Olympic hammer throw champ Katzberg stunned with last-place finish at World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Olympic hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg finished in last place at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest after failing to register a valid throw. German athlete Merlin Hummel won the event with a throw of 81.46 metres.
Why it matters
The unexpected loss of a dominant world-class athlete in a high-stakes competition marks a significant upset in the sport of track and field.
Instead, the native of Nanaimo, B.C., was knocked out of the men's final at the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship on Friday after a pair of no throws in Budapest, Hungary.
"I feel I can make excuses for my performance, but I was in good shape, I was ready to go and I just didn’t have it," the 24-year-old told Devin Heroux of CBC Sports.
After two attempts each, only the top six athletes get another attempt in the four-round competition.
"Going into the second [round] I knew I had to [improve] and unfortunately, should have wiped the circle so I didn’t slip on the start of the throw," he lamented. "I couldn’t get a good throw after that.
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