Women's Hammer Throw

Hammer Throw for women has been the part of the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. Although a relatively new event in the Olympics, it is quite popular among the games.

Rules and Regulations
Authority of framing rules and regulations for the hammer throw event lies with the International Association of Athletics Federations or the IAAF.

• During the hammer throw, body movements of the athletes are governed by the IAAF rules and regulations.
• Hammer throwers are not allowed to leave the throwing region till the hammer thrown touches the land. Every athlete has to attain the judge's consent before leaving the field.
• For women athletes, weight of the hammer has been set to four kilograms. The diameter of the hammer ball is also determined by the IAAF.
• Every athlete gets enough opportunities to throw the hammer. For determining the winner of the event, the best throws of the athletes are recorded.
• If two athletes have tied, the second best throw is evaluated.

Technique of Hammer Throw
The athletes spin the hammer above their head to put in circular motion. Then, for adding the optimum velocity to the hammer, they take one to four turns in the circle. Velocity of the hammer enhances with each circle. The athlete throws the ball now with the motive of pushing it to the maximum distance. The distance the hammer covers depends on the speed of the ball and the angle of release.

The Hammer
The ball is made of steel. It is attached to a handle, technically called grip, with a wire.

Top Performers
Athletes who have done well in the Olympics in the domain of hammer throw are Yipsi Moreno, Yunaika Crawford, Tatyana Lysenko, Kirsten Klose, Olga Kuzenkova, and Kamila Skolimowska.

Dominating Country
As the event's entry into the Olympics has been late, no single country is a dominating force.