CANADIAN Olympic champion Camryn Rogers secured her second consecutive world hammer throw title with a devastating performance at the World Athletics Championships.
The 26-year-old produced the second-longest throw in history with a massive 80.51 metre effort in the second round that established her dominance over the competition.
Rogers opened with 78.09 metres, already surpassing her qualifying round best, before unleashing her record-breaking throw that improved her personal best by almost two metres.
Her remarkable performance places her second on the all-time list behind Poland’s world record holder Anita Włodarczyk, who set the mark of 82.98 metres nine years ago.
Additional throws of 78.27 and 79.11 metres further demonstrated Rogers’ complete control over the event throughout the competition.
China’s Zhao Jie claimed silver with a personal best of 77.60 metres on her final attempt, overtaking her teenage compatriot Zhang Jiale who had briefly moved into second place.
Zhang, the 18-year-old world junior champion, secured bronze with her last throw of 77.10 metres in her senior global championship debut.
Rogers described the victory as one of the best moments of her life, particularly meaningful after finishing fifth in the same Tokyo Stadium during the fan-less 2021 Olympics.
The Canadian champion credited her coaching team and support staff for her consistent performance, noting they had been planning for such throws over several years.
Zhang expressed delight with her bronze medal achievement, acknowledging the significant step up from junior to senior level competition.
The young Chinese thrower already has her sights set on gold at the next world championships in Beijing. – Reuters
