Hammer Throw for Men at Olympics

Hammer Throw for Men at Olympics: Hammer throw is a throwing event included in the field athletics discipline at the international level. In the hammer throwing event, the athletes are required to throw a heavy ball fixed to a handle with a wire. The ball is generally made from steel. The handle is also known as the "grip". In the earlier days of the game, a real hammer was thrown by the competitors in the event. The competitors throw the hammer from the front part of the circular throwing area. The angle of release and the velocity of the ball are the key factors for success in the hammer throw event. The distance covered by the hammer is measured to decide the winner of the event.

Hammer Throw for Men in Summer Olympics: Hammer throw event for men was introduced to the Olympic program at the 1900 Paris Summer Games. Since that time, the event has always been held in the Olympic athletic competition. The United States of America was the leading figure in the event during the early twentieth century. However, Russia emerged as the dominant nation in the hammer throw event in the later years.

Rules for Hammer Throw for Men at Olympics: The rules followed in the international track and field athletics competitions are set by the International Association of Athletics Federations or IAAF. The rules applicable for the hammer throw competitions are-

The weight of the steel ball used in the hammer throw event is fixed by the IAAF.

The length of the wire and the material from which it should be made is specified by the IAAF.

An athlete is not allowed to leave the throwing area until the hammer thrown by him touches ground in the landing area. Without the permission of the judge, no competitor can exit the field.

The body movement of the athletes during and after the throw is specified by the IAAF.

A certain number of throws is allowed to each competitor. The best throws of the athletes are compared to determine the winner of the event.

The second best throw is measured to break a tie between two athletes.

Medal Winners in the Hammer Throw for Men: Yuriy Sedykh, Koji Murofushi, Szymon Ziolkowski, Balazs Kiss, Andrey Abduvaliyev, Sergey Litvinov, Juha Tiainen, Anatoly Bondarchuck, Gyula Zsivotzky, Romuald Klim, Vasily Rudenkov, Harold Vincent Connolly, Jozsef Csermak, Imre NemethKarl Hein, Pat O'Callaghan, Fred Tootell, Patrick Ryan, Matt McGrath and John Jesus Flanagan are some of the famous names in the domain of the international hammer throwing competitions.

Trivia: At the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games, the American athlete Harold Vincent Connolly won the Olympic hammer throwing title. He won the gold medal in spite of being physically disabled. His left arm was shorter and less developed than his right arm. With this achievement, Connolly made a mark in the history of the Summer Games.

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Obsolete Track and Field athletic events

Rio Olympic Updates 2016

USA earns third straight gold in basketball

Team USA defeated team Serbia to win its third straight basketball gold medal in Men’s Basketball tournament. The winning team’s coach Mike Krzyzewski was utmost delighted with his team’s victory on the final day of Rio 2016 Olympic Games. USA won by a 19-15 lead and this is their 25^th straight victory at the Olympic Games in addition to the 15^th straight victory in the basketball tournament.

Mo Farah wins 5000 m gold; Caster Semenya wins gold in women's 800m

Mo Farah of Great Britain has bagged the gold by winning the 5000 meters final and completed the double double. According to media reports, with this victory Farah has become the second man in the history of Olympics to be able to successfully defend his 5000 and 10000 Olympic championships. His victory is being hailed on Twitter with some calling him the greatest long distance runner of all time. Meanwhile, the silver medal has gone to Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo and Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia has bagged the bronze.

In the women's event, Caster Semenya of South Africa won the Olympic gold in the 800m. She won in one minute 55.28 seconds. Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi won the silver medal and Kenya's Margaret Nyairera Wambui bagged the bronze.

Chen Long Earns Gold in Men's Badminton in Olympics 2016

Chen Long of China has taken gold medal in the Rio Olympics 2016 after defeating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, who has won a silver in men’s badminton today. Lee was facing pressure not to lose the match. He beat Lin Dan of China in the semi-final. Lee and Lin, both are considered to be the best players of their time. With Lee’s defeat, Malaysia has missed out the chance of getting an Olympic gold medal.

Italy Reaches Rio 2016 Men's Volleyball Final

Italy came up with a win and is heading to men's volleyball final against Brazil, after defeating USA. The US men's volleyball team tried all their survival skills, but could not stand in front of Italy. The winning team's thriller was 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9. After it was over, US coach John Speraw said that the team was not skilled enough and they did not execute on some of the opportunities, which Italy flawlessly did

French boxer Mossely wins gold on her birthday

French boxer Estelle Mossely celebrated her 24^th birthday by winning a gold medal in Women’s lightweight boxing championship. She defeated China’s Yin Junhua after the end of four rounds that had the two defending champions leveled on the scorecards of three judges. The bronze medals were earned by Mira Potkonen of Finland and Anastasia Beliakova of Russia.