Hammer throw at the World Athletics Championships
The hammer throw at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men since the inaugural edition in 1983, and by women since 1999. The competition format typically has one qualifying round contested by two groups of athletes, with all those clearing the automatic qualifying distance or placing in top twelve overall advancing to the final round.
Poland is by far and away the most successful nation in the event, with 20 medals in total, 11 of them gold. They are the most successful nation in the men's event, as well as the women's event. Canada is the only nation aside from Poland that has won a gold medal in both the men's and the women's event.
Paweł Fajdek is the most successful athlete in the event, winning 5 gold medals in a row between 2013 and 2022. His 5 gold medals are the second-most for any athlete in a single individual event, a feat only bettered by Sergey Bubka in the pole vault. Anita Włodarczyk is the most successful woman, winning 4 gold medals between 2009 and 2017. Yipsi Moreno is the only other athlete besides Fajdek and Włodarczyk to have won more than 2 gold medals in the event.
The championship records for the event are 84.70 m for men, set by Ethan Katzberg in 2025, and 80.85 m for women, set by Włodarczyk in 2015.
Włodarczyk is the only athlete to have broken the world record at the championships, doing so in 2009.
The reigning world champions are Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, both from Canada.
Age records
- All information from World Athletics.
Championship record progression
Men
1Subsequently disqualified after failing a doping testWomen
1Subsequently disqualified after failing a doping test.Best performances
Top ten furthest World Championship throws1
| Rank | Distance | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 84.70 m | Ethan Katzberg | 2025 | 2025-09-16 | |
| 2 | 83.63 m | Ivan Tsikhan | 2007 | 2007-08-27 | |
| 3 | 83.38 m | Szymon Ziółkowski | 2001 | 2001-08-05 | |
| 4 | 83.07 m | Sergey Litvinov | 1987 | 1987-09-01 | |
| 5 | 83.05 m | Ivan Tsikhan | 2003 | 2003-08-25 | |
| 6 | 82.92 m | Koji Murofushi | 2001 | 2001-08-05 | |
| 7 | 82.77 m | Merlin Hummel | 2025 | 2025-09-16 | |
| 8 | 82.69 m | Bence Halász | 2025 | 2025-09-16 | |
| 9 | 82.68 m | Sergey Litvinov | 1983 | 1983-08-09 | |
| 10 | 82.60 m | Vadim Devyatovskiy | 2005 | 2005-08-08 |
| Rank | Distance | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 80.85 m | Anita Włodarczyk | 2015 | 2015-08-27 | |
| 2 | 80.51 m | Camryn Rogers | 2025 | 2025-09-15 | |
| 3 | 78.96 m | Brooke Andersen | 2022 | 2022-07-17 | |
| 4 | 78.46 m | Anita Włodarczyk | 2013 | 2013-08-16 | |
| 5 | 77.96 m | Anita Włodarczyk | 2009 | 2009-08-22 | |
| 6 | 77.90 m | Anita Włodarczyk | 2017 | 2017-08-07 | |
| 7 | 77.60 m | Zhao Jie | 2025 | 2025-09-15 | |
| 8 | 77.54 m | DeAnna Price | 2019 | 2019-09-28 | |
| 9 | 77.52 m | Camryn Rogers | 2025Q | 2025-09-15 | |
| 10 | 77.22 m | Camryn Rogers | 2023 | 2023-08-24 |
1Does not include ancillary marks