Rogers follows victory by Katzberg to become only second female athlete from Canada to win World title in any event, joining Felicien in 100-meter hurdles in 2003, with Price and Kassanavoid also earning second career global medals

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo by Getty Images and Athletics Canada

PHOTOS by Kim Spir | INTERVIEWS

BUDAPEST, Hungary – If a North American wins a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the takeover of women’s hammer throw will be complete.

Canada has already taken over the event in Budapest.

Camryn Rogers completed a gold-medal sweep of the hammer Thursday night, making the four longest throws of the competition and topping out at 253 feet, 4 inches (77.22m) on her first attempt.

Her victory came four days after Canada’s Ethan Katzberg won a shocking gold in the men’s hammer. Rogers is Canada’s second World champion in track and field, joining 100-meter hurdler Perdita Felicien from 2003.

“Goodbye, hockey. Hello, hammer throw,” Felicien said on a CBC telecast.

Rogers was followed by two Americans, Janee’ Kassanavoid with silver (250-6/76.36m) and DeAnna Price (247-5/75.41m) with bronze. It was the second medal for both, Price having won gold in 2019 and Kassanavoid bronze in 2022.

Quality of the competition was such that third, fifth, sixth and seventh had the best respective marks for place at a World Championships.

Since the hammer was introduced internationally for women at the 1999 World Championships, breakdown of the first 16 global golds went: Eastern Europe 12, Cuba 3, Germany 1.

North America has taken the past three, with Price followed by Brooke Andersen last year and now Rogers. Andersen, a world leader who failed to qualify for the final, wished Rogers good luck in the stadium.

“She’s a wonderful person, an incredible, incredible thrower, and someone who I’ve been super lucky to have seen and competed with numerous times this year,” Rogers said. “Having people like her, like DeAnna, like Janee’, all representing the U.S.

“We all see each other a lot, but I think for there to be so many amazing women who make up the sport of hammer throwing, it makes it all the more special when you come to big competitions and you see each other, and you know you’re with the best of the best. Not just as athletes, but as people.”

Rogers, 24, took silver at the 2022 Worlds. She was a three-time NCAA Division 1 champion at California and holds the collegiate record of 254-10 (77.67m).

She said Katzberg set the stage for her and that it “means the world” to represent Canada to the world.

As many as four World champions – world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, Price, Andersen, Rogers – will go for gold at the Olympics. Wlodarczyk, 38, who missed the 2022 Worlds after she was hurt apprehending a thief, just missed the Budapest final.

“I’m excited about what next year will bring,” Rogers said. “Paris will be huge.”

This championship has been emotional for the medalists.

Kassanavoid, 28, a member of the Comanche tribe, became tearful at a pre-meet news conference in speaking about representing Native Americans.

“This is a huge win for us,” she said. “When I step in the ring, you see us – a beautiful, strong, resilient nation. To be indigenous, to be a Native American, that is something you cannot really beat.”

Price, 30, signaled her fitness when she twice broke the world record in the 20-pound weight throw at February’s USATF Indoor Championships.

After the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she had ankle reconstruction and hip labrum surgeries. Nine months after that, she was fourth at nationals and was qualified for Worlds as defending gold medalist. However, she missed Eugene after coming down with COVID.

She and husband J.C. Lambert recharged in relocating from Carbondale, Ill., to Champaign, Ill., where Lambert took a job as throws coach at Illinois. Price is a volunteer assistant.

“All I wanted to do today, my job, was to medal. And I came away with a medal,” she said.

After two fouls, she threw 240-5 (73.28m) to earn three more attempts. In the fifth round, she produced her medal distance.

Price said she had “a lot of juice” and that the two attempts striking the cage felt like 77- or 78-meter throws – which might have secured a gold medal. She said bronze felt like gold.

“That’s what’s so exciting about the hammer throw. You might come in as one of the favorites, but you won’t walk away with it,” Price said. “That’s why it’s a competition.

“Every meet, you just be grateful for what you’re doing. You get in there and do your best because your job is to be a light in the world and throw that thing as far as you can that day."

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007