Anita Wlodarczyk erased all doubt. After winning gold in the 2016 Summer Olympics, she is the greatest hammer thrower the world has ever seen.
Olympics 2016: Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk wins gold medal in women’s hammer throw
The Polish powerhouse destroyed the competition with a world record throw on Monday morning.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Wlodarczyk, the only woman to break the 80-meter barrier in the throw, bested her own world record on Monday, blasting an 82.29-meter toss to easily take the top spot in Rio de Janeiro. Her next-closest competition, China’s Zhang Wenxiu, was nearly six meters behind with a best throw of 76.75m. Great Britain’s Sophie Hitchon claimed bronze at 74.54 meters.
Amber Campbell, the event’s highest-ranking American, had to settle for sixth place.
The win was the ultimate validation for Wlodarczyk. The Polish athlete had won World Championship gold in 2009 and 2015, but her best result at the Games was a silver medal finish in 2012. Now, she’s finally got the hardware to go with her litany of incomparable distances in the hammer throw.
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