It was a moment to remember in Paris for one Chilliwack Olympian.
Day 10 of the Olympic Summer Games saw Chilliwack’s Rowan Hamilton take part in the men’s hammer throw final on Sunday (Aug. 4) morning where, despite a valiant effort, he was unable to match his form from the qualifiers.
The 24-year-old opened up the final round with an admirable 76.59-metre toss – just one metre shy of his qualifying mark – before fouling his next two shots, finishing ninth and failing to advance to the final throws.
Despite the result, his first Olympic Games were the culmination of a wildly successful year for Hamilton who, competing in his final year of collegiate eligibility, secured the NCAA National Title for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears.
The other Canadian in the event was current world champion Ethan Kaztberg of Nanaimo. Katzberg came into the finals carrying over his qualifying form, opening with a 84.12-metre throw – over four metres clear of the rest of the field.
He failed to set a mark in four of his five remaining throws, but easily secured the gold medal as the only athlete to clear the 80-metre mark in the event. With the victory, the 21-year-old is becomes Canada’s first ever gold medalist in a throwing event.
Hamilton was one of three Chilliwack athletes competing at this year's Olympic Summer Games with Zachary Clay (men's artistic gymnastics) and Jordyn Huitema (soccer) both in Paris. Clay helped the Canadian team to an eighth place finish in the team final while Huitema – as a member of the Canadian women's soccer team – helped them to an appearance in the quarter-final where they lost to Germany.
Watch the Chilliwack Progress for ongoing coverage of our local athletes competing in Paris.
