.60 m (indoor), by Gwen Berry, on 4 March 2017. The weight throw event has had an enduring history in American track and field. It was a national championship event for men outdoors from 1878 to 1965. Despite the decline of such outdoor contests in the United States, the event has been a mainstay of the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships in ...

: the men's 35 lb event has been held from 1932 to present and a women's 20 lb weight throw event was introduced in 1991. The weight throw is also present on the event programme of the NCAA Men's and NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Superweight Throw uses implements similar in construction to the regular weight throw but with heavier implements. The event was part of two Olympic Games in 1904 and 1920. Though no longer officially sanctioned by the IAAF, it still is contested as a novelty event at various competitions, including the USATF Master's Indoor Championship.

Highland games

In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight (usually spherical or cylindrical) attached by a short chain to a metal handle. The handle may be a d-ring, a triangle or a ring. The size of the weight depends on the class of the competition. For advanced male athletes, the light weight is 28 lb, or two stone (12.7 kg). The heavy weight is 56 lb, or four stone (25.4 kg). For all female athletes, the weights are 14 and 28 lb (6.35 and 12.7 kg). For male master class or senior athletes, the weights are 28 and 42 lb (12.7 and 19.05 kg). The weight is thrown one-handed from a rectangular (4.5 feet by 9 feet) area behind a toe board or trig. The athlete must stay behind the trig at all times during the throw. The techniques vary, but usually involve a turning or spinning motion to increase momentum before the release. Each athlete gets three attempts, with places determined by the best throw. *Weight Throw Record (28 lb): Gregor Edmunds, 95 ft 10 in Markinch, Scotland, 2011.

Weight throw for height

The weight over the bar, or weight throw for height, is contested at highland games in Scotland and elsewhere, and at track and field events in Ireland. The weight is thrown one-handed over a bar set at increasing heights above the thrower. Similar to the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

, the thrower has three attempts for each successive height. Places are determined by maximum height reached with the fewest misses. The size of the weight varies with the competition class. Advanced male athletes throw a 25 kg (56 lb. or four stone) weight, female athletes throw a 12 kg (28 lb.) weight and male master class or senior athletes throw a 19 kg (42 lb). weight. There are two techniques for this event. The classic technique swings the weight between the legs before pulling the weight up and directly overhead. The alternate technique (which is not allowed in some games) involves a spinning motion, with the athlete throwing from the side. Image:Scottish Games P1320345.jpg, At the 2007 Oakland Scottish Highland Games

Ireland

Athletics Ireland recognises the weight throw for height and distance. The weight is 56 lbs at senior level, and 35 lbs in underage level. It is mainly a men's event, though women's weight throw for distance is contested at university level. The height event proceeds in a manner similar to the

and

, with throwers required to clear a bar progressively raised. The Irish records are: *

height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is abou ...

: 4.93 m (Gerry O'Connell, 1986) * distance: 9.16 m (John Menton, 1998) In Ireland, a 56 lb weight is used for both height and distance weight throw events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weight Throw Highland games Individual sports Events in track and field Throwing sports Discontinued Summer Olympic disciplines in athletics Indoor track and field Strength sports