Canada’s Ethan Katzberg wins hammer throw gold medal at World Athletics Championships

Hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, B.C., has followed his first Canadian title with a world title.

Katzberg won a gold medal in his World Athletics Championships debut with a throw of 81.25 metres on Sunday, raising his Canadian record to beat 2021 Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki of Poland (81.02) in Budapest, Hungary.

Katzberg’s effort, on his fifth of six attempts, vaulted him into first place to stay ahead of Nowicki and Bence Halász of Hungary (80.82, season best).

On his final try, the 21-year-old Canadian threw 81.11 while Nowicki went 80.36 and Halász didn’t register a mark. 

WATCH | Katzberg wins world gold with Canadian record performance:

Katzberg, who has seven victories in 13 events this season, was fresh off a Canadian-best 81.18 on Saturday to automatically qualify for the final.

He opened Sunday’s competition with a 80.18 effort and followed with 80.02 before fouling on his third attempt. On his fourth try, Katzberg dipped below 80 metres for the first time in Budapest, throwing 79.82.

Before arriving in Hungary, Katzberg had a 78.73 PB from his winning performance on July 29 at the Canadian track and field championships in Langley, B.C.

The six-foot-six, 235-pound athlete has also thrown over 77 metres seven times after averaging 70-72 most of last season.

Katzberg showed a glimpse of his potential last August with a silver medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Adam Keenan of Victoria placed 11th in Sunday’s 12-man field with a best throw of 74.49. On Saturday, the 29-year-old secured the 12th and final berth for the final by 42 centimetres over fellow Canadian Rowan Hamilton of Chilliwack, B.C.

Lyles rules men’s 100m

Noah Lyles captured the 100-metre title, finishing in 9.83 seconds for a victory that reshuffled the deck for next year’s Paris Olympics and cements him as the world’s No. 1 sprinter.

It was a victory that maybe only he and those close to him saw coming. The 200 specialist, who will defend his title in that event later this week, barely qualified for the shorter race after battling with COVID in the leadup to U.S. nationals last month.

WATCH | Lyles clocks 9.83 seconds for 1st senior world 100m title:

Noah Lyles roars to 100m gold at the world championships

The American sprinter ran a 9.83 to tie the fastest 100-metre time of the season.

More recently, he posted on social media he could run 9.65, a thought defending champion Fred Kerley scoffed at, saying if Lyles did that, he’d run faster.

But Kerley didn’t make it out of the semifinal round and Lyles’s closest competition in the final came from Letsile Tebogo, a 20-year-old from Botswana, who finished in 9.873, 1-1,000th of a second ahead of Britain’s Zharnel Hughes.

Running from Lane 6, Lyles overcame a so-so start, and was running in about fourth place at the halfway mark. Everyone ahead of him was to his left, and he powered past them and through the line. His first embrace was with American teammate Christian Coleman, the 2019 champion who finished fifth.

Lyles has been unabashed about the mental-health struggles he’s endured, especially in the post-COVID atmosphere of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He recently signed a deal for a Netflix series to take people behind the scenes of his training — the thought being that the sport, struggling for relevance in the post-Bolt era, needs more time in the limelight.

His latest gambit was the posting of his goals on Instagram. The 9.65 in the 100 is still a fair bit away, but he has a gold medal in the event and matched Hughes for the best time in the world this year. He also listed 19.10 as an aim in the 200, which would break Usain Bolt’s record. The final in that event is set for Friday night.

WATCH | Full coverage of Sunday’s afternoon session from Budapest:

World Athletics Championships Budapest: Day 2 afternoon session

Catch the best track and field athletes in the world compete for a spot on the podium from Budapest, Hungary.