DyeStat.com – News – Brooke Andersen, Rudy Winkler Both Surpass 80-Meter Mark With Pair of World-Leading Hammer Efforts at USATF Throws Festival

Andersen becomes third female athlete in history to eclipse barrier, Winkler surpasses mark for first time since 2021 Olympic Trials; Carbin, Cunningham, Malone, Mitton, Perez, Rose, Thompson and Walsh also victorious in Tucson

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Crash Kamon

TUCSON, Ariz. – Brooke Andersen has seen the mark in practice.

The Northern Arizona graduate watched DeAnna Price eclipse the barrier at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.

And the Nike professional athlete has produced a foul in competition so impressive that it would have surpassed the mark, had it been ruled a fair throw.

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But the reigning women’s hammer throw World champion finally enjoyed her official moment Saturday and celebrated with veteran coach Nathan Ott at the USATF Throws Festival, becoming only the third female athlete in history to produce an 80-meter performance with her global-leading effort of 263 feet (80.17m) in the third round at the University of Arizona’s Roy P. Drachman Stadium.

Andersen joined Price – the American record holder at 263-6 (80.31m) – and Polish legend Anita Wlodarczyk, the world record holder at 272-3 (82.98m), among the 80-meter competitors, improving on her previous-best 261-10 (79.80m) from April 20 at the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville.

Wlodarczyk has 17 all-time 80-meter throws, with Andersen and Price achieving one apiece.

Janee’ Kassanavoid, last year’s USATF Throws Festival winner in Tucson and the reigning World bronze medalist, was second with a mark of 251-3 (76.60m) and fellow American Annette Echikunwoke took third at 246 feet (75.00m).

Andersen’s achievement came after American men’s hammer throw record holder Rudy Winkler surpassed the 80-meter mark for the first time since the 2021 Olympic Trials with his world-leading 265-4 (80.88m) effort, also in the third round.

Winkler, who achieved the U.S. all-time throw of 271-4 (82.71m) at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., had only surpassed the 79-meter mark twice in competition in the past two years, before Saturday.

Diego Alan del Real Galindo, the Mexican national record holder, was second at 256-1 (78.05m) and former Georgia All-American and NCAA champion Denzel Comenentia took third, improving on his own Dutch all-time mark with a sixth-round effort of 255-11 (78.01m).

Comenentia began fall training with Kibwe Johnson, the No. 4 all-time American athlete at 263-6 (80.31m), and enjoyed an improvement for the first time…