Hammer Throw, Men

Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) was favored, having won the last three World Championships (2003, 2005, 2007) and leading the seasonal list in 2008. The leader after round one was Slovenia’s Primož Kozmus, considered to have only an outside shot at a medal, who opened with 80.75 (264-11). Almost all the leaders achieved their best marks in round two, with Kozmus improving to 82.02 (269-1), which would eventually win the gold medal. Vadim Devyatovsky (BLR) took over second place with 81.61 (267-9), followed by Krisztián Pars of Hungary with 80.96 (265-7), and the defending champion, Koji Murofushi (JPN), with 80.71 (264-9). Tsikhan improved to 80.56 (264-4) but was in fifth place after two rounds. Of the leaders, he was the only thrower to improve after that round, posting 81.51 (267-5) in round five to move into third place and a seemingly disappointing bronze medal.

The medal places, however, would not be decided with finality for almost two years. Both Devyatovsky and Tsikhan tested positive for testosterone, and were disqualified by the IOC, but not until 11 December 2008. This initially moved Pars up to the silver medal and Murofushi to the bronze. It was the second successive Olympics at which Murofushi seemingly benefited from others being disqualified for doping as, in 2004, he had moved up to the gold medal position after the DQ of Adrián Annus (HUN).

Both Devyatovsky and Tsikhan appealed their disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), however, and in June 2010, the CAS ruled that both athletes should not be disqualified because of irregularities in the testing procedures, with the ruling restoring them to their medal positions. After a 2013 re-test of samples from the 2005 World Championships came back positive, and then after further appeals, Devyatovsky was again cleared by CAS in April 2016, and retained the silver medal in this event.