CANADIAN hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg secured his third global title in three years with a monumental 84.70 metre effort at the world championships.
The 23-year-old achieved a world championship record with his second attempt, making him the fifth-longest thrower in the sport’s history.
Katzberg demonstrated remarkable consistency by exceeding 81 metres with all six of his throws in the final.
His victory completed a Canadian hammer double after Camryn Rogers claimed the women’s world title on Monday.
Germany’s Merlin Hummel captured the silver medal after dramatically improving his personal best from 81.27 to 82.77 metres with his opening throw.
Olympic silver medallist Bence Halasz of Hungary added a third world bronze to his collection with a best throw of 82.69 metres.
The competition began at an extraordinary level as Halasz opened with 81.51 metres before Katzberg responded with 82.66 metres.
Hummel surprisingly seized the lead with the final throw of the first round, setting a massive new personal best of 82.77 metres.
Katzberg immediately reclaimed the lead with his championship-record 84.70 metre effort, the best throw in the world this year by over a metre.
Halasz improved to 82.69 metres with his third attempt but could not change the medal positions.
Katzberg demonstrated complete dominance with four more throws over 81 metres, including efforts of 83.07 and 83.73 metres.
His shortest throw of the competition would have been sufficient for fifth place overall.
Katzberg expressed astonishment at the exceptionally high level of competition, noting that four athletes exceeded 82 metres.
He acknowledged the pressure created by teammate Camryn Rogers’ exceptional performance in the women’s event the previous day.
The Canadian hammer double represents a significant achievement for the nation’s athletics programme. – Reuters
