Canada's Camryn Rogers wins gold in women's hammer throw

PARIS — It felt weird for Camryn Rogers to say to herself that she's an Olympic champion.

The 25-year-old from Richmond, B.C., claimed gold on Tuesday to become the first Canadian to ever medal in the women's hammer throw at the Olympics. It was also the first Canadian gold medal in a women's athletics event since the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

"It's even weird coming out of my mouth right now," she said as she laughed. "It's something that you get to keep with you for your whole life. And it's something that doesn't just change your career but can change the trajectory of everything you do moving forward.

"It's the culmination and everything coming to fruition of the days and hours and minutes and seconds you put into training with your team. … It's something so special … (it's) the apex of sports, it's something that everyone recognizes as well."

Rogers had just come to learn of being the first Canadian woman to medal in athletics at the Olympics since 1928 following her win.

"Literally just learned that," she said. "I just learned that like two minutes ago upstairs, which is insane. But I also fully believe (it'll be) the first of … many."

Rogers had a top throw of 76.97 metres at Stade de France. Annette Echikunwoke of the United States grabbed silver (75.48) and Zhao Jie of China took bronze (74.27).

Rogers was in second until she made her fifth throw that catapulted her into first at 76.97 metres, as she clapped and sported a game face, and later shut her eyes in meditation as the others took their final throws. She called it "very stressful" but a moment that she's trained for.

"We simulate what happens if your first two throws are faults and you only have one more to make a final," said Rogers, who broke down after her final throw. "What happens if you're in second or you're in third and you only have one throw left, what do you do?

"To be able to learn from everything and all the training that my coach and I have done to now be able to say I did my job out there, that's something that I'm very proud of."

Rogers made history in her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021 when she became the first Canadian woman to ever advance to an Olympic hammer throw final. She went on to finish fifth.

One difference in Paris from the Tokyo Olympics was her loved ones being present, especially her mother, Shari, with those Games having restrictions caused by the pandemic. Following her win, her mother was among several people she was able to hug and share the moment with.

Rogers fought to hold back tears while talking about the sacrifices her mother made and the relationship they have.

"My mom has done everything in her life for me to have the best one possible," Rogers said. "When it was just her and I and she was working two jobs and setting up times with her friends to drive me to practices when she couldn't make it.

"Knowing that this is everything that she's been fighting for as well and she is my rock and she is the person that I turn to on my best days and on my worst days. … My mom to me is my best friend and I just love that I was able to share this with her.

"I ran up and also jumped on her, sorry mom, and she leaned in and she was like, 'I'm so proud of you and I'm so lucky to have you as my daughter.' And I was like, 'I couldn't be more grateful to have you as my mom and, I don't know, I just love her so much."

Rogers is the top-ranked hammer thrower in the world and entered the Games having won silver at the 2022 world championships and gold at last year's worlds. She is the first and only Canadian woman to medal at worlds in the hammer throw.

Rogers' win completed a golden Canadian sweep in hammer throw after Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, B.C., won the men's event on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2024.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press