RUDY WINKLER IS getting to the point where dominant performances are his new normal. His worst throw Thursday, a first-round 253-7 (77.15) on which he admitted to having “a bit of the shakes,” was good enough to make the final at a Worlds or Olympics. Any of his best three throws — 263-9 (80.41), 265-3 (80.85), and 267-3 (81.47) — would likely put him on the podium in Tokyo.
But after surpassing 262-5 (80.00) at five different comps this season and extending his American Record to 272-10 (83.16), there was nothing special about his results in winning his fifth U.S. title. Might that habit of consistent excellence translate to the first WC medal ever for an American male hammer thrower?
“With all the guys we have throwing at a high level,” he said after the meet, “it’s bound to happen sometime. It would be great to get it, but I’m not relying on it. I’ve learned over time not to tie my identity to my performance in the hammer. You saw what happened today after the first round when I sort of let go and let myself have fun with it. I’ll try to do the same thing at Worlds.”
Rudy will be joined in Tokyo by Daniel Haugh, himself a 2-time U.S. champ and World Champs finalist. He took a slightly different path at this meet, though. He fouled 4 of 6 attempts and had to endure a final frame where it looked like several competitors had a chance to surpass his fourth-round 253-6 (77.28). Tyler Williams came close with a 252-1 (76.84) bomb on his final attempt. Trey Knight succeeded.
For Knight, who’d gone three-fouls-and-out at the NCAA Regional, this meet looked like Huge Debacle: The Sequel when he tossed his first two attempts into the cage. Before his third throw, though, coach Dan Lang warned him not to be tentative.
“Don’t be safe,” he told him. “You’ve got to go after it.” Knight did, and threw just far enough — 244-7 (74.56) — to squeak into the final.
Three rounds later, he launched a PR 258-5 (78.76) that earned him 2nd and a trip to Japan.
It would be a lot to expect Knight, throwing in his first Worlds, to hunt for a medal, but Haugh — a 2-time WC finalist — feels ready. He is injury-free for the second year in a row and has arranged his training so that he’ll have “a lot of bullets in the chamber in August and September.”
MEN’S HAMMER RESULTS
(July 31)
1. Rudy Winkler (NYAC) 267-3 (81.47)
(253-1, 267-3, 265-3, 263-9, 260-0, 265-0) (77.15, 81.47, 80.85, 80.41, 79.24, 80.78);
2. Trey Knight (unat) 258-5 (78.76) PR (f, f, 244-7, 247-0, f, 258-5) (f, f, 74.56, 75.29, f, 78.76);
3. Daniel Haugh (unat) 253-6 (77.28) (f, 252-4, f, 253-6, f, f) (f, 76.93, f, 77.28, f, f);
4. Tanner Berg (unat) 252-4 (76.93) PR
(252-4, 249-7, 237-11, f, 242-4, f) (76.93, 76.07, 72.53, f, 73.86, f);
5. Tyler Williams (GarS) 252-1 (76.84)
(246-5, 243-6, 245-4, 241-6, 245-6, 252-1) (75.10, 74.23, 74.78, 73.60, 74.82, 76.84);
6. Tarik O’Hagan (OleMiss) 251-1 (76.54)
(241-6, 244-11, 251-1, 248-8, 251-1, f) (73.60, 74.66, 76.53, 75.81, 76.54, f);
7. Justin Stafford (TrSBay) 250-5 (76.33)
(245-2, 246-8, 250-5, f, 235-0, f) (74.74, 75.19, 76.33, f, 71.63, f);
8. Jordan Geist (IronW) 245-3 (74.77)
(245-3, f, 239-8, 235-6, 243-8, f) (74.77, f, 73.06, 71.78, 74.29, f);
9. Alex Young (unat) 243-10 (74.32); 10. Texas Tanner (AF) 240-11 (73.43); 11. Kieran McKeag (unat) 240-6 (73.31); 12. Rory Devaney (SLO) 237-9 (72.48); 13. Isaiah Rogers (T1D) 234-3 (71.41); 14. Kade McCall (unat) 232-7 (70.89); 15. Kristofer Emig (UCLA) 217-10 (66.40); 16. Daniel Reynolds (Wy) 212-8 (64.83).
