Scottish hammer throw

File:Scottish hammer throw illustration.jpg

Scottish hammer throw illustration from Frank R. Stockton's book Round-about Rambles in Lands of Fact and Fancy.

Scottish hammer throw is a traditional throwing event derived from ancient Scottish Highland games. It involves heaving of an implement consisting of a wooden handle with a spherical weight attached to one end of it as far as possible.

History, implement and technique

The event dates back centuries and is regarded the precursor to the modern track and field Hammer throw seen at Olympic games. However, the traditional Scottish hammer throw has distinct differences in both the implement and the technique.

The implement consists of a metal sphere weighing Template:Convert or Template:Convert for men, and Template:Convert or Template:Convert for women, which is attached to the end of a shaft about 4 feet (1.2 metres) long made primarily of wood or occasionally bamboo, rattan or plastic.

With their back facing the field and feet in a fixed position, competitors whirl the hammer around their head once, twice or thrice and throw it over the shoulder, twisting the upper body nearly 180 degrees. Hammer throwers sometimes employ specially designed footwear with flat blades to dig into the turf to maintain their balance and resist the centrifugal forces of the implement as they whirl it. This substantially increases the attainable distance and is allowed by all Highland games federations.

World records

• Template:Convert light hammer for Template:Convert by Daniel McKim Template:Flagicon (2014 Utah Highland Games)
• Template:Convert heavy hammer for Template:Convert by Daniel McKim Template:Flagicon (2014 Utah Highland Games)

→ Holding both records, McKim arguably is the greatest of all time at this event. Some other all-time greats who have held both records are Matt Sandford, Stephen King and Bill Anderson.

Progression of the world records

7.3 kg (16 lb) light hammer

Distance	Holder	Year	Location
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Bill Anderson	1969	Lochearnhead, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Bruce Aitken	1997	Pitlochry, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Stephen King	1998	Inverary, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Matt Sandford	1998	Halkirk, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Matt Sandford	1999	Estes Park, Colorado, USA
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Bruce Aitken	2000	Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Daniel McKim	2014	Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

10 kg (22 lb) heavy hammer

Distance	Holder	Year	Location
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Bill Anderson	1969	Crieff, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Grant Anderson	1983	Santa Rosa, California, USA
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Stephen King	1998	Inverary, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Matt Sandford	1998	Halkirk, Scotland
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Daniel McKim	2014	New Mexico, USA
Template:Convert	Template:Flagicon Daniel McKim	2014	Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

See also

• Hammer throw