PARIS — Ethan Katzberg experienced an unforgettable moment Sunday — and made history in the process.
Katzberg, from Nanaimo, B.C., won the gold medal in the men's hammer throw at the Paris Olympics with a dominating performance.
He became the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the event since Duncan Gillis earned silver at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Con Walsh is the only other Canadian to reach the podium with bronze at the 1908 London Olympics.
"I can call myself an Olympic champion for the rest of my life and that's a really special moment and I'll always remember this day," Katzberg said. "It was incredible."
Katzberg opened with a throw of 84.12 metres at Stade de France and was not challenged throughout the rest of the competition. He also had the second-best throw at 82.28 metres, with no other competitor reaching the 80-metre mark.
That was all part of the plan according to Katzberg's coach Dylan Armstrong, a 2008 Olympic men's shot put bronze medallist from Kamloops, B.C.
"Before coming in here I told him … he knows he can throw that far and I told him to try and take control right away so that everyone may tense up a bit and I think they did, obviously," Armstrong said.
"So when someone throws 84 metres, people start to think 'who's gonna come second or third now.' But that was the plan, come in and take control and he did and he executed very, very well."
Katzberg said the winning strategy helped ease his mind.
"A bit of a cushion at 84 felt good but there's definitely nerves still, anything can happen," he said. "It's the Olympics, this is the event that they get the most ready for, everybody's at their best.
"I still tried to improve my mark after that 84."
The 22-year-old has gone from being a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in 2022 to world champion in 2023 and now Olympic champion. He also became the first and only Canadian to ever medal and win a world title in the event.
"The progress has been — there's no word for it," Armstrong said.
Katzberg, however, was quick to credit Armstrong for his success.
"I gotta give a lot of thanks to my prep man over there, Dylan Armstrong," Katzberg said. "He got me ready for this and we prepared for this for a whole year. It was the only thing we were thinking about and to be able to throw 84 and bring home the gold, that felt really good."
Bence Halasz of Hungary took silver at 79.97 metres and Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine threw 79.39 metres to earn bronze.
Rowan Hamilton of Chilliwack, B.C., who was second behind Katzberg in qualifying, finished ninth at 76.59 metres. It was the first time two Canadians were in an Olympic men's hammer throw final.
"It was very exciting," Hamilton said of the feat. "Just seeing the two of us making the final together, it's definitely a memory that I'll hold close with me for a long time."
Having missed the Olympic record of 84.80 and owning a personal best of 84.38, Katzberg faced questions about whether he could one day knock down the world record of 86.74 by the Soviet Union's Yuriy Sedykh in 1986.
"For me, I'm just looking at my results and just continuing to grow," Katzberg said. "I don't know what it feels like to throw 86 metres. I've gotta keep training, I've gotta keep my head down and focusing on improving."
One person who does think Katzberg can reach the 86-metre mark is Kokhan.
"A bronze medal, not what I wanted about the result, but I’m super satisfied with the medal," Kokhan said. "Eighty metres, during the season a lot of times, but here … a lot of people couldn’t throw over 80. Only Ethan — probably he could throw 86 metres.”
While only time will tell if he reaches the world record one day considering how young he is, one thing for certain to Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert is how special Katzberg is.
"He's a rare breed, definitely," Gilbert said. "Dylan has always said he hasn't even grown into himself yet so you can only expect a lot more from this kid."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press