Hungary's Halász avenges Olympic hammer throw loss to Katzberg, beating Canadian on home soil

Hungarian hammer thrower Bence Halász delivered a personal best and meet record before a home crowd to beat Ethan Katzberg, the reigning Canadian Olympic champion, on a hot and humid Tuesday evening in Budapest.

Halász, who was second to Katzberg at the Summer Games last August, topped his opponent on the third attempt at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix and never looked back, finishing with a best throw of 83.18 metres.

His previous PB of 81.94 was set Aug. 2 at the Hungarian championships in Budapest.

Halász was also the bronze medallist when Katzberg captured the world title in 2023.

The latter was seeking a repeat of last year's victory when he threw 81.87 and held the early advantage Tuesday by throwing 80.31 on his first try and 81.01 on his third of six attempts in Budapest, where the temperature reached 31 C.

The Nanaimo, B.C., native's best of 81.88 came two throws later and placed him second. It was his furthest in five events since his 82.73 season best to win at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya.

Katzberg, the world's top-ranked men's hammer thrower, won his first five competitions this season but American Rudy Winkler snapped the streak on July 5 at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League track and field meet in Eugene, Ore., where the Canadian was second.

WATCH | Katzberg throws 81.88 metres on 2nd attempt in Budapest:

Ethan Katzberg captures silver at World Athletics Continental Tour in Budapest

Ukraine's Mykhalo Kokhan, the Olympic bronze medallist in Paris, was third on Tuesday with an 80.84 top throw at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet also referred to as the Istvan Gyulai Memorial.

Ten days ago, Katzberg was victorious over Jeremiah Nubbe at the Canadian championships in