By Romaine Soh
Despite facing off against previous Olympians such as A.G. Kruger and Kibwe Johnson in the hammer throw finals Wednesday at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials, Cornell junior Rudy Winkler overcame the odds and improved his PR by almost 13 feet to clinch his first national title on Wednesday evening.
“Winning is really surreal,” said the 2016 NCAA runner-up. “I was really nervous my first couple throws.”
However, the 21-year-old’s winning throw of 251 feet, 10 inches was not enough to gain an official spot on the Rio-bound team. Going into the meet, no one had met the Olympic standard of 252-7 1/2, and this was their last chance to do so.
“I still feel like I have more,” said Winkler, whose throw ranks him 28th worldwide. “I think I could’ve thrown further. I was really hoping to get the Olympic standard so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting an invitation.”
Johnson had to settle for the silver with a season’s best of 246-5. Conor McCullough was third with a throw of 243-4.
“I did think I had it in there,” said Johnson, who started his season three months late because he broke his right hand during practice. “It’s a bit frustrating.”
Johnson’s mark of 252-5 set last year ranks him 23rd in the world. Only 22 have qualified for the hammer throw, and he may have a chance to be extended an invitation if the field does not fill up.
For the first time, the hammer throw was contested in the infield, allowing the audience in the grandstand to watch instead of heading over to a secluded field right outside of Hayward Field.
“Biggest crowd I’ve thrown in front of,” said Winkler.
With the help of Tracktown USA president Vin Lananna and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Lance Deal, a special cage was built for this historic moment. An almost-full west grandstand, along with fans sitting on benches placed on the track to watch the action up close, cheered on the contestants as the hammer throws took center stage on day six of the trials, with nothing else to distract the audience. This was the only day that admission was free to the public, along with free live streaming on the NBC Olympics channel.
“Lance is an architect,” said Johnson. “It’s an art how he’s put it together without compromising visibility from the fans’ perspective.”
Deal said that the biggest logistical challenge of creating the hammer throw cage was making it easily removable, highlighting the engineering of the ballasts and setting it up. Now that the hammer throw has explored new horizons, he hopes that it will be contested on the infield again so that the cage will be put to good use.
“I hope it’s not going to sit in my backyard,” said Deal with a chuckle.
Just across the fence, people in the fan zone could watch the action picnic-style while enjoying a beer. Johnson believes that adding the festival vibe to the event is a step towards making the hammer throw a more visible event.
“The laborers are always fascinated by the event,” said Johnson. “Make it fun for everyone.”
He cited other countries, including Germany, which he said has done a stellar job of marketing the hammer throw by combining it with beer and bratwurst, two of the Germans’ favorite things. After Wednesday, he believes that the U.S. is already one step closer to achieving that goal – except for the sausages.
“Burgers, maybe?” said Johnson.
