The Warm Up Track 2025: How Ethan Katzberg won Olympic Hammer gold

Ethan Katzberg won Olympic Hammer gold in Paris. He was already the World champion and, at the age of just 23, his dominance of the event has led to him being nicknamed ‘Canadian Thor’.

He describes in depth how he discovered hammer throwing, and how success came with some difficult decisions along the way – like telling his parents he was dropping out of college.

He takes us back to the final in Paris, where he led from the first round. Did that ease the pressure on him, or add to it?

We also discuss the mechanics of throwing the hammer, and just how wrong it can go; Ethan’s first experience of a global championship was at the World under-20s in 2021, where he failed to register a distance. He takes us back to that final where he ended up with ‘no mark’ against his name and explains the lessons it taught him.

Ethan can throw the Hammer out beyond 84m, but the event’s world record is more than 86m and was set in 1986, during the era of the Soviet Union. Does Ethan think that record is casting a shadow over the sport and just how hard will it be to break it?

We also discuss the future of the Commonwealth Games as a global sporting event. For Ethan, his 2022 Commonwealth silver was his first major senior medal and he believes that the Games still have a key role to play.

Photo: Ethan Katzberg of Team Canada reacts during Men's Hammer Throw Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)