Cal's Rowan Hamilton Produces Lifetime-Best Mark, Advances in Olympic Hammer

He records the second-best throw in Friday's qualifying round, behind only fellow Canadian Ethan Katzberg

Rowan Hamilton / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Updated

Rowan Hamilton, who won an NCAA title this spring after transferring to Cal, delivered the best throw of his life Friday to qualify for the finals of the men’s hammer throw at the Paris Olympics.

Hamilton, 24, threw 255 feet, 2 inches (77.78 meters) on his third and final attempt of qualifying to post the best mark among 16 competitors in Group A. That mark topped the automatic standard to qualify for Sunday’s 11:30 a.m. PDT final.

Ranked 19th on the 2024 world list entering the Games, Hamilton actually had the second-best mark of the two qualifying groups. Leading the way was Canadian teammate and reigning world champion Ethan Katzberg, 22, who threw 262-3 (79.93 meters) on his second attempt and called it a day.

A transfer this year from the University of British Columbia, where he won three NAIA national collegiate titles, Hamilton eclipsed his previous best throw of 253-2 (77.18 meters), his winning mark at the NCAAs at Eugene, Ore., in June. 

He threw 252-6 (76.97 meters) on his first attempt Friday before fouling on his second try.

Hamilton was among just five throwers who met the automatic qualifying mark of 77.00 meters, but many of the top competitors threw just once or twice before retiring because they knew they were safe to earn a spot in the Sunday finals.

Katzberg remains the overwhelming favorite. His personal best throw of 276-10 (84.38) is the 2024 world-leading mark by more than 9 feet and elevated him to No. 9 on the all-time chart.

Former Cal star Camryn Rogers is favored to give Canada a gold medalist in the women's hammer throw, which gets under way with qualifying on Sunday.

Caisa-Marie Lindfors, Sweden: The 23-year-old, who competed for Cal this past season after transferring from Florida, was eliminated after finishing 12th in her qualifying group and 27th overall among 32 entries.

Runnerup at the Swedish trials, Lindfors threw 194-6 (56.82 meters) on her final attempt but was 11 feet shy of matching the mark she needed to reach Monday’s finals. She threw 186-5 (56.82) on her first attempt before fouling on her second.

Lindfors, who was 10th at the European Championships this year, has a lifetime best of 205-0 (62.48)

The day’s top qualifier was USA’s gold-medal favorite and defending Olympic champion Valerie Allman, a 29-year-old Stanford grad. Allman threw 228-3 (69.59) on her only attempt.