Latest news with #EthanKatzberg
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Sportsworld The Warm Up Track 2025: How Ethan Katzberg won Olympic Hammer gold
Ethan Katzberg won Olympic Hammer gold in Paris. He was already the World champion and, at the age of just 23, his dominance of the event has led to him being nicknamed 'Canadian Thor'. He describes in depth how he discovered hammer throwing, and how success came with some difficult decisions along the way – like telling his parents he was dropping out of college. He takes us back to the final in Paris, where he led from the first round. Did that ease the pressure on him, or add to it? We also discuss the mechanics of throwing the hammer, and just how wrong it can go; Ethan's first experience of a global championship was at the World under-20s in 2021, where he failed to register a distance. He takes us back to that final where he ended up with 'no mark' against his name and explains the lessons it taught him. Ethan can throw the Hammer out beyond 84m, but the event's world record is more than 86m and was set in 1986, during the era of the Soviet Union. Does Ethan think that record is casting a shadow over the sport and just how hard will it be to break it? We also discuss the future of the Commonwealth Games as a global sporting event. For Ethan, his 2022 Commonwealth silver was his first major senior medal and he believes that the Games still have a key role to play. Photo: Ethan Katzberg of Team Canada reacts during Men's Hammer Throw Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
CBC
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Camryn Rogers wins hammer throw at Prefontaine Classic
Canada's Camryn Rogers won the women's hammer throw with a season-best 78.88-metre throw at the Diamond League's Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. The Richmond, B.C., native, who is the reigning world and Olympic champion achieved the mark on the fourth of her six attempts. Americans Brooke Andersen (76.95) and DeAnna Price (75.35) placed behind Rogers. WATCH | Rogers 'excited' to compete at Prefontaine Classic 50th anniversary: Camryn Rogers 'excited' to compete at Prefontaine Classic 50th anniversary 3 days ago Duration 0:32 The Paris 2024 Olympic champion in the hammer throw, describes what she loves most about competing at the iconic Hayward Field, in Eugene, Oregon. In the men's hammer throw, Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, B.C., placed second in the men's hammer throw. The reigning world and Olympic champion had a best of 81.73 metres on the day. American Rudy Winkler finished first with a personal-best mark of 83.16. Sarah Mitton of Brooklyn, N.S., took second in the women's shot put with a best of 20.39 metres for the day. WATCH | Sarah Mitton places 2nd in shot put at Prefontaine Classic: Sarah Mitton places 2nd in shot put at Prefontaine Classic 1 hour ago Duration 0:47 Mitton, who is the reigning world champion, indoor and outdoor, finished behind American Chase Jackson, who threw 20.94. World record for Chebet Kenyan Beatrice Chebet set a world record in the 5,000 meters, winning the event in 13 minutes, 58.06 seconds Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic. Chebet became the first women to run under 14 minutes in the event, surpassing the previous record of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay. Tsegay set the record at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. Chebet, 25 was the gold medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Paris Olympics, becoming just the third woman to win both. Chebet had the previous world best this year in the event, running 14:06.39 last month in Rome. The Prefontaine Classic in the lone U.S. stop on the Diamond League track and field series.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadian Olympic hammer throw champs part of star-studded lineup for 50th Prefontaine Classic
Canadian hammer throwers Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg, shown from left to right in this composite image, will both be in action at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday. The duo are the reigning world and Olympic champions of their sport. (Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press, Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press - image credit) This year's Prefontaine Classic features a lineup befitting a milestone for the iconic track and field meet. Saturday marks the 50th edition of prestigious event on the University of Oregon campus, which carries the name of the late Steve Prefontaine, an American collegiate runner who never won an Olympic or world championship medal, but who left an indelible mark on his sport before dying in a car crash at age 24. Advertisement Read more about the history of the meet in this story by Scott Russell. Several Olympic and world champions will compete in Saturday's event at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and that includes Canadian hammer throwers Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg. You can watch live coverage of the event, available on and CBC Gem at 4 p.m. ET. Rogers is well acquainted with Hayward Field, having competed there several times before and during her collegiate career. It was also the venue where the 26-year-old from Richmond, B.C. broke the Diamond League women's hammer throw record in 2024. Rogers also collected a a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships when Eugene hosted in 2022. Advertisement "I just love the stadium. I love the energy it carries. The 'Hayward Magic' is totally real, I am a full believer in that," Rogers said. "Knowing that there's going to be a very high level of competition makes it all the more exciting because it really motivates you to be there and be your best self on the day. "I think it'll be a lot of fun, and it's a renowned meet for a reason. It brings in the best of the best. It attracts some of the biggest track fans in the world and is just an exciting place to be in. I can't wait." Rogers is the top-ranked hammer thrower in the world, but she'll face a stiff test from a pair of top-ranked Americans in Eugene. Brooke Andersen, ranked second in the world, won a world title at Hayward Field in 2022, while No. 4-ranked Annette Nneka Echikunwoke was the silver medallist at Paris 2024. WATCH | Rogers 'excited' to compete at Prefontaine Classic 50th anniversary: Advertisement On the men's side, the 23-year-old Katzberg has looked impressive so far this season, winning all five events he's entered. He also has the season's best throw: an 82.73-metre mark that won the Nanaimo, B.C., native the Kip Keino Classic title in Nairobi at the end of May. Joining Katzberg in competition on Saturday is Canadian teammate Rowan Hamilton, of Chilliwack, B.C. The 25-year-old won an NCAA title in hammer throw in 2024 and finished ninth at that year's Paris Olympics. Mitton looks to get back on track The Prefontaine Classic also offers the chance to capture some crucial Diamond League points, which are especially important for Canada's Sarah Mitton. Advertisement The Brooklyn, N.S., native entered the season on a high note, capturing a second consecutive World Indoor women's shot put title this past spring. However, the defending Diamond League Final winner has fourth and fifth-place finishes in her first two stops on the circuit. Mitton – who owns the Canadian record of 20.68m – enters competition in Eugene coming off a strong showing at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont. She won that event on June 18 with a throw of 20.35m. Watch all the action from every Diamond League meet on and CBC Gem. Click here for the full broadcast schedule. Olympic men's pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis will also be in action in Eugene. The Swedish star recently improved upon his own world record at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm last month (6.28m) and will face Paris 2024 silver medallist Sam Kendricks in Saturday's competition. Advertisement Not to be outdone, the track events will also feature a who's who of elite global talent at Hayward Field. The women's 100m will see Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Lucia line up against a pair of top American sprinters: Olympic silver medallist Sha'Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The men's 100m will also be big draw: Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, Americans Christian Colemna and Trayvon Bromell, and Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain are among the field of sprinters. The men's 200m is headlined by Olympic champion Letsile Tobogo of Botswana and Grand Slam Track champion Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. Advertisement The signature event of the Prefontaine Classic will also have plenty of excitement around it in 2025. The Bowerman Mile (named after legendary University of Oregon coach Bob Bowerman) has attracted top middle distance runners like Norwegian Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Americans Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse. The women's 400m will mark the Prefontaine Classic debut of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning Olympic champion and current 400m hurdles world record-holder. McLaughlin-Levrone is the first track athlete to break more than four world records in the same event. Canadian Para athletes ready to shine This year's Prefontaine Classic will also include four Para sport events, two of which will feature Canadian athletes. Toronto's Marissa Papaconstantinou will compete in the Para mixed classification 100m, while Nandini Sharma, of Brampton, Ont., will race in the Para athletics 800m T54 event.
CBC
16-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Olympic, world champion Camryn Rogers has nothing left to prove — but plenty to accomplish
After winning a world title and Olympic gold, hammer thrower Camryn Rogers might not have anything left to prove — but she says she still has a lot left to accomplish. The 26-year-old from Richmond, B.C., doesn't just want to defend her titles, she wants to help grow the sport itself. "I feel like every time I step into the circle, I want to show what I've been working on and what [I've] been training for," Rogers said from her home, near her training base in Berkeley, Calif. "I feel like I still have so much more to give. The sport has already done so much for me — like, the sport owes me nothing, but I owe the sport everything. "And because of that, I want to be able to give as much of myself to it [and] the community as I can." That community is growing thanks in large part to the success of Rogers and her fellow Canadian Olympic and world champion in men's hammer throw, Ethan Katzberg. Their achievements have increased visibility of the sport in Canada and presents it as an option for other young athletes. While this hammer throw dominance has seemed to be an overnight success, it's actually been years in the making. Rogers has been involved in hammer throw for nearly half her life, first picking up the implement when she was 13, before moving on to train with coach Mo Saatara at the University of California, Berkeley. "After working together [with Saatara] for eight years, I feel very lucky to be working with someone who knows me so well," Rogers said. "He likes to joke that he can tell how my practice is going to go, based on how I walk toward him in the morning." Rogers announced her arrival on the international scene when she captured world championship silver in 2022. She set a new Canadian record with a throw of 78.62 metres in May of 2023, just months before winning gold at worlds. The whirlwind of success continued last summer when she won Olympic gold in Paris. "Things like this don't happen overnight. It takes laying a foundation and building upon it for years and years and years to really see it come to fruition. I think we're seeing all of that effort in that time really find its peak now," Rogers said. "I know that we will continue to grow and have more people come after us and build upon what we've done as well, which is exciting." That next wave of athletes might include the ones reaching out to Rogers on social media. "Something that's really, really touched my heart is I've gotten a few people who have DM'd [direct messaged] me on Instagram and been like, 'hey, we saw you compete at worlds or the Olympics and we were so curious and I was able to get my daughter into track and field, and now she's throwing,'" Rogers said. "I feel like it made my heart just burst. "[Hammer throw] has completely changed my life. And knowing that it has a potential to do that for so many other people now in our country and so many young kids and especially young girls, like it just kind of makes me teary-eyed." Field events missing from new circuits With new track leagues starting to sprout up, field events have been largely sidelined. The new Grand Slam Track, before its cancellation this week, didn't include field events. Athlos, the female-only pro track and field league, added long jump to their 2025 meet this fall after running the 2024 edition without field events. Rogers is happy to see track athletes thriving, but she laments the disrespect shown to field events and the missed opportunities that come with it. "When you allow more people to see it, and love it, and become interested in it, you not only give those people the chance to become bigger fans and find a new love for it, but you also give the athletes in those events the opportunity to dedicate more of themselves to it. "I think there's a lot of frustration. But it comes from a place of love, because we see how great our event is and we want other people to be able to see it." WATCH | Rogers on Trackside about increasing the visibility of field events: Hammer thrower Camryn Rogers on improving visibility of field events 4 days ago Duration 9:04 Rogers has seven competitions remaining in her season before the world championships in Tokyo in September. In the limited free time available to her, Rogers is preparing for life after hammer throw by working toward law school. However, that goal has still managed to intersect with sports. "I love [hammer throw], but I know at some point it will come to an end, and I want to be able to prepare for that in the best way possible," Rogers said. "I've had some really cool experiences. I actually was able to advocate for federal legislation for name, image and likeness [NIL] in Washington, D.C. to a bunch of senators and congressional staffers back in April for student athletes." Following that trip, Rogers began her athletics season and picked up wins at two of the three events she entered — the Mt. SAC Relays and the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. Those wins came from throws approaching her personal best — 78.14m and 77.93m — and she'll look to build upon that at her next competition on Tuesday in Turku, Finland, at the Paavo Nurmii Games (12 p.m. ET, CBC Gem). WATCH | Rogers wins Kip Keino title in Kenya: Rogers caps off Canadian hammer throw sweep with victory at Continental Tour stop in Nairobi 16 days ago Duration 0:42 Camryn Rogers of Richmond, B.C.'s winning throw of 77.93 was enough to capture Saturday's hammer throw title at the World Athletics Continental Tour stop in Nairobi, Kenya. "I'm really happy, I've had two of my best throws ever. I think we're building up to something really, really good, some really far throws," Rogers said. The reigning champ is also still working to grow a bigger hammer throw community, saying that any young athlete interested in the sport should DM her if they have any questions about getting involved. "To see those messages that people send me ... I think that it just shows that we're moving in the right direction in this sport. To know that we can have that direct impact on people and their sporting careers and their journeys," Rogers said. "It just feels like success is being able to leave the sport a little bit better than you found it."
CBC
11-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Katzberg captures 5th straight hammer throw win of season, topping 80 metres in Norway
Social Sharing Ethan Katzberg wasn't a model of consistency Wednesday, but he only needed one throw to win his fifth consecutive men's hammer throw competition to start the 2025 season. The reigning world and Olympic champion from Nanaimo, B.C., was the lone athlete in the field of seven to surpass 80 metres, throwing 80.19 in his third of six attempts at the Bislett Games Diamond League track and field meet in Oslo, Norway. Katzberg, 23, came close to the 81.92 meet record by 36-year-old Wojciech Nowicki of Poland who was seventh (72.65) on a mostly sunny Wednesday at Bislett Stadium, where the temperature reached 17 C. "I think I had a good result, maybe could have [had] a little more," said Katzberg. "I have been over here in Europe for a while now, so this is my last competition here and I am returning home." Katzberg, who was third in Oslo two years ago, arrived at the stadium Wednesday fresh off an 80.15 performance at the June 3 Trond Mohn Games in Norway. On May 31, the world's top-ranked men's hammer thrower was victorious at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya, delivering a season-best and world-leading 82.73. Canada's Katzberg captures World Athletics Continental Tour hammer throw victory 11 days ago Duration 0:46 Ukraine's Mykhalo Kokhan made is a close competition Wednesday with a 79.95 final throw for second, after the Canadian's 79.74 effort. "I managed to throw almost 80 metres, but still, I was missing that five centimetres and it is only 79, so I cannot be super satisfied with my result," Kokhan said after his fifth event of the season. "I had to start the sixth attempt faster and it was a right decision. 'All-or-nothing day' Hometown favourite Thomas Mardal fouled four times but began his day with a personal-best throw of 78.25 to place third. "Today was an all-or-nothing kind of day," he said. "I have been consistently throwing over 77 metres this season, so I have been looking for 78 and I love throwing at Bislett [Stadium]. "It was special for me as I had my dad and wife here. At the end of the month I hope to represent Norway at the European Team Champs and after that it is all eyes on Tokyo [and the Sept. 13-21 worlds]." Hammer throw is not contested regularly on the Diamond League professional circuit, so athletes do not accumulate points toward qualifying for the Diamond League Final in late August. Katzberg admitted to feeling "a little drained" but still worked hard for a good result. "Technically, it could have been a little more today," he said, "but it is what it is and I am going home to prepare for the rest of the season." Katzberg opened Wednesday at 76.17 and then fouled before eclipsing 80 metres. He threw 77.33 on his fourth attempt and hasn't thrown 76- and 77-low since early in the 2023 campaign. Katzberg also fouled on his fifth try. Last August in Paris, Katzberg became Canada's first Olympic hammer throw champion and earned the country's first medal in the event since 1912. At 22, he was the youngest-ever Summer Games hammer gold medallist. His winning throw of 84.12 was 26 cm short of the national and area (North and Central America and Caribbean) mark of 84.38 he hit in April 2024 at a meet in Nairobi. A year earlier, Katzberg was the first Canadian to win a world title in hammer throw, a few days ahead of teammate Camryn Rogers's victory in the women's event in Budapest, Hungary. Next for Katzberg is the July 5 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.
