Rudy Winkler

Rudy Winkler
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1994-12-06) December 6, 1994 (age 29)
Albany, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight240 lb (109 kg)
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventHammer throw
College teamCornell Big Red
Achievements and titles
Personal bestHammer: 82.71 m (271 ft 4 in)
Updated on July 8, 2021

Rudy Winkler (born December 6, 1994) is an American male track and field athlete who competes in the hammer throw.[1] He is the NACAC area record holder[2] and American record holder with a throw of 82.71 m (271 ft 4 in) for the hammer[3] and holds a personal best of 23.32 m (76 ft 6 in) for the weight throw. He was the hammer national champion in 2016 and 2020, winning the 2016.[4] and 2020 United States Olympic Trials.[5]

Career

Born in Sand Lake, New York, Winkler attended Averill Park High School and competed in the hammer from a young age and represented the United States in age category competitions. He was a finalist at both the 2011 World Youth and the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics.[6] He won his first international medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in 2013, taking the silver medal behind Mexico's Diego del Real.[7]

He joined[clarification needed] Cornell University and competed collegiately for their Cornell Big Red track team and was selected for the Quill and Dagger society. He topped the field of the weight throw at the 2015 Ivy League Indoor Track & Field Championships, then won the hammer title at the conference's outdoor championships later that year. At his first national event, he came eighth in the hammer at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 2016 season, he defended his Ivy League Indoor title and placed tenth at the NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. He was again hammer champion at the Ivy League Outdoor meet and set a personal record of 72.84 m (238 ft 11+1⁄2 in) to place runner-up to Britain's Nick Miller at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships.[8]

At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials a big personal best of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) brought him his first national title and selection for the USA Olympic team.[9] Although he was just short of the 77-meter qualifying standard set by the IAAF, he was invited to compete as one of the highest-ranked athletes, as an insufficient number of people had achieved the mark that year.[10]

He currently resides in Washington, D.C., with his fiancé, Olivia Foster.[11][12]

His greatest sports influences are his friends and coaches Paddy McGrath and Roman Feldman.

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2011 World Youth Championships Lille, France 9th Hammer throw 68.14 m
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 11th Hammer throw 69.35 m
2013 Pan American Junior Championships Medellin, Colombia 2nd Hammer throw 71.79 m
2016 NACAC U23 Championships San Salvador, El Salvador 2nd Hammer throw 73.00 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 18th (q) Hammer throw 71.89 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 31st (q) Hammer throw 68.88 m
2018 NACAC Championships Toronto, Canada 4th Hammer throw 70.45 m
2019 Pan American Games Lima, Peru 8th Hammer throw 71.84 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar 11th Hammer throw 75.20 m
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 7th Hammer throw 77.08 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 6th Hammer throw 78.99 m
NACAC Championships Freeport, Bahamas 1st Hammer throw 78.29 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 8th Hammer throw 76.04 m
Pan American Games Santiago, Chile 3rd Hammer throw 76.65 m
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 6th Hammer throw 77.92 m

National titles

Personal records[13]

References

  1. ^ "Rudy Winkler". Team USA. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "Hammer Throw Men − Records". IAAF. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "US Track and Field Olympic Trials 2021, results". Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Rudy Winkler. All Athletics. Retrieved on July 16, 2016.
  5. ^ [1] Archived June 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. US Olympic Track and Field Trials Results. Retrieved on June 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Rudy Winkler. IAAF. Retrieved on July 16, 2016.
  7. ^ 2013 Pan American Junior Championships Official results. Americas Athletics. Retrieved on July 16, 2016.
  8. ^ Rudy Winkler. TFRRS. Retrieved on July 16, 2016.
  9. ^ "TFRRS | 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Men Hammer Throw Track & Field Meet Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Bohnert, Craig (July 14, 2016). 3 U.S. Men's Hammer Throwers Invited To Compete At Rio Olympics. Team USA. Retrieved on July 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "Current Masthead – Cornell Law Review". cornelllawreview.org. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Who is Rudy Winkler dating? Record-holder Olympian's girlfriend is a star Cornell law student". meaww.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Rudy WINKLER | Profile". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
Awards
Preceded by Track & Field News High School Boys Athlete of the Year
2013 		Succeeded by