Previews06 Jul 2018


Preview: men’s hammer – IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018

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Britain's Jake Norris in the hammer (© Getty Images)

There could be a rare head-to-head between Greece and Great Britain for the hammer title in Tampere as Hristos Frantzeskakis and Jake Norris share the five best marks at U20 level in 2018 with the 6kg implement.

Frantzeskakis leads the world U20 lists with 81.32m to Norris’ 80.45m although the latter has been throwing more regularly with the senior implement on the US collegiate circuit, capping his season with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships with 73.24m.

Norris has retained this level since the demanding series of competitions in the build-up to the NCAA Championships, winning the prestigious Mannheim Junior Gala at the end of June with 80.28m – just short of his British U20 record of 80.45m with the 6kg implement.

Ukraine also has two fine prospects in the event who will both be competing in Tampere: Myhaylo Havrylyuk and Myhaylo Kokhan. Not only do they share the same first name, they almost share identical lifetime bests standing at 77.20m and 77.19m respectively.

Havrylyuk won the European U18 title in Tbilisi in 2016 while Kokhan, who is the second youngest entrant in this event, is the world U18 champion. He is still eligible for U18 events and will be targeting the Youth Olympic Games after this competition.

Cuba’s Miguel Angel Zamora has also been in good form with two competitions in excess of the 78-metre line. India’s Ashish Jakhar, who didn’t make it through qualifying in 2016, arrives fresh from retaining his Asian U20 title – and extending his Indian U20 record to 76.86m.

The reigning champion is Hungary’s Bence Halasz who has already established himself at the top end in the senior ranks at the age of 20. He recently improved his lifetime best to 79.57m with the senior 7.26kg implement.

Steven Mills for the IAAF

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