The hammer throw (Abbreviated as HT) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor 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 consists of a metal ball attached by a steel wire to a grip. These three components are each separate and can move independently. Both the size and weight of the ball vary between men's and women's events. The men's hammer weighs for college and professional meets; the women's hammer weighs . Some time later the Celtic warrior Culchulainn reputedly took a chariot axle with a wheel still attached, spun it around and hurled it a long way. The wheel was later replaced by a rock with a wooden handle attached.
Throws are made from a throwing circle. The thrower is not allowed to step outside the throwing circle before the hammer has landed and may only enter and exit from the rear of the throwing circle. The hammer must land within a 34.92º throwing sector that is centered on the throwing circle. The sector angle was chosen because it provides a sector whose bounds are easy to measure and lay out on a field (10 metres out from the center of the ring, 6 metres across). A violation of the rules results in a foul and the throw not being counted.
the men's hammer world record is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw at the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, West Germany on 30 August. The world record for the women's hammer is held by Anita Włodarczyk, who threw during the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on 28 August 2016. Sedykh's 1986 world record has been noted for its longevity, and for dating from "a time when track and field was starting to realize the scale of performance-enhancing drug use" (AP). According to Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, Sedykh was a heavy user of steroids, which Sedykh denied. In particular, Earth's rotation affects it via the location's latitude (due to the centrifugal force, the hammer will fly a bit further in a location closer to the equator) and to a lesser extent also via the throw's azimuth (i.e. its compass direction, due to Coriolis forces). For example, hammer throws resulted in four deaths in Europe in 2000 alone, and have caused deaths and permanent brain damage injuries in the United States too.
Area records
- Updated 21 May 2026.
{| class="wikitable defaultleft col3center col6center"
|-
!scope="rowgroup" rowspan=2| Area
!scope="colgroup" colspan=3| Men
!scope="colgroup" colspan=3| Women
|-
!scope="col"| Mark
!scope="col"| Season
!scope="col"| Athlete
!scope="col"| Mark
!scope="col"| Season
!scope="col"| Athlete
|-
!scope="row"| World
| || 1986 ||
| || 2016 ||
|-
!colspan=7| Area records
|-
!scope="row"| Africa
| || 2014 ||
| || 2026 ||
|-
!scope="row"| Asia
| || 2003 ||
| || 2026 ||
|-
!scope="row"| Europe
| || 1986 ||
| || 2016 ||
|-
!scope="row"| North, Central America<br>and Caribbean
| || 2025 ||
| || 2026 ||
|-
!scope="row"| Oceania
| || 2002 ||
| || 2021 ||
|-
!scope="row"| South America
| || 2016 ||
| || 2010 ||
|}
All-time top 25
{| style="wikitable"
|Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 hammer throw marks and the top 25 athletes:
|-
| style="background: #f6F5CE" |- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 hammer throw marks
|-
|- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 hammer throw marks, by repeat athletes
|-
| style="background: #CCFFCC" |- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 hammer throw marks
|}
Men
- Correct as of September 2025.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! !! !! Mark !! Athlete !! Nation !! Date !! Place !! class="unsortable" |
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center|1 || align=center|1 || || Yuriy Sedykh || || 30 August 1986 || Stuttgart ||
|-
| rowspan=2| || align=center|2 || || Sedykh #2 || rowspan=2| || 22 June 1986 || Tallinn ||
|-
| align=center|3 || || Sedykh #3 || 3 July 1984 || Cork ||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center|2 || align=center|4 || || Sergey Litvinov || || 3 July 1986 || Dresden ||
|-
| rowspan=9| || align=center|5 || || Litvinov #2 || rowspan=9| || 30 August 1986 || Stuttgart ||
|-
| align=center|6 || || Sedykh #4 || 11 August 1986 || Budapest ||
|-
| rowspan=2 align=center|7 || rowspan=2| || Sedykh #5 || 13 July 1984 || London ||
|-
| Sedykh #6 || 17 August 1984 || Moscow ||
|-
| align=center|9 || || Litvinov #3 || 3 July 1984 || Cork ||
|-
| rowspan=2 align=center|10 || rowspan=2| || Litvinov #4 || 11 July 1986 || London ||
|-
| Sedykh #7 || 4 September 1988 || Moscow ||
|-
| align=center|12 || || Sedykh #8 || 20 August 1984 || Budapest ||
|-
| align=center|13 || || Sedykh #9 || 3 July 1986 || Dresden ||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center|3 || align=center|14 || || Vadim Devyatovskiy || || 21 July 2005 || Minsk ||
|-
| || align=center|15 || || Litvinov #5 || || 10 September 1986 || Rome ||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center|4 || align=center|16 || || Koji Murofushi || || 29 June 2003 || Prague ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | || align=center|17 || || Litvinov #6 || rowspan="2" | || 26 September 1988 || Seoul ||
|-
| align=center|18 || || Sedykh #10 || 9 July 1986 || Moscow ||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center|5 || align="center|19 || || Ethan Katzberg || || 16 September 2025 || Tokyo ||
|-
|
| align="center" |20 || || Litvinov #7
| || 9 July 1986 || Moscow ||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" |6 || align="center" |21 || || Igor Astapkovich|| || 6 June 1992 || Seville||
|-
| rowspan="2" | || align="center" |22 || || Sedykh #11|| rowspan="2" | || 14 September 1984 || Tokyo ||
|-
| align="center" |23 || || Sedykh #12|| 8 June 1986 || Leningrad||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" |7 || align="center" |24 || || Ivan Tsikhan|| || 9 July 2008 || Grodno||
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" |8 || align="center" |25 || || Igor Nikulin|| || 12 July 1990 || Lausanne||
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |9
| rowspan="17" |
|
|Jüri Tamm ||
|9 September 1984
|Banská Bystrica
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|10
|
|Adrián Annus||
|10 August 2003
|Szombathely
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|11
|
|Paweł Fajdek ||
|9 August 2015
|Szczecin
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|12
|
|Tibor Gécsek ||
|19 September 1998
|Zalaegerszeg
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|13
|
|Andrey Abduvaliyev ||
|26 May 1990
|Adler
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|14
|
|Aleksey Zagornyi ||
|10 February 2002
|Adler
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|15
|
|Ralf Haber ||
|16 May 1988
|Athens
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|16
|
|Szymon Ziółkowski ||
|5 August 2001
|Edmonton
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center|17
|
|Olli-Pekka Karjalainen ||
|14 July 2004
|Lahti
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align="center" |18
|
|Bence Halasz
|
|12 August 2025
|Budapest
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |19
|
|Rudy Winkler||
|5 July 2025
|Eugene
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |20
|
|Heinz Weis||
|29 June 1997
|Frankfurt
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |21
|
|Balázs Kiss||
|4 June 1998
|Saint-Denis
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |22
|
|Karsten Kobs||
|26 June 1999
|Dortmund
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |23
|
|Merlin Hummel
|
|16 September 2025
|Tokyo
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col"|
!scope="col"|
!scope="col"| Mark
!scope="col"| Athlete
!scope="col"| Nation
!scope="col"| Date
!scope="col"| Place
!scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 1
|
| Anita Włodarczyk
|
| 28 August 2016
| Warsaw
|
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" |
| align=center | 2
|
| Włodarczyk #2
| rowspan="2" |
| 29 July 2017
| Władysławowo
|
|-
| align=center | 3
|
| Włodarczyk #3
| 15 August 2016
| Rio de Janeiro
|
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" |2
| align="center" |4
|
|Camryn Rogers
|
|2 April 2026
|Austin
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |
| align="center" | 5
|
| Włodarczyk #4
| rowspan="4" |
| 1 August 2015
| Władysławowo
|
|-
| align="center" | 6
|
| Włodarczyk #5
| 27 August 2015
| Beijing
|
|-
| align="center" | 7
|
| Włodarczyk #6
| 23 July 2017
| Białystok
|
|-
| align="center" | 8
|
| Rogers #2
| 15 September 2025
| Tokyo
|
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 9
|
| DeAnna Price
|
| 26 June 2021
| Eugene
|
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 10
|
| Włodarczyk #7
|
| 12 July 2016
| Władysławowo
|
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 11
|
| Brooke Andersen
|
| 20 May 2023
| Tucson
|
|-
| rowspan="12" align="center" |
| align="center" |12
|
|Rogers #3
| rowspan="12" |
|24 April 2026
|Nairobi
|
|-
| align="center" | 13
|
| Andersen #2
| 4 May 2024
| Tucson
|
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 14
| rowspan="2" |
| Włodarczyk #8
| 15 August 2017
| Warsaw
|
|-
| Andersen #3
| 20 April 2023
| Charlottesville
|
|-
| align=center | 16
|
| Włodarczyk #9
| 6 May 2017
| Doha
|
|-
| align=center | 17
|
| Włodarczyk #10
| 27 June 2017
| Ostrava
|
|-
| align="center" |18
|
|Rogers #4
|10 April 2026
|Ramona
|
|-
| align="center" | 19
|
| Włodarczyk #11
| 18 June 2016
| Szczecin
|
|-
| align="center" | 20
|
| Włodarczyk #12
| 22 July 2018
| Lublin
|
|-
| align="center" | 21
|
| Włodarczyk #13
| 31 August 2014
| Berlin
|
|-
| align="center" | 22
|
| Włodarczyk #14
| 21 May 2016
| Halle
|
|-
| align="center" | 23
|
| Włodarczyk #15
| 29 May 2016
| Forbach
|
|- bgcolor="#f6F5CE"
| align="center" | 5
| align="center" | 24
|
| Betty Heidler
|
| 21 May 2011
| Halle
|
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |25
|
|Andersen #4
|
|24 May 2025
|Tucson
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 6
| rowspan="20" |
|
| Rachel Richeson
|
| 23 May 2026
| Tucson
|
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| align=center | 7
|
| Tatyana Lysenko
|
| 5 July 2012
| Cheboksary
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 8
|
| Zhao Jie
|
| 3 April 2026
| Chengdu
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 9
|
| Janee' Kassanavoid
|
| 21 May 2022
| Tucson
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 10
|
| Gwen Berry
|
| 8 June 2018
| Chorzów
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 11
|
| Wang Zheng
|
| 29 March 2014
| Chengdu
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |12
|
|Anastasiya Maslova
|
|7 May 2026
|Brest
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" |13
|
|Anthonett Nabwe
|
|23 April 2026
|Des Moines
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 14
|
| Zhang Wenxiu
|
| 28 September 2014
| Incheon
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 15
|
| Aksana Miankova
|
| 29 June 2008
| Minsk
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 16
|
| Gulfiya Agafonova
|
| 12 June 2006
| Tula
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 17
|
| Zhang Jiale
|
| 2 August 2025
| Quzhou
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 18
|
| Krista Tervo
|
| 11 June 2025
| Lahti
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 19
|
| Oksana Kondratyeva
|
| 30 June 2013
| Zhukovskiy
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 20
|
| Hanna Skydan
|
| 23 August 2023
| Budapest
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 21
|
|Silja Kosonen
|
|15 March 2025
|Nicosia
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 22
|
| Martina Hrašnová
|
| 16 May 2009
| Trnava
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 23
|
| Malwina Kopron
|
| 26 August 2017
| Taipei City
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 24
|
| Kamila Skolimowska
|
| 11 May 2007
| Doha
|
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| align="center" | 25
|
| Mariya Bespalova
|
| 23 June 2012
| Zhukovsky
|
|}
Annulled marks
The following athletes had their performances (over 77.00 m) annulled due to doping offences:
- Tatyana Lysenko (Russia) 78.80 (2013) and 78.15 (2013).
- Aksana Miankova (Belarus) 78.69 and 78.19 (both 2012).
- Gulfiya Agafonova (Russia) 77.36 (2007).
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
World leading marks
Men
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header" style="font-size:85%;"
|-
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Mark
!scope="col"|Athlete
!scope="col"|Place
|-
!scope="row"|1971
|
|
|Lahr
|-
!scope="row"|1972
|
|
|Kyiv
|-
!scope="row"|1973
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1974
|
|
|Munich
|-
!scope="row"|1975
|
|
|Frankfurt
|-
!scope="row"|1976
|
|
|Sochi
|-
!scope="row"|1977
|
|
|Gelsenkirchen
|-
!scope="row"|1978
|
|
|Heidenheim
|-
!scope="row"|1979
|
|
|Leipzig
|-
!scope="row"|1980
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1981
|
|
|Obersühl
|-
!scope="row"|1982
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1983
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1984
|
|
|Cork
|-
!scope="row"|1985
|
|
|Budapest
|-
!scope="row"|1986
|
|
|Stuttgart
|-
!scope="row"|1987
|
|
|Karl-Marx-Stadt
|-
!scope="row"|1988
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1989
|
|
|Berlin
|-
!scope="row"|1990
|
|
|Lausanne
|-
!scope="row"|1991
|
|
|Reims
|-
!scope="row"|1992
|
|
|Seville
|-
!scope="row"|1993
|
|
|Nitra
|-
!scope="row"|1994
|
|
|Budapest
|-
!scope="row"|1995
|
|
|Tashkent
|-
!scope="row"|1996
|
|
|Milan
|-
!scope="row"|1997
|
|
|Frankfurt
|-
!scope="row"|1998
|
|
|Zalaegerszeg
|-
!scope="row"|1999
|
|
|Dortmund
|-
!scope="row"|2000
|
|
|Staiki
|-
!scope="row"|2001
|
|
|Toyota
|-
!scope="row"|2002
|
|
|Adler
|-
!scope="row"|2003
|
|
|Prague
|-
!scope="row"|2004
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2005
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2006
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2007
|
|
|Osaka
|-
!scope="row"|2008
|
|
|Grodno
|-
!scope="row"|2009
|
|
|Celje
|-
!scope="row"|2010
|
|
|Rieti
|-
!scope="row"|2011
|
|
|Szombathely
|-
!scope="row"|2012
|
|
|Brest
|-
!scope="row"|2013
|
|
|Dubnica
|-
!scope="row"|2014
|
|
|Warsaw
|-
!scope="row"|2015
|
|
|Szczecin
|-
!scope="row"|2016
|
|
|Bydgoszcz
|-
!scope="row"|2017
|
|
|Ostrava
|-
!scope="row"|2018
|
|
|Székesfehérvár
|-
!scope="row"|2019
|
|
|Poznań
|-
!scope="row"|2020
|
|
|Wallkill
|-
!scope="row"|2021
|
|
|Chorzów
|-
!scope="row"|2022
|
|
|Munich
|-
!scope="row"|2023
|
|
|Oslo
|-
!scope="row"|2024
|
|
|Nairobi
|-
!scope="row"|2025
|
|
|Tokyo
|}
Women
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header" style="font-size:85%;"
|-
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Mark
!scope="col"|Athlete
!scope="col"|Place
|-
!scope="row"|1988
|
|
|Los Gatos
|-
!scope="row"|1989
|
|
|Frunze
|-
!scope="row"|1990
|
|
|Adler
|-
!scope="row"|1991
|
|
|Adler
|-
!scope="row"|1992
|
|
|Bryansk
|-
!scope="row"|1993
|
|
|Krasnodar
|-
!scope="row"|1994
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|1995
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|1996
|
|
|Sydney
|-
!scope="row"|1997
|
|
|Munich
|-
!scope="row"|1998
|
|
|Tolyatti
|-
!scope="row"|1999
|
|
|Rüdlingen
|-
!scope="row"|2000
|
|
|Tula
|-
!scope="row"|2001
|
|
|Adler
|-
!scope="row"|2002
|
|
|Annecy
|-
!scope="row"|2003
|
|
|Savona
|-
!scope="row"|2004
|
|
|Havana
|-
!scope="row"|2005
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|2006
|
|
|Tallinn
|-
!scope="row"|2007
|
|
|Adler
|-
!scope="row"|2008
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2009
|
|
|Berlin
|-
!scope="row"|2010
|
|
|Bydgoszcz
|-
!scope="row"|2011
|
|
|Halle
|-
!scope="row"|2012
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2013
|
|
|Moscow
|-
!scope="row"|2014
|
|
|Berlin
|-
!scope="row"|2015
|
|
|Władysławowo
|-
!scope="row"|2016
|
|
|Warsaw
|-
!scope="row"|2017
|
|
|Cetniewo
|-
!scope="row"|2018
|
|
|Lublin
|-
!scope="row"|2019
|
|
|Des Moines
|-
!scope="row"|2020
|
|
|Minsk
|-
!scope="row"|2021
|
|
|Eugene
|-
!scope="row"|2022
|
|
|Tucson
|-
!scope="row"|2023
|
|
|Tucson
|-
!scope="row"|2024
|
|
|Tucson
|-
!scope="row"|2025
|
|
|Tokyo
|}
See also
- List of hammer throwers
- Keg-tossing
Notes and references
External links
- IAAF list of hammer-throw records in XML
- HammerThrow.org (information about the event, coaching tips and resources)
- Statistics
- Hammer Throw History (archived)
- World Athletics Hammer Throw