Nanaimo, B.C.’s Ethan Katzberg made history on Sunday night at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in the hammer throw event at the Olympics. Katzberg’s first throw of 84.12 metres put him in the lead for the remainder of the competition, and he never looked back.
In a post-event interview with Canadian Running, Katzberg said winning Olympic gold is something he and his coach, Dylan Armstrong, have thought about since winning the world title last year in Budapest.
“It’s been the only thing we’ve been thinking about the last 12 months,” said Armstrong, a former Canadian Olympic shot-putter himself. “He knows he can throw that far, and I told him to try and take control right away so that everyone may tense up a bit, and I think they did.”
Katzberg’s second-best throw of 82.28 metres was farther than any of the competition, with no other athlete throwing beyond the 80-metre mark. Bence Halász of Hungary took silver at 79.97 metres, and Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine threw 79.39 metres for bronze. Katzberg’s winning margin of 4.15 meters over Halász was the largest in the event’s history since 1920.
At just 22, Katzberg is already an athlete many of the other throwers look up to. Bronze medallist Kokhan says Katzberg is changing the sport, and believes this is just the beginning of how much Katzberg will accomplish. “I’m proud of Ethan. He motivates me to work more and improve myself,” said Kokhan. “He will be here for a very long time.”
Katzberg was asked by Canadian media whether he thinks he can one day break Yuriy Sedykh’s world record of 86.74 meters, which has stood since 1986. One person who does think Katzberg can reach the 86-metre mark is Kokhan. “If anyone could do it, it’s Ethan,” he said.
In the last two years, the Canadian record holder has gone from being a 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist to 2023 world champion, and now Olympic champion. The future is bright for the global throwing star from Vancouver Island.
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
