Hammer Throw, Men

Since the late 1890s, the hammer throw had been dominated by the Irish-born American John Flanagan. He had won three Olympic gold medals (1900, 1904, 1908), won seven AAU Championships (1897-99, 1901-02, 1906-07), and set 15 world records. But since 1907 he had had competition from American Matt McGrath, who had finished second to Flanagan at the 1908 Olympics.

McGrath had one of the longest careers of any track & field athlete ever. He finished second in the 1907 AAU Meet, and last competed in that meet in 1928, finishing fifth at 48 years old. He competed in the Olympic hammer throw four times - 1908 (2nd), 1912 (1st), 1920 (5th), and 1924 (2nd). He set two world records, one in 1907 and one in 1911. At Stockholm, McGrath was absolutely dominant. He won the event with 54.74, a margin of 6.35 metres over Canada’s Duncan Gillis. McGrath had four measured throws, the shortest of which was 4.44 metres longer than Gillis’s best mark.