Cal Alum Camryn Rogers Easily into Hammer Throw Finals at Paris

Reigning world champion Camryn Rogers easily advanced to the finals of the women’s hammer throw, posting a qualifying mark on her second attempt at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Cal grad threw 245 feet, 0 inches (74.69 meters) to achieve the necessary qualifying mark of 73.00 meters.

The British Columbia will compete in the finals on Tuesday at 10:57 a.m. PDT.

Rogers, who was fifth at the Tokyo Games, had the day’s second-longest throw. She has a season best of 255-1 (77.76) and her year-old lifetime best of 257-11 (78.62) ranks her No. 5 on the all-time world list.

Finland’s Krista Tervo, 26, set a national record with a mark of 245-4 (74.79 meters), topping her previous best by more than 5 feet.

Also advancing are Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, the surprise U.S. trials winner, who threw 241-2 (73.52) to finish second behind Rogers in the first qualifying group, and China’s Jie Zhao, who had a mark of 237-10 (72.49) in the same group.

Runnerup to Tervo in the second qualifying group was American recordholder Deanna Price, eighth at the past two Olympics.  Price threw 242-1 (73.79).

The last of 12 spots in the final went to 38-year-old Polish legend Anita Włodarczyk, the world-recordholder and three-time reigning Olympic champion. Slowed the past two years by injury, Włodarczyk threw 233-2 (71.06) on her final attempt, well off her eight-year-old world record of 272-3 (82.98).

Cal’s Rowan Hamilton, also a Canadian, was scheduled to compete later Sunday in the men’s hammer throw final.