Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE HAMMER THROW other the spot at which the hammer-head first hit the ground. In r875, however, the length ofthe hammer, complete as thrown, was reduced to 3 ft. 6 ins. and the throwing-space restricted to a 7-ft. circle, which the dthlete was not allowed to leave until the hammer had landed. At one time the diameter of the circle was increased to 9 ft., but was reduced to 7 ft. again shortly afterwards. I believe that the record established in r 892 by the Irish giant Dr W. J. M. Barry for throwing the wooden-shafted hammer from a 7-ft. circle still stands unbroken at 134 ft. 7 ins. The first American Championship, held in r876, was won by W. B.. Curtis at 76 ft. 4 ins., nor was roo ft. beaten until r887. A year later, however, Barry went to America and increa,.sed the record to 129 ft. 7 ins. Then came the great J. S. Mitchell, who held the American title from r889 to r897, recording as his best distance 140 ft. r r ins. Mitchell was succeeded by]. Flanagan, one of the outstanding figures in hammer-throwing history. Born in Limerick, Ireland, in r873, he won the English title in 1896 at 131ft. rr ins., but had improved this to r63 ft. 4 ins. when he took the title again in 1900. He won many Irish and American titles, but was not a particularly big man as hammer– throwers go, for he stood no more than 5 ft. ro ins. He weighed, however, round about r6 stone. In the period 1896 to 1909 he increased the world's record from 147 ft. to r84 ft. 4 ins. He won the Olympic championship in r900, r904, and r908. Of course, by the time Flanagan was achieving vast fame the Americans had invented a pliant metal shaft which made hammer-throwing much easier. Before he emigrated to America Flanagan had thrown with three turns. In America the use of the 7-ft. circle caused him to employ only two. He came up against A. D. Plaw, of California, who beat him using three turns, and for three years Flanagan worked to fit three turns into a 7-ft. circle. Upon doing so he raised the world's record to r8r ft. 4 ins. Matt McGrath was another mighty exponent of this tremendous event. Born in Tipperary in r878, McGrath stood 5 ft. II! ins. and weighed 14 stone 4 lb. when he ~rst entered competition in r 906. Two years later he was placed second to Flanagan in the Olympic championship at r67 ft. r r ins., but when he .won the Olympic title in 1912 at 179ft. 7! ins. his weight had increased to just over r8 stone. Next came another Irish-American Patrick Ryan (Plate LVI, Fig. 183), who was born at Pallasgreen, County Limerick, in r887. He stood 6 ft. 2 ins. and tipped the 4 1 9