The World Athletics Championships 2023 will be held in Budapest from August 19 to 27.
The following are the top three contenders for the gold medal in the men’s hammer throw event.
Wojciech Nowicki (Poland)
Wojciech Nowicki is the current Olympic champion and won the silver medal in the 2022 Oregon World Championship.
The Polish has won three bronze and one silver at the Worlds and is primed to win his first gold in the event.
He registered his personal best of 82.52m at Tokyo Olympics.
He enters the event with a world-leading throw of 81.92m, recorded in the Oslo Diamond League, to finish with a gold there.
PB - 82.52m Tokyo Olympics August 4, 2021
SB - 81.92m Oslo Diamond League June 15, 2023
Pawel Fajdek (Poland)
FILE PHOTO: Pawel Fajdek of Poland. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Pawel Fajdek of Poland is regarded as an all-time great in his sport.
The five-time world champion is eyeing his sixth gold in succession in Budapest.
He also holds the National record. His 83.93 throw in 2015 was the best throw of the last decade.
However, as he ages, the Pole will need to catch up to the rest of the field, as he only managed a 78.10m throw this season.
PB - 83.93 Wieslaw Maniak Municipal Athletic Stadium, Szczecin (POL) August 9, 2015
SB - 78.10 Stadion im.Lubuskich Olimpijczyków, Gorzów Wielkopolski (POL) July 28, 2023
Rudy Winkler (USA)
FILE PHOTO: Rudy Winkler of United States. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
USA’s Rudy Winkler is the current world no. 2 and has the second-best throw in the world-leading list (80.88m).
After recording a staggering throw of 82.71m at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon in 2021, Winkler failed to repeat that performance at the Tokyo Olympics and could only manage a seventh-place finish.
His 78.99m in the 2022 World Championship at his home ground failed to put him in the top five, but the American has all the strength and skill to better his record on the world’s biggest stage.
PB - 82.71m Hayward Field, Eugene, OR (USA) June 20, 2021
SB - 80.88 Univ. of Arizona Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, AZ (USA) May 20, 2023
Mykhaylo Kokhan (Ukraine) - Dark Horse
FILE PHOTO: Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan will be eager to get a podium finish after his multiple top-eight finishes at the Worlds and Olympics.
The 22-year-old came very close to a podium finish but missed the bronze medal and finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
He enters the event with a season-best of 79.37m.
PB - 80.78 Bregyo Athletic Center, Szekesfehervar (HUN) July 5, 2021
SB - 79.37m Bregyo Athletic Center, Szekesfehervar (HUN) July 18, 2023
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