All-Time Top 10
Men’s All-Time Top 10 Throwers
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86.74 m | Yuriy Sedykh (URS) | Stuttgart | 30 August 1986 |
| 2 | 86.73 m | Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) | Brest | 3 July 2005 |
| 3 | 86.04 m | Sergey Litvinov (URS) | Dresden | 3 July 1986 |
| 4 | 84.90 m | Vadim Devyatovskiy (BLR) | Minsk | 21 July 2005 |
| 5 | 84.86 m | Koji Murofushi (JPN) | Prague | 29 June 2003 |
| 6 | 84.62 m | Igor Astapkovich (BLR) | Seville | 6 June 1992 |
| 7 | 84.48 m | Igor Nikulin (URS) | Lausanne | 12 July 1990 |
| 8 | 84.40 m | Jüri Tamm (URS) | Banská Bystrica | 9 September 1984 |
| 9 | 84.19 m | Adrián Annus (HUN) | Szombathely | 10 August 2003 |
| 10 | 83.68 m | Tibor Gécsek (HUN) | Zalaegerszeg | 19 September 1998 |
Women’s All-Time Top 10 Throwers
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79.42 m | Betty Heidler (GER) | Halle | 21 May 2011 |
| 2 | 78.69 m | Aksana Miankova (BLR) | Minsk | 18 July 2012 |
| 3 | 78.51 m | Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) | Cheboksary | 5 July 2012 |
| 4 | 78.30 m | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Bydgoszcz | 6 June 2010 |
| 5 | 77.26 m | Gulfiya Khanafeyeva (RUS) | Tula | 12 June 2006 |
| 6 | 76.99 m | Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) | Ostrava | 24 May 2012 |
| 7 | 76.90 m | Martina Hrašnová (SVK) | Trnava | 16 May 2009 |
| 8 | 76.83 m | Kamila Skolimowska (POL) | Doha | 11 May 2007 |
| 9 | 76.62 m | Mariya Bespalova (RUS) | Zhukovskiy | 23 June 2012 |
| 10 | 76.66 m | Volha Tsander (BLR) | Minsk | 21 July 2005 |
As the last American to win Olympic gold in the hammer throw, Harold Connolly dedicated his life to the event. It was his goal to see America once again among the world's best in the event.