World T&F Championships: Camryn Rogers Breezes into Hammer Throw Finals

The three-time NCAA champion poised for a podium finish on Sunday.

It took Camryn Rogers just one throw on Friday morning to advance to the finals of women’s hammer throw at the World Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Rogers threw 241 feet, 8 inches (73.67 meters) in the first round of the prelims to exceed the automatic qualifying mark of 73.50 meters, and her work was done.

The Cal star, who won her third straight NCAA title this spring in her final collegiate outdoor season, will compete in Sunday’s finals, beginning at 11:35 a.m.

"We wanted to go and get the auto-qualify immediately to conserve energy for Sunday," Rogers' personal coach and Cal assistant Mo Saatara told Calbears.com. "Our training all year has been building to this championship. We drew from all of our experiences and arranged everything accordingly to be ready to perform on the world stage."

Rogers finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics last summer and is projected by Track and Field News to finish third at this meet, the first time the Worlds have been staged in the United States.

A 23-year-old from B.C., Canada, Rogers ranks No. 4 on the 2022 world leaders list with a season and career best of 254-10 (77.67), which is her collegiate record.

Because reigning Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk was injured last month and won’t compete at Eugene, only two other throwers entered here have better marks than Rogers.

Camryn Rogers / Facebook

Americans Brooke Andersen and Janee’ Kassanavoid, who rank Nos. 1 and 3 in the world this season, also both moved through Friday’s qualifying round. Andersen threw 244-0 (74.37) and Kassanavoid went 244-3 (74.46).

The biggest surprise in the prelims came from Poland’s Malwina Kopron, who was tabbed to finish second by Track and Field News but failed to qualify after throwing just 231-3 (70.50).

The top 12 throwers in the prelims advanced to the final. Marks from Friday do not carry over to Sunday.

Cover photo of Camryn Rogers courtesy of Shari Rogers

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo