Anita Włodarczyk: Difference between revisions

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'''Anita Włodarczyk''' ({{IPA-pl|aˈɲita vwɔˈdart͡ʂɨk}}; born 8 August 1985) is a Polish [[hammer throw]]er. She is the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]], [[2016 Summer Olympics|2016]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]] [[Olympic champion]], and the first woman in history to throw the hammer over 80 m; she currently holds the women's world record of 82.98 m. She is considered the greatest women's hammer thrower of all time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ansari |first=Aarish |date=16 June 2021 |url=https://olympics.com/en/featured-news/olympic-records-throwing-javelin-discus-hammer-shot-put |title=Olympic records in throwing events -– going the distance with a spear, disc, hammer and ball |publisher=IOC |access-date=2 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Landells |first=Steve |date=15 August 2016 |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/news/report/women/hammer-throw/final |title=Report: women's hammer final – Rio 2016 Olympic Games |publisher=IAAF |access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

On 22 August 2009, during the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships in Athletics]] in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], Włodarczyk set a world record with a throw of {{convert|77.96|m|ftin}}.<ref>[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/282457,wlodarczyk-gets-hammer-throw-world-record-at-worlds.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609175811/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/282457,wlodarczyk-gets-hammer-throw-world-record-at-worlds.html |date=9 June 2016 }} ''Earth Times''</ref> Her season ended prematurely when she twisted her left ankle during her celebration.<ref>http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=55178.html[[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]]. {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121002185741/http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=55178.html |date=2 October 2012 }}</ref> Returning to competition at the [[Meeting Grand Prix IAAF de Dakar]] in April 2010, she easily won her event with a throw of 75.13&nbsp;m.<ref>{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Chris |date=24 April 2010 |url=http://www.iaaf.org/IWC10/news/kind=100/newsid=56549.html |title=Wlodarczyk blasts out 75.13m release in Dakar – IAAF World Challenge |publisher=IAAF |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-date=27 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427064253/http://www.iaaf.org/IWC10/news/kind%3D100/newsid%3D56549.html |url-status=live}}</ref> She then proceeded to break her existing world record with a {{convert|78.30|m|adj=on}} hammer throw at the Enea Cup in [[Bydgoszcz]] on 6 June 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/7830m-world-record-in-the-hammer-throw-by-wlo |last=Jackowski |first=Pawel |title=78.30m World record in the Hammer Throw by Wlodarczyk in Bydgoszcz -– UPDATED |date=6 June 2010 |publisher=IAAF |access-date=8 May 2016}}</ref> She won the bronze at the [[2010 European Athletics Championships]] and was ranked second overall for the season in the [[IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge]], finishing behind [[Betty Heidler]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/murofushi-and-heidler-take-overall-titles-and |title=Murofushi and Heidler take overall titles and prize of $30,000 each – IAAF World Hammer Throw Challenge |publisher=IAAF |date=8 September 2010 |access-date=8 May 2016}}</ref> She finished outside of the medals at the [[2011 World Championships in Athletics]], coming fifth overall.

In 2012, Włodarczyk finished third at the [[Ostrava Golden Spike]] and was the runner-up at the [[Prefontaine Classic]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gains |first=Paul |date=2 June 2012 |title=Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/dibaba-302439-and-kiprop-270198-on-stunning-b |publisher=IAAF |access-date=8 May 2016}}</ref> At the [[2012 Summer Olympics]], she won the silver medal with a throw of 77.60 m.<ref>{{cite web |title=Athletics at the 2012 London Summer Games: Women's Hammer Throw Final Round {{!}} Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2012/ATH/womens-hammer-throw-final-round.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173221/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2012/ATH/womens-hammer-throw-final-round.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=19 December 2015}}</ref> On 11 October 2016, she was retroactively awarded gold after Russia's [[Tatyana Lysenko]] was stripped of the medal after testing positive in reanalysis of her stored doping samples.<ref name="LysenkoSanctioned2012">{{cite web |title=IOC sanctions Tatyana Lysenko for failing anti-doping test at London 2012 |url=https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-sanctions-tatyana-lysenko-for-failing-anti-doping-test-at-london-2012 |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="IAAFLondon2012">{{cite web |title=Hammer Throw Women -– The XXX Olympic Games |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxx-olympic-games-4871/results/women/hammer-throw/final/series |website=IAAF.org |access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="GoldInLondon2012">{{cite web |title=London 2012 Hammer Throw Women |url=https://www.olympic.org/london-2012/athletics/hammer-throw-women |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref>

On 15 August 2016 Włodarczyk won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio, setting a new world record with a throw of {{convert|82.29|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hammer Throw Women -– The XXXI Olympic Games |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/results/women/hammer-throw/final/series#resultheader |website=IAAF.org |access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> On 28 August 2016, she threw {{convert|82.98|m}}, setting a new world record just two weeks after the Olympics at the EAA 7th [[Kamila Skolimowska]] Memorial in Warsaw. In competition, Włodarczyk uses some of the equipment that belonged to the late Skolimowska, as a tribute to her fellow hammer thrower.<ref name=Skolimowska>{{cite news |last1=Mulkeen |first1=Jon |last2=Mikiel |first2=Marta |title=Inspired by Skolimowska, Wlodarczyk aims to become first to throw 80 metres |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/feature/anita-wlodarczyk-hammer-world-record |publisher=IAAF |access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref>

{{As of|2020}}, she holds all of the top 15 women's hammer throw results and 27 out of the top 30.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hammer Throw women senior -– All time top lists |url=https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/throws/hammer-throw/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1900-01-01&lastDay=2020-08-31 |access-date=31 August 2020 |website=www.worldathletics.org}}</ref>

*In 2021, [[Mattel]] announced the creation of a Shero Barbie doll with Włodarczyk's image for her “inspiration to others” in pursuing their dreams. She became the third Polish woman to have one after [[Martyna Wojciechowska]] and [[Iwona Blecharczyk]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hammer-throwing champ joins distinguished list of ‘inspirational women’ after being turned into Shero Barbie doll |url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/hammer-throwing-champ-joins-distinguished-list-of-inspirational-women-after-being-turned-into-shero-barbie-doll-20388 |access-date=2022-07-15 July 2022 |website=www.thefirstnews.com |language=en}}</ref>