European champion Wojciech Nowicki became the second Polish hammer thrower to win Olympic gold in two days on an all-European podium in Tokyo on Wednesday (4).
The bronze medallist from Rio 2016 threw a lifetime best of 82.52m, but his three longest efforts would all have secured the title. The 32-year-old’s success followed the remarkable achievement of teammate Anita Wlodarczyk, who became the first female athlete to win three successive Olympic gold medals in the same event on Tuesday.
Their compatriot Pawel Fajdek - the four-time world champion who Nowicki beat for victory in Berlin in 2018 - threw below his typical standard and took bronze with 81.53m. Capitalising just five centimetres ahead of him for a surprise silver was Norway's Eivind Henriksen, who thrillingly improved his personal best by nearly three metres to mark his country's best ever throw and first ever Olympic hammer medal.
Poland had even more reason to be elated when European 800m indoor champion Patryk Dobek - who prior to this season was a 400m hurdler - stayed in touch with the world's best two-lap runners to come through for a brilliant bronze in 1:45.39.
Perhaps only Dobek and his coach would have predicted such a result six months ago. Nowicki beating Fajdek to gold was also unexpected given that the former has won bronze behind him at the last three World Athletics Championships and the latter has just about every title apart from the Olympics, throwing over 83 metres in the process.
But Nowicki opened with intent with 81.18m, two metres better than anyone else in the first round. Next, European U23 champion Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine, replied to his more experienced peers by becoming the second man over 80 metres with 80.39m. But the 20-year-old, who picks up ferocious speed when turning in the circle, then saw Nowicki extend his lead as his strong six-foot-five frame exercised powerful command over the hammer and hurled it out to a lifetime best of 82.52m.
That personal best would prove to be the gloss on his title. Fajdek, who won the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Silesia with 82.98, struggled to find his rhythm. Indeed, he was as far back as fifth before roaring with relief as 81.53m pushed him into second with one more go remaining. After recording three fouls in London 2012 and not reaching the final four years later, Fajdek had finally got it right on the biggest stage of all.
But what followed was perhaps the most stunning moment of all. Norway's Henriksen had come into the final with an 11th-ranked personal best of 78.79m. Having gone over 80 metres for the first time ever in the third round, he used a great combination of velocity and strength to snatch silver with 81.58m in the penultimate round. That significantly improved upon Norway's previous top men's hammer performance which was seventh place at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games. Kokhan was unfortunate to finish fourth as it was only the third time that 80.39m would have ended up outside of the top three at the Games.
While that was going on, the early pace of the men's 800m final kept everyone in contention. Running nearly five abreast coming into the home straight, the clock read 53.76 with one lap to go.
Emmanuel Korir of Kenya and Peter Bol of Australia battled out front as Dobek surged down the back straight. The Pole kept them in sight as he squeezed through on the inside past Botswana’s Nijel Amos, the second-placed finisher in London 2012’s world record-breaking Olympic final.
He next kicked past the tiring Bol and up into second just as Korir sped away in the final 50 metres. Dobek looked ready to celebrate a superb silver just as Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich sneaked past to pip him as the finish line approached. It was a race where times didn't matter as the man who won the European Athletics Indoor Championships in March translated that into an Olympic rostrum in similar fashion to fellow Torun 2021 winner and women's 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson from Great Britain.
Further back, the gutsy Spaniard Adrian Ben dipped to seal fifth place in 1:45.96, but you might not have seen him cross the line in a melee between the two bright yellow vests of fourth-placed Bol and Bosnian Amel Tuka. The latter, who was already his nation's best ever performer in Olympic athletics by making the final - came sixth 0.02 seconds behind the Spaniard.
Elsewhere, the heptathlon and decathlon have both seen sad exits for the reigning world champions. Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson limped away injured after the 200m due to a calf injury before Niklas Kaul crumpled to the track in the 400m. Kaul cleared a lifetime best of 2.11m in the high jump but strained an ankle joint which signalled an end to his chase for an Olympic medal.
Consequently, 2016 European champion Anouk Vetter leads the heptathlon standings with 3968 points after four events. The 28-year-old began the day with a 100m hurdles PB of 13.09, following it up with consistent season’s bests of 1.80m in the high jump and then a huge 15.29m in the shot put.
Reigning champion Nafi Thiam very much remains in contention to retain her title, although she is not the top Belgian overnight. Noor Vidts sits on 3941 points, 20 points ahead of Thiam who is looking to become the first heptathlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1992.
On the men’s side, world decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer is in fifth at the halfway stage, with 382 points his deficit to Canada’s three-time world medallist Damian Warner. Warner, who took bronze behind Mayer’s silver at Rio 2016, was always likely to open up strongly. But he exceeded expectations by racing into an overall lead with a 10.12 100m clocking which equalled the world decathlon best he set at the famous Götzis Hypo-Meeting in 2019. Then, he went on to score 1123 points for an 8.24 mark in the long jump - the best ever in a decathlon at the Olympic Games.
Full results are available here.