Anita Włodarczyk

Anita Włodarczyk

Anita Włodarczyk in Rio 2016
Personal information
Nationality	Polish
Born	(1985-08-08) 8 August 1985 (age 31) Rawicz, Poland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Hammer throw
Club	Skra Warsaw
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Poland Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 2 1 0 European Championships 3 0 1 Continental Cup 0 0 0 European Team Championships 2 1 0 Total 8 3 1 Olympic Games 2012 London Hammer throw 2016 Rio de Janeiro Hammer throw World Championships 2009 Berlin Hammer throw 2015 Beijing Hammer throw 2013 Moscow Hammer throw European Championships 2012 Helsinki Hammer throw 2014 Zürich Hammer throw 2016 Amsterdam Hammer throw 2010 Barcelona Hammer throw European Team Championships 2009 Leiria Hammer throw 2015 Cheboksary Hammer throw 2013 Gateshead Hammer throw European Cup Winter Throwing 2008 Split Hammer throws 2009 Split Hammer throw Jeux de la Francophonie 2013 Nice Hammer throw

Anita Włodarczyk (Polish pronunciation: [aˈnita vwɔˈdart͡ʂɨk]; born 8 August 1985) is a Polish hammer thrower. She is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion and the first woman in history to throw the hammer over 80 m; she currently holds the women's world record of 82.98 m. She is considered the greatest women’s hammer thrower of all time.

Włodarczyk won her first national U23 championships in 2007, and went on to compete in the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships, although she did not progress beyond the qualifying round. She finished sixth in the hammer throw competition at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Włodarczyk qualified for the 2008 World Athletics Final and won a bronze medal. The following year, she took part in the 2009 European Team Championships, winning her first gold medal at a major international competition.

Włodarczyk achieved a personal best throw of 76.20 metres (250.0 ft), achieved on 30 May 2009 in Biała Podlaska, beating her previous record by 81 cm and improve 76.59 m in Golden Spike Ostrava. Prior to the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, she produced a national record-breaking performance in Cottbus, winning the competition with a world-leading 77.20-metre (253.3 ft) throw. This was fourth longest throw by a woman in hammer throw.

On 22 August 2009, during the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany, Włodarczyk set a world record with a throw of 77.96 metres (255 ft 9 in). Her season ended prematurely when she twisted her left ankle during her celebration. Returning to competition at the Meeting Grand Prix IAAF de Dakar in April 2010, she easily won her event with a throw of 75.13 m. She then proceeded to break her existing world record with a 78.30-metre (256.9 ft) hammer throw at the Enea Cup in Bydgoszcz on 6 June 2010. She won the bronze at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and was ranked second overall for the season in the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge, finishing behind Betty Heidler. She finished outside of the medals at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, coming fifth overall.