World Athletics Championships: how much do the hammer, discus & shot weigh? What are the world records?

The European city of Budapest in Hungary hosts the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which run from 19 to 27 August.

Away from the track, the field events will include three disciplines in which strength, balance and timing take precedence over speed and endurance: the hammer throw, the discus throw and the shot put. The competition format in these events is the same for women and men: a first qualifying phase and, finally, the final. However, the weight of the discus, hammer and shot does vary.

Hammer throw

The circle from which the hammer is thrown is 2.135m in diameter, and is made of cement or some similar surface, always installed inside a safety cage protected with nets. The hammer, a metal ball connected by a cable to a handle, weighs 7.26kg for men and 4kg for women.

Men’s world record: Yuriy Sedykh (86.74m), set in 1986.

Women’s world record: Anita Włodarczyk (82.98m), set in 2016.

Discus throw

Athletes must spin in a 2.5m-diameter circle and rely on rotational energy to throw the discus. This circular object is 2kg for men, and 1kg for women.

Men’s world record: Jürgen Schult (74.08m), set in 1986.

Women’s world record: Gabriele Reinsch (76.80m), set in 1988.

Shot put

In this event, a metal ball known as a shot is thrown with one hand. For men, it weighs 7.26kg; in the women’s competition, it is 4kg.

Men’s world record: Ryan Crouser (23.37m), set in 2021.

Women’s world record: Natalya Lisovskaya (22.63m), set in 1987.