Winkler elevates to No. 3 all-time U.S. performer, trailing only Deal and Logan, with best series by an American since July 2000; mark would have earned silver medal at World Championships

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Rudy Winkler became the first male athlete to surpass 80 meters in the hammer throw this year, producing the top performance by an American in 20 years with his effort Sunday at a small New York Hammer Summer Series event in Wallkill.

Winkler produced a lifetime-best 264 feet, 9 inches (80.70m) in the fifth round to elevate to the No. 3 performer in U.S. history, trailing only Lance Deal at 270-9 (82.52m) and Jud Logan at 268-8 (81.88m).

It marked the top throw by an American athlete since Deal achieved a mark of 265-8 (80.99m) at a July 8, 2000 meet in Nice, France.

Winkler, a former Cornell and Rutgers standout who placed 11th in October at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, added a sixth-round mark of 263-7 (80.34m).

At the first New York Hammer Summer Series event July 19, Winkler achieved what was then a personal-best 254-2 (77.47m), which surpassed his 252-10 (77.06m) from the qualifying round in Doha. He entered Sunday’s competition as the No. 11 performer in U.S. history, before ascending to No. 9 on his first throw of 255-9 (77.97m) and elevating to No.  5 with his second-round mark of 260-8 (79.45m).

Winkler produced throws of 248-7 (75.78m) and 252-11 (77.09m) in the third and fourth rounds, before surpassing the 80-meter mark on his final two attempts.

In the past five years, only Polish athletes Pawel Fajdek – the reigning World gold medalist – and Wojciech Nowicki have achieved better marks than Winkler, whose performance Sunday would have secured a silver medal in Doha.