Russian’s record-breaking throw remembered

ON July 3 1984, 20 years to the day before today’s Cork City Sports, the giant Russian thrower, Yuri Sedykh, threw the 16lb hammer a remarkable 86.34 metres at the Mardyke, smashing the world record.

On the night, Yuri and his fellow countryman, Sergei Litvinov, had enthralled the spectators at the City Sports by breaking the record a phenomenal six times during the event.

Yuri claimed the ultimate mark and his throw was declared a world record. After the event, there followed a few anxious days while the hammer, complete with Garda escort, was brought to be independently weighed and measured in Co Kildare, to ensure compliance with world athletics criteria.

Duly passed, the record then stood for two years before being broken again in Stuttgart by Yuri Sedykh at 86.74 metres a world record which still stands.

Yuri Sedykh's record-breaking achievement in Cork was recalled at a ceremony at University College Cork's Mardyke Arena this week when the hammer used in the record throw was handed over to UCC by Owen O'Calllaghan, managing director of O'Callaghan Properties, who had sponsored the hammer throwing competition on that eventful night 20 years ago.

Since the record, the hammer had been displayed in a glass case at the Paul Street shopping centre but at the request of UCC has now been presented for safekeeping at the Mardyke Arena.

Fittingly, the hammer will be the centre-piece of a permanent "Legends of Sport" display to be mounted there.