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WorldNet Service Installation Disk - Cybercathlon Games and Interactive Tour of Olympic Museum (1996).ISO
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00831_Field_st8.txt.txt
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1996-06-03
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Despite its name, the hammer
bears no resemblance to any tool
used for driving nails into wood. It
is a metal ball, similar to the shot,
which is attached to a 4' long thick
wire with a loop grip at its end.
The total weight of ball and wire is
16 lbs. The hammer is thrown
from a circle -- the thrower holds
the grip with both hands, spins
around and releases.
The hammer is another Olympic
event whose roots are found not
in ancient Greece, but in Celtic
games played in the British Isles.
Irish-born American immigrant John
Flanagan is considered the father
of the modern hammer throw. He
won Gold in the event in 1900,
1904 and 1908, and raised the
distance record for a throw from
under 146' to nearly 185' in 15
years. Until Al Oerter won the
discus event 4 consecutive times,
Flanagan was the only Olympic
athlete to win three successive
Golds in an athletic event.
Only men participate in the
hammer. In recent years, Eastern
Europeans and the Soviets have
come to dominate the hammer
throw.