Canada’s Ethan Katzberg won gold in the men’s hammer throw at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.
The 21-year-old from Nanaimo, B.C., set a Canadian record with a throw of 81.25 metres on his fifth attempt, breaking his own national mark of 81.18 metres set during Saturday’s qualifiers.
Poland’s Wojciech Nowicki won silver with a throw of 81.02, while Hungary’s Bence Halasz claimed bronze with a heave of 80.82.
The gold puts a cap on what’s been a breakout year for Katzberg.
He had won six of his 12 competitions this year entering worlds, including nationals, and never placed lower than third in an event.
Before worlds, Katzberg had also never thrown 79 metres. His 78.73-metre throw at nationals that won him his first Canadian title had been his season best.
He set a then-personal best and national record of 81.18 metres in Saturday’s qualification to be the leader by a stretch. The next closest throw was 78.47 from Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan.
He eclipsed 80 metres on four of his six attempts on Sunday.
Katzberg was a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Victoria’s Adam Keenan, 29, finished 11th with a top throw of 74.49.
Meanwhile on the track, Canadian runner Mohammed Ahmed placed sixth in the men’s 10,000-metre final in a season-best time of 27 minutes 56.43 seconds.
The 32-year-old Ahmed was a silver medallist in the 5,000 at the Tokyo Olympics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2023.
The Canadian Press
