Katzberg captures 5th straight hammer throw win of season, topping 80 metres in Norway

Doug Harrison · CBC Sports

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 4:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Ethan Katzberg wasn't a exemplary of consistency Wednesday, but helium lone needed 1 beardown propulsion to triumph his 5th consecutive men's hammer propulsion contention to commencement the 2025 season.

The reigning satellite and Olympic champion from Nanaimo, B.C., was the lone jock successful the tract of 7 to surpass 80 metres, throwing 80.19 successful his 3rd of six attempts astatine the Bislett Games Diamond League way and tract conscionable successful Oslo, Norway.

Katzberg, 23, came adjacent to the 81.92 conscionable grounds by 36-year-old Wojciech Nowicki of Poland who was seventh (72.65) connected a mostly sunny Wednesday astatine Bislett Stadium, wherever the somesthesia reached 17 C.

"I deliberation I had a bully result, possibly could person [had] a small more," said Katzberg. "I person been implicit present successful Europe for a portion now, truthful this is my past contention present and I americium returning home."

Katzberg, who was 3rd successful Oslo 2 years ago, arrived astatine the stadium Wednesday caller disconnected an 80.15 show astatine the June 3 Trond Mohn Games successful Norway.

On May 31, the world's top-ranked men's hammer thrower was victorious astatine the Kip Keino Classic successful Nairobi, Kenya, delivering a season-best and world-leading 82.73.

WATCH | Katzberg wins Kip Keino rubric successful Nairobi:

Ukraine's Mykhalo Kokhan made is simply a adjacent contention Wednesday with a 79.95 last propulsion for second, aft the Canadian's 79.74 effort.

"I managed to propulsion astir 80 metres, but still, I was missing that 5 centimetres and it is lone 79, truthful I cannot beryllium ace satisfied with my result," Kokhan said aft his 5th lawsuit of the season. "I had to commencement the sixth effort faster and it was a close decision.

'All-or-nothing day'

Hometown favourite Thomas Mardal fouled 4 times but began his time with a personal-best propulsion of 78.25 to spot third.

"Today was an all-or-nothing benignant of day," helium said. "I person been consistently throwing implicit 77 metres this season, truthful I person been looking for 78 and I emotion throwing astatine Bislett [Stadium].

"It was peculiar for maine arsenic I had my dada and woman here. At the extremity of the period I anticipation to correspond Norway astatine the European Team Champs and aft that it is each eyes connected Tokyo [and the Sept. 13-21 worlds]."

Hammer propulsion is not contested regularly connected the Diamond League nonrecreational circuit, truthful athletes bash not accumulate points toward qualifying for the Diamond League Final successful precocious August.

Katzberg admitted to feeling "a small drained" but inactive worked hard for a bully result.

"Technically, it could person been a small much today," helium said, "but it is what it is and I americium going location to hole for the remainder of the season."

Katzberg opened Wednesday astatine 76.17 and past fouled earlier eclipsing 80 metres. He threw 77.33 connected his 4th effort and hasn't thrown 76- and 77-low since aboriginal successful the 2023 campaign. Katzberg besides fouled connected his 5th try.

Last August successful Paris, Katzberg became Canada's archetypal Olympic hammer propulsion champion and earned the country's archetypal medal successful the lawsuit since 1912.

At 22, helium was the youngest-ever Summer Games hammer golden medallist. His winning propulsion of 84.12 was 26 cm abbreviated of the nationalist and country (North and Central America and Caribbean) people of 84.38 helium deed successful April 2024 astatine a conscionable successful Nairobi.

A twelvemonth earlier, Katzberg was the archetypal Canadian to triumph a satellite rubric successful hammer throw, a fewer days up of teammate Camryn Rogers's triumph successful the women's lawsuit successful Budapest, Hungary.

Next for Katzberg is the July 5 Prefontaine Classic successful Eugene, Ore.

Keynan Olympic runner barred for suspected doping

Kenya's Benard Kibet Koech, who finished 5th successful the men's 10,000-metre last astatine the Paris Olympics past summer, has been provisionally suspended for suspected doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Wednesday.

The jock has been notified of a complaint relating to irregularities successful his jock biologic passport, the AIU said.

The biologic passport tin observe imaginable irregularities successful humor values assessed implicit clip without an jock investigating affirmative for a banned substance.

The 25-year-old long-distance runner was suspected of utilizing a banned substance oregon method, the AIU said.