World records in the men's hammer throw have been ratified since 1912 by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. As of 29 April 2026, 45 world records have been ratified in the men's hammer.

The current record belongs to Yuriy Sedykh, set at the 14th European Championship in Stuttgart, Germany on 30 August 1986. It is the longest standing ratified world record by men in athletics.

The first ratified record was by Patrick Ryan, set at the Eccentric Fireman’s Annual Handicap Games in New York, United States on 17 August 1913.

History The current Hammer follows the rules of a 16 English pounds = 7.257 kg hammer and a circle with the diameter of 7 ft (2.135 m)

The 7 ft circle was first introduced in England on 20 April 1874, but during the 1800s in Great Britain and Ireland many times a 9 ft (2.73 m) circle was used in competitions, with some competitions using an unlimited run and follow, so listed marks from those times can be under very different circumstances.

The first listed mark by World Athletics was by Adam Wilson in Hunter's Tryst, Scotland at the Scottish Border Games on 10 May 1828 with a throw of 27.74 m (91 ft) using a 16 lbs wooden-handled hammer.

World Athletics (IAAF) Era Ratified Records Source:

Table key:

DistanceNameNationalityPlaceEventDateNotesPatrick Ryan or New York, United StatesEccentric Fireman’s Annual Handicap GamesAugust 17, 1913While Patrick won his Olympic Medals with the USA, he only emigrated from Ireland in 1910 and wasn't an American citizen till 1916Pat O'CallaghanFermoy, IrelandCork Country ChampionshipAugust 22, 1937The Irish Federation (NCAA) at the time was not an IAAF member so could not be accepted as a WR, along with a smaller circle, heavy hammer and the measurement method used.Erwin BlaskBerlin, GermanyAugust 07, 1938Threw 58.13 twice, The throwing circle was only superimposed on the surface and countersunk, so the result wasn't accepted as a World Record.Karl HeinOsnabrück, GermanyInternationalAugust 21, 1938Erwin BlaskStockholm, SwedenInternational Competition, SWE - GERAugust 27, 1938Imre NémethTata, HungaryNational Pre-Olympic Test MeetingJuly 14, 1948Imre NémethKatowice, PolandInternational Match, POL - HUNSeptember 4, 1949Imre NémethBudapest, HungaryNationalMay 19, 1950József CsermákHelsinki, FinlandOlympic GamesJuly 24, 1952Sverre StrandliOslo, NorwayInternational Match, NOR - FINSeptember 14, 1952Sverre StrandliOslo, NorwayInternationalSeptember 5, 1953Mikhail KrivonosovBern, SwitzerlandEuropean ChampionshipAugust 29, 1954Stanislav NenashevBaku, Soviet UnionLocal Sports MeetingDecember 12, 1954Mikhail KrivonosovWarsaw, PolandWorld Youth GamesAugust 4, 1955Mikhail KrivonosovBelgrade, SFR YugoslaviaInternationalSeptember 19, 1955Mikhail KrivonosovNalchik, Soviet UnionSoviet Springtime ChampionshipApril 25, 1956Cliff BlairNeedham, United StatesNew England AAU Track and Field MeetJuly 04, 1956Never submitted at the IAAF CongressMikhail KrivonosovMinsk, Soviet UnionNationalJuly 8, 1956Hal ConnollyBoston, United StatesAll Comers MeetOctober 03, 1956Approved as an AAU record, never submitted at the IAAF CongressMikhail KrivonosovTashkent, Soviet UnionOlympic TestOctober 22, 1956Olympic Test qualifying round, not subsequenstly ratifiedMikhail KrivonosovTashkent, Soviet UnionOlympic TestOctober 22, 1956Hal ConnollyLos Angeles, United StatesOlympic TestNovember 2, 1956Hal ConnollyBakersfield, United StatesAAU ChampionshipJune 20, 1958Hal ConnollyWalnut, United StatesOlympic TestAugust 12, 1960Hal ConnollyPalo Alto, United StatesInternational Match, USA - URSJuly 21, 1962Hal ConnollyCeres, United StatesCalifornia RelaysMay 29, 1965Hal ConnollyWalnut, United StatesSouth Pacific AAU ChampionshipJune 20, 1965Gyula ZsivótzkyDebrecen, HungaryHungarian Inter-Club ChampionshipSeptember 4, 1965Gyula ZsivótzkyBudapest, HungaryUniversity Meeting of the MAFCSeptember 14, 1968Romuald KlimBudapest, HungaryInternational (Népszava Cup)June 15, 1969Anatoliy BondarchukPiraeus, GreeceEuropean ChampionshipSeptember 20, 1969Anatoliy BondarchukRovno, Soviet UnionLocal Sports MeetingOctober 12, 1969Walter SchmidtLahr, West GermanyNational Open Jubilee Sports Meeting of TV LahrSeptember 4, 1971Reinhard TheimerErfurt, East GermanyDDR (GDR) - Championship Qualifying RoundJuly 4, 1974Aleksei SpiridonovMunich, West GermanyHanns-Braun MemorialSeptember 11, 1974Karl-Hans RiehmRehlingen, West GermanyInternationalMay 19, 1975Karl-Hans RiehmRehlingen, West GermanyInternationalMay 19, 1975Karl-Hans RiehmRehlingen, West GermanyInternationalMay 19, 1975Walter SchmidtFrankfurt, West GermanyThrowers DayAugust 14, 1975Boris ZaichukMoscow, Soviet UnionNationalJuly 9, 1978Karl-Hans RiehmHeidenheim, West GermanyInvitational/Under 23 MatchAugust 6, 1978Yuriy SedykhLeselidse, Soviet UnionNational, Spring GamesMay 16, 1980Jüri TammLeselidse, Soviet UnionNational, Spring GamesMay 16, 1980Yuriy SedykhLeselidse, Soviet UnionNational, Spring GamesMay 16, 1980Sergey LitvinovSochi, Soviet UnionRSFSR/Ukraine - Leningrad/MoskvaMay 24, 1980Yuriy SedykhMoscow, Soviet UnionOlympic GamesJuly 31, 1980Sergey LitvinovMoscow, Soviet UnionArmy ChampionshipJune 4, 1982Sergey LitvinovMoscow, Soviet UnionVIII Peoples Spartakiade of the USSRJune 21, 1983Yuriy SedykhCork, IrelandCork City Sports InternationalJuly 3, 1984Yuriy SedykhTallinn, Soviet UnionInternational Match, URS - GDRJune 22, 1986Yuriy SedykhStuttgart, West GermanyXIV European ChampionshipAugust 30, 1986

Pre-IAAF (World Athletics) Best Marks 1828 - 1912 Sources:

Scottish Border Games records, using 16 lb wooden-handled hammer DistanceNameNationalityPlaceEventDateNotesAdam WilsonHunter’s Tryst, Great Britain & IrelandScottish Border Games May 10, 1828 Robert NevinsEtal, Great Britain & IrelandScottish Border Games October 12, 1836George ScottEtal, Great Britain & IrelandScottish Border Games October 25, 1839 John StevensonEtal, Great Britain & IrelandScottish Border Games October 05, 1841

Amateur records for unlimited run and follow, using 16 lb wooden-handled hammer DistanceNameNationalityPlaceEventDateNotesCharles AdamsCheltenham, Great Britain & Ireland April 30, 1856 Ralph A. CameronBrighton, Great Britain & Ireland September 25, 1856 John MaxwellOxford, Great Britain & Ireland November 14, 1857John JermanMarston, Devon, Great Britain & Ireland October X,1858 David MorganOxford, Great Britain & Ireland February 16, 1864 David MorganOxford, Great Britain & Ireland March 02, 1864David MorganOxford, Great Britain & Ireland March 18, 1865 David MorganOxford, Great Britain & Ireland March 02, 1866 George ThorntonCambridge, Great Britain & Ireland March 29, 1867 John EyreLondon, Great Britain & Ireland April 12, 1867 Thomas BatsonLondon, Great Britain & Ireland April 03, 1868Henry LeekeLondon, Great Britain & Ireland June 19, 1868 Francis WaiteLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 18, 1869Henry LeekeLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 18, 1869 Francis WaiteLondon, Great Britain & Ireland April 07, 1870 William BurgessOxford, Great Britain & Ireland December 08, 1870 Edward GarnierOxford, Great Britain & Ireland February 08, 1872 Henry LeekeLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 27, 1872 William BurgessOxford, Great Britain & Ireland November 02, 1872Stephen BrownOxford, Great Britain & Ireland March 17, 1873 Stephen BrownLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 31, 1873 George HalesLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 27, 1874 George HalesLondon, Great Britain & Ireland March 19, 1875 George HalesCambridge, Great Britain & Ireland November 24, 1875 George HalesCambridge, Great Britain & Ireland February 24, 1876 George HalesLondon, Great Britain & Ireland April 07, 1876

3ft 6 inch wooden-handled hammer from lines drawn 7 ft apart, and no follow through DistanceNameNationalityPlaceEventDateNotesGeorge HalesLondon, Great Britain & Ireland AAC ChampionshipsApril 10, 1876 George HalesLondon, Great Britain & Ireland AAC ChampionshipsMarch 26, 1877 Owen Harte or Cork, Great Britain & Ireland Queen’s College, Cork, SportsApril 19, 1884 Owen Harte or Dublin, Great Britain & Ireland Royal Irish Constabulary SportsJuly 29, 1884

From a 2.135m - 7 ft circle (Current Size) DistanceNameNationalityPlaceEventDateNotesEdmund BaddeleyLondon, Great Britain & Ireland AAC ChampionshipsApril 15, 1878 Maurice Davin or Birmingham, Great Britain & Ireland AAA ChampionshipsJuly 16, 1881 Co-Founder and First President of the GAA John GruerLondon, Great Britain & Ireland AAA ChampionshipsJune 30, 1883 William Barry or Tralee, Great Britain & Ireland County Kerry MeetingJune 17, 1885William Barry or Tralee, Great Britain & Ireland Irish AAA ChampionshipsJune 24, 1885 William Barry or Dublin, Great Britain & Ireland Irish AAA ChampionshipsJuly 11, 1885 William Barry or New York, United StatesOctober 01, 1885 Said to have been an exhibition throw, but regarded as the record William Barry or Cork, Great Britain & Ireland April 17, 1886 James Mitchel or Limerick, Great Britain & Ireland June 16, 1886 James Mitchel or Limerick, Great Britain & Ireland June 09, 1887William Barry or New York, United StatesOctober 01, 1887 William Barry or New York, United StatesJuly 29, 1888 William Barry or New York, United StatesAnnual Fall Games of the NYACAugust 12, 1888 James Mitchel or New York, United StatesStaten Island AC GamesMay 18, 1889 James Mitchel or Bayonne, N.J, United StatesMetropolitan AAU ChampionshipsJune 12, 1889 James Mitchel or Elkton, United StatesCecil County FairOctober 10, 1889James Mitchel or New York, United StatesGames of the NYACJune 13, 1891 James Mitchel or New York, United StatesMetropolitan AAUSeptember 12, 1891 James Mitchel or Detroit, United StatesFall handicap Games of the Detroit ACSeptember 29, 1891 James Mitchel or New York, United StatesBrooklyn Heights AC Handicap Athletic GamesOctober 10, 1891 James Mitchel or Philadelphia, United StatesOpen Spring Games of the Bank Clerks’ AA, HandicapJune 18, 1892James Mitchel or New York, United StatesNew York AC Fall GamesOctober 08, 1892While a US 1904 Olympic Medalist in the 56lbs Throw, James became a US Citizen in 1893 John Flanagan or Clonmel, Great Britain & IrelandSeptember 09, 1895 John Flanagan or London, Great Britain & IrelandApril 06, 1896 John Flanagan or Bayonne, N.J, United StatesNew Jersey AC GamesMay 30, 1897 John Flanagan or New Orleans, United StatesMay 15, 1898 Josiah McCrackenBayonne, N.J, United StatesNew Jersey AC Memorial Day Sports CarnivalMay 31, 1898John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Annual Open Spring GamesJune 11, 1898John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Annual Open Spring GamesJune 11, 1898 John Flanagan or Boston, United StatesJuly 23, 1898John Flanagan or Boston, United StatesJuly 22, 1899John Flanagan or New York, United StatesJuly 30, 1899 John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Fall GamesSeptember 23, 1899 John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Fall GamesSeptember 23, 1899 John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Fall Handicap GamesSeptember 29, 1900Won Gold for the USA at the 1900 Olympics while not a US Citizen John Flanagan or New York, United StatesNYAC Fall Handicap GamesSeptember 29, 1900 John FlanaganNew York, United StatesHandicap Games of the Greater New York Irish-American Athletic AssociationSeptember 02, 1901Became a US Citizen.John FlanaganNew York, United StatesGaelic Athletic Benefit GamesJuly 31, 1904 Matt McGrathMontreal, CanadaCanadian AAU ChampionshipSeptember 21, 1907 John FlanaganDublin, Great Britain & IrelandAugust 03, 1908Also threw 53.38m at Torrington on June 20, 1908 but this is not recognised as a US recordJohn FlanaganNew York, United States~June 26, 1909John FlanaganNew York, United StatesNew York Press Club Athletic Association Carnival SportsJune 26, 1909John FlanaganNew Haven, United StatesGames on the Clan-na-GaelJuly 24, 1909 Matt McGrathNew York, United StatesGalways Men’s S&B Association Handicap GamesOctober 29, 1911

Other Marks