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 consist ...
competition at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
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in
Montreal, Quebec
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,
Canada
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took place on 26–28 July. There were 20 competitors from 13 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by
Yuriy Sedykh
ukr, Юрій Георгійович Сєдих
, native_name_lang =
, years active = 1976–1995Aleksey Spiridonov taking silver and defending champion
Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Anatoly (russian: Анато́лий, Anatólij , uk, Анато́лій, Anatólij ) is a common Russian and Ukrainian male given name, derived from the Greek name ''Anatolios'', meaning "sunrise." Other common Russian transliterations are Ana ...
earning bronze. It was the third medal sweep in the men's hammer throw (the United States had done it in 1900 and 1904). Bondarchuk was the seventh man to win multiple medals in the event.
Background
This was the 17th appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1896. Seven of the 20 finalists from the 1972 Games returned: gold medalist
Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Anatoly (russian: Анато́лий, Anatólij , uk, Анато́лій, Anatólij ) is a common Russian and Ukrainian male given name, derived from the Greek name ''Anatolios'', meaning "sunrise." Other common Russian transliterations are Ana ...
of the Soviet Union, silver medalist Jochen Sachse of East Germany, seventh-place finisher Edwin Klein of West Germany, eighth-place finisher
Shigenobu Murofushi
is a retired Japanese hammer thrower. He competed at the 1972, 1976 and 1984 Olympics and finished in 8th, 11th and 14th place, respectively.Karl-Hans Riehm of West Germany, seventeenth-place finisher Peter Sternad of Austria, and nineteenth-place finisher Jacques Accambray of France. The Soviets and West Germans were favored, particularly
Yuriy Sedykh
ukr, Юрій Георгійович Сєдих
, native_name_lang =
, years active = 1976–1995Karl-Hans Riehm.
New Zealand made its debut in the event. The United States appeared for the 17th time, the only nation to have competed at each appearance of the event to that point.
Competition format
The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. Each athlete received three throws in the qualifying round. All who achieved the qualifying distance of 69.00 metres progressed to the final. If fewer than twelve athletes achieved this mark, then the twelve furthest throwing athletes would reach the final. Each finalist was allowed three throws in last round, with the top eight athletes after that point being given three further attempts.
Records
Prior to the competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
Yuriy Sedykh
ukr, Юрій Георгійович Сєдих
, native_name_lang =
, years active = 1976–1995Aleksey Spiridonov also (but later) bettered the old record, with 76.08 metres;
Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Anatoly (russian: Анато́лий, Anatólij , uk, Анато́лій, Anatólij ) is a common Russian and Ukrainian male given name, derived from the Greek name ''Anatolios'', meaning "sunrise." Other common Russian transliterations are Ana ...
's best throw was 2 centimetres short of his own old record.
Schedule
All times are
Eastern Daylight Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...