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The Incredible Hammer-Thrower
his fifth throw. It was a critical moment for him. Only two more attempts were left for him then, and he knew that he could not afford to fail again. The two Russians who were his close competitors had already created Olympic records. Watched by almost a hundred thousand spectators, Connolly braced himself for the greatest effort of his career. The man from Boston began winding himself up, leaned backwards, then made a loud guttural sound to send the 16 - pound iron ball with a 4 ft. long chain flying through the skies. Before that he had said his prayers to the Almighty to seek His blessings. All eyes followed the hammer's flight in the air and when the ball finally touched the ground with a thud, the entire stadium exploded into a mighty roar and gave a tremendous applause to Connolly whose throw measured 207 ft. 3.75 inches. Connolly gave a broad smile at his success. He raised his hand towards the crowed in acknowledgement of their cheers. Never had a performance mattered to him more than on that day.
Connolly was followed by Krivonosov who too strained himself for a supreme effort. Spinning with great ferocity, he unfortunately overstepped the 7 feet circle and was disqualified by the referees. Connolly had won.
The award ceremony was held in the presence of a large crowd. The gold medal was moving like a pendulum in Connolly's right hand. To his left and right were the Russians who had bagged the second and the third positions in the contest.
The appearance of Harold Connolly in the greatest sports show on earth, namely the Olympics, was sensational enough in another context. For, there had never been such an improbable hammer-thrower as this handsome 6 ft. tall, broad shouldered and muscular 224 pound participant from Boston.
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