Canadian hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg became a new Olympic sensation over the weekend.
With Paris marking the Nanaimo, BC native’s debut at the Summer Games, Katzberg made sure to let it rip.
The 22-year-old came close to breaking the Olympic record with his initial throw in the final, reaching an impressive 84.12 metres. Among the 12 competitors, he was the only one to exceed the 80-metre mark. Ultimately, that effort was just 0.68 metres shy of the Olympic record of 84.80 metres set by Sergey Litvinov of Russia in 1988.
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Nevertheless, it earned him a gold medal, ending a 16-year-long drought for BC athletes.
Standing at the top of the podium, the young hammer throw star took home the first gold medal by a BC athlete at a Summer Olympics (in an individual event) since wrestler Carol Huynh at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
After earning his well-deserved hardware, Katzberg was quick to shout out both his hometown and the area he trains in.
“The Nanaimo track club, it really developed me well, and everybody in Kamloops… It’s incredible to share this moment with… the people watching back home,” he told CBC. “They’ve been supporting me. There were signs all over Nanaimo… even in Kamloops too. It was a huge help.”
Along with getting BC back on the top of the podium, Katzberg has also made history as the first North American to win a medal in this event since American Lance Deal claimed silver at the Atlanta 1996 Games. On top of that, the 6-foot-4 athlete is the first North American to secure a gold medal in the hammer throw since Hal Connelly of the United States did so at the Melbourne 1956 Games.
Finally, Katzberg’s victory marks Canada’s first gold medal in a throwing event since Etienne Desmarteau clinched the 56-pound weight throw at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.
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