Image credit: Canadian Press

By Marty Hastings

OLYMPIC FAVOURITE

Weekend wins in Slovakia, Germany, France for country-hopping Katzberg

May 26, 2024 | 11:59 AM

Forbach, France — Ethan Katzberg of the Kamloops Track and Field Club is having his way in international competition.

The reigning world champion in men’s hammer throw won three World Athletics Continental Tour events this weekend, claiming gold on Friday (May 24) in Slovakia, Saturday (May 25) in Germany and Sunday (May 26) in France.

Katzberg capped the weekend with a throw of 80.12m to finish atop the podium at the Meeting International de Forbach on Sunday in Forbach, France.

Yann Chaussinand (79.31m) of France snared silver.

Katzberg placed first at the Hallesche Werfertage on Saturday in Halle, Germany, with a throw of 80.10m.

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Merlin Hummel of Germany placed second, with a mark of 78.11m.

The 22-year-old Nanaimo product Katzberg heaved the implement 79.66m on Friday at the P-T-S- Meeting in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, finishing nearly four metres ahead of silver-medallist Volodymyr Myslyvcuk (75.97m) of Czechia.

Katzberg won gold at Trond Mohn Games on Wednesday in Norway and placed first at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial last weekend in Poland.

He dismantled his own Canadian record and posted the ninth-longest heave in the history of men’s hammer throw last month at an event in Kenya, with a throw of 84.38m.

The 2024 Olympics are slated to run from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris.

Yuriy Sedykh of the then-Soviet Union holds the men’s hammer throw world record of 86.74m, which he set in 1986.