Hammer winner Wojciech Nowicki at the Tokyo Olympic Games (© AFP / Getty Images)
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try and try again.
Thankfully that’s exactly that Wojciech Nowicki did as the Polish thrower landed his first global title, winning the hammer in Tokyo with a lifetime best performance of 82.52m.
The 32-year-old had earned bronze medals at the past four successive global championships, a streak that started back in 2015. The 32-year-old was probably starting to wonder if he’d ever earn a world or Olympic title, but today he finally seized his opportunity with the greatest series of his career.
He was the only thrower to land a hammer beyond the 80-metre line in the first round, taking an early lead with 81.18m. Norway’s Eivind Henriksen ended that round in second place after throwing a national record of 79.18m, putting him ahead of a quintet of men who produced throws between 77 and 78 metres.
Nowicki extended his lead in round two, throwing 81.72m, then Ukrainian youngster Mykhaylo Kokhan also joined the evening’s 80-metre club with 80.39m, moving into second. Meanwhile, four-time world champion Pawel Fajdek, competing in his first Olympic final after disappointment in 2012 and 2016, sat in fifth place at the end of the second round.
The big throws continued from Nowicki and he sent his hammer out to 82.52m with his third effort, breaking his lifetime best by 67 centimetres. Henriksen also maintained his top form, producing the first 80-metre throw of his life to consolidate his third place with 80.31m.
Little changed at the top in round four, but Fajdek finally connected in the fifth round with 81.53m – his best throw at a global championships since the 2013 World Championships. It was enough to elevate the Pole to the silver medal position, but it was short lived as Henriksen responded with yet another Norwegian record, this time throwing 81.58m to reclaim the second spot.
Nowicki was untouchable, though, and he produced an 82.06m throw in the fifth round to maintain his incredible series. Despite another 80-metre effort from Henriksen, the positions remained the same after the last round and Nowicki was confirmed the Olympic champion.
“I didn’t expect to win but I was very well prepared,” said Nowicki. “It was the best competition of my whole career and I am very happy. It’s a dream for the two of us (Nowicki and Fajdek) to be on the podium together.”
Henriksen becomes the first Norwegian athlete to win an Olympic medal in the hammer.
“I am still shocked about the result and the medal,” said Henriksen, who headed to Tokyo with a personal best of 78.25m. “It’s a lot of years of hard work finally paying off after a lot of injuries. It’s been six tough years.”
Fajdek, meanwhile, finally conquered his demons to claim his first Olympic medal with the longest throw ever recorded for an Olympic bronze. To him, the medal felt like gold.
“For me it is even more than a gold medal,” he said. “I tried to compete two times before (at the Olympic Games), and it was terrible. This time in Tokyo I qualified for the final, and I was sure that I was going to take one of the medals.
“This year was the worst ever for me,” he added. “I was nervous, and it was extremely hard. It was tough, so this medal is everything for me. I am still the world champion, and I promise I will be ready to defend that title. In Paris 2024 I will be a different person.”
Kokhan didn’t improve upon his 80.39m and finished fourth. World bronze medallist Quintin Bigot was fifth with 79.39m and Britain’s Commonwealth champion Nick Miller was sixth with a season’s best of 78.15m.
US champion Rudy Winkler, who had been in consistent 80-metre form this year, finished seventh with a best of 77.08m.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
| MEN'S HAMMER MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Wojciech Nowicki 🇵🇱 POL | 82.52m PB |
| 🥈 | Eivind Henriksen 🇳🇴 NOR | 81.58m NR |
| 🥉 | Pawel Fajdek 🇵🇱 POL | 81.53m |
| Full results | ||
