Ethan Katzberg rules hammer throw in Budapest with 83.64m season best and meet record

Should young hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg break Yuriy Sedykh’s world record, it may well happen in Budapest.

Competing Tuesday in the Hungarian capital, the 24-year-old Canadian delivered a season best, meet record and world-leading throw of 83.64 metres to win the men's event over Germany’s Merlin Hummel (81.74) at the 16th Gyulai István Memorial.

Bence Halász of Hungary beat Katzberg last year with a then-meet record of 83.18. On Tuesday, he was competing for the 11th time at the event also known as the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix and was third with an 81.65 effort.

Katzberg also won in 2024, one year after capturing the first of his two World Athletics Championship titles in Budapest. Sedykh’s mark of 86.74 has stood since Aug. 30, 1986.

"It was a great experience competing here [in 2023], it really started my career here. It's always a pleasure to return to Budapest," the Nanaimo, B.C., native said in story on the competition website, adding he believes the increasingly strong international field encourages him to continue improving.

Canada's Ethan Katzberg tosses farthest hammer throw this year to win in Budapest

Katzberg, the reigning Olympic and world champion, is the world’s top-ranked men’s hammer thrower. Four others in the top six were in Tuesday’s field at the Zsivotzky Gyula National Athletics Center: Halasz (No. 2), Ukraine’s Mykhalo Kokhan (No. 3), Hummel (No. 4) and Frenchman Yann Chaussinand (No. 6), who once held the world lead at 82.44.

Katzberg wins men’s hammer throw at Prefontaine Classic

Katzberg makes it 4 straight victories at track and field nationals

Katzberg has won each of his four competitions to start the season as he prepares to represent Canada at the July 23 to Aug. 2 Commonwealth