The hammer throw has been an official track and field event for over a century for men, but it is barely over 20 years old for women. So what is the hammer throw world record for each?
Photo By: walknboston
Men's Hammer Throw World Record
Yuriy Sedykh, who competed for the Soviet Union, set the current men's hammer throw world record at 86.74 meters, or 284'7". He made this throw on August 30, 1986 in Stuttgart, West Germany. You can see video of the throw that has held for decades below.
United States athlete Pat Ryan set the first offically ratified hammer throw world record on August 17, 1913 in New York City. Ryan threw a distance of 57.77 meters, or 189'6". It stood as the best for just more than 25 years, when Erwin Blask of Germany topped the distance. In total, the IAAF has ratified 45 records in the event.
You can see a chart of the progression of the hammer throw world record here:
1913-1956
Distance | Athlete | Country | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
57.77m | Pat Ryan | United States | 8/17/1913 |
59.00m | Erwin Blask | Germany | 8/27/1938 |
59.02m | Imre Nemeth | Hungary | 7/14/1948 |
59.57m | Imre Nemeth | Hungary | 9/4/1949 |
59.88m | Imre Nemeth | Hungary | 5/19/1950 |
60.34m | Jozsef Csermak | Hungary | 7/24/1952 |
61.25m | Sverre Strandli | Norway | 9/14/1952 |
62.36m | Sverre Strandli | Norway | 9/5/1953 |
63.34m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 8/29/1954 |
64.05m | Stanislav Nenashev | Soviet Union | 12/12/1954 |
64.33m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 8/4/1955 |
64.52m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 8/19/1955 |
65.85m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 4/25/1956 |
66.38m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 7/8/1956 |
1956-1974
67.32m | Mikhail Krivonosov | Soviet Union | 10/22/1956 |
68.54m | Hal Connolly | United States | 11/2/1956 |
68.68m | Hal Connolly | United States | 6/20/1958 |
70.33m | Hal Connolly | United States | 8/12/1960 |
70.67m | Hal Connolly | United States | 7/21/1962 |
71.06m | Hal Connolly | United States | 5/29/1965 |
71.26m | Hal Connolly | United States | 6/20/1965 |
73.74m | Gyula Zsivotzky | Hungary | 9/4/1965 |
73.76m | Gyula Zsivotzky | Hungary | 9/14/1968 |
74.52m | Romuald Klim | Soviet Union | 6/15/1969 |
74..68m | Anatoliy Bondarchuk | Soviet Union | 9/20/1969 |
75.48m | Anatoliy Bondarchuk | Soviet Union | 10/12/1969 |
76.40m | Walter Schmidt | West Germany | 9/14/1971 |
76.60m | Reinhard Theimer | East Germany | 7/4/1974 |
1974-1983
76.66m | Aleksei Spiridonov | Soviet Union | 9/11/1974 |
76.70m | Karl-Hans Riehm | West Germany | 5/19/1975 |
77.76m | Karl-Hans Riehm | West Germany | 5/19/1975 |
78.50m | Karl-Hans Riehm | West Germany | 5/19/1975 |
79.30m | Walter Schmidt | West Germany | 8/14/1975 |
80.14m | Boris Zaichuk | Soviet Union | 7/9/1978 |
80.32m | Karl-Hans Riehm | West Germany | 8/6/1978 |
80.38m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 5/16/1980 |
80.46m | Juri Tamm | Soviet Union | 5/16/1980 |
80.64m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 5/16/1980 |
81.66m | Sergey Litvinov | Soviet Union | 5/24/1980 |
81.80m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 7/31/1980 |
83.98m | Sergey Litvinov | Soviet Union | 6/4/1982 |
84.14m | Sergey Litvinov | Soviet Union | 6/21/1983 |
1984-present day
86.34m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 7/3/1984 |
86.66m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 6/22/1986 |
86.74m | Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union | 8/30/1986 |
* Tables are adapted from wikipedia.
The Soviet Union had a dominant history in the hammer throw. Of the 45 world records set, 22 were set by an athlete competing for the Soviet Union. Mikhail Krivonosov and Yuriy Sedykh each set the record on 6 occasions. Anatoliy Bondarchuk set the record twice and also played a role in many others. After retiring from throwing he would go on to coach athletes like Sedykh, Sergey Litvinov, and Juri Tamm, who each broke the record at least once.
Harold "Hal" Connolly had a dominant period for the United States. Between 1956 and 1965, he broke the record six times and was personally responsible for extending it nearly 4 meters in total. Connolly was the first man to throw the hammer further than 70 meters.
Sverre Strandli of Norway was the first man to throw more than 200 feet. He did so in 1952. Boris Zaichuk of the Soviet Union was the first man to surpass 80 meters, which he did in 1978.
The men's record is from 1986 and it has only occasionally been threatened since then. Pawel Fajdek of Poland has been the closest in the past decade. He threw 83.93 meters in 2015.
Men with multiple world record setting throws:
6 - Mikhail Krivonosov, Hal Connolly, Yuriy Sedykh
4 - Karl-Hans Riehm
3 - Imre Nemeth, Sergey Litvinov
2 - Sverre Strandli, Gyula Zsivotzky, Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Walter Schmidt
Women's Hammer Throw World Record
Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland holds the current women's hammer throw world record with a distance of 81.08 meters, or 266'. She made the heave in Wladyslawowo, Poland on August 1, 2015. Wlodarczyk is the only woman to throw farther than 80 meters. Video of the throw is below.
The woman's hammer throw only officially became a track and field event in 1994. Olga Kuzenkova was the first ratified record, with a toss of 66.84 meters, or 219'3". Kuzenkova, competeing for Russia, made this throw on February 23, 1994 in Adler Russia. The record stood for more than a year, when Mihaela Melinte surpassed it. Kuzenkova and Melinte would go back and forth several times in the 1990s.
You can see the complete list of the women's hammer throw world records below:
1994-1999
Distance | Athlete | Country | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
66.84m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 2/23/1994 |
66.86m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 3/4/1995 |
67.00m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 5/24/1995 |
68.14m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 6/5/1995 |
68.16m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 6/5/1995 |
69.42m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 5/12/1996 |
69.58m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 3/8/1997 |
71.22m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 6/22/1997 |
73.10m | Olga Kuzenkova | Russia | 6/22/1997 |
73.14m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 7/16/1998 |
75.29m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 5/13/1999 |
75.97m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 5/13/1999 |
76.05m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 8/29/1999 |
76.07m | Mihaela Melinte | Romania | 8/29/1999 |
2005-present day
77.06m | Tatyana Lysenko | Russia | 7/15/2005 |
77.26m | Gulfiya Khanafeyeva | Russia | 6/12/2006 |
77.41m | Tatyana Lysenko | Russia | 6/24/2006 |
77.80m | Tatyana Lysenko | Russia | 8/15/2006 |
77.96m | Anita Wlodarczyk | Poland | 8/22/2009 |
78.30m | Anita Wlodarczyk | Poland | 6/6/2010 |
79.42m | Betty Heidler | Germany | 5/21/2011 |
79.58m | Anita Wlodarczyk | Poland | 8/31/2014 |
79.83m | Anita Wlodarczyk | Poland | 6/27/2015 |
81.08m | Anita Wlodarczyk | Poland | 8/1/2015 |
* Tables are adapted from wikipedia.
The 1990s were dominated by two women. Olga Kuzenkova and Mihaela Melinte would go back-and-forth with the record. A total of 14 records were ratified in the 90s - 8 by Melinte and 6 by Kuzenova. Melinte's final record was in 1999 and it held until 2005.
The first woman to exceed 70 meters was Kuzenkova, who did so in 1997. Wlodarczyk remains the only woman with a toss past 80 meters. Wlodarczyk has dominated the record book in recent years, with 5 record-breaking throws between 2009 and 2015.
Women with multiple world record setting throws:
8 - Mihaela Melinte
6 - Olga Kuzenkova
5 - Anita Wlodarczyk
3 - Tatyana Lysenko
With the women's record just being broken in 2015 and the 80 meter mark finally being passed, it will be exciting if the record gets furthered even more in the coming years.
