Polish Teen Wins Hammer Throw
Field events fans probably haven't heard the last of 17-year-old Kamila Skolimowska. The Polish athlete, daughter of an Olympic weightlifter, overwhelmed her rivals to win the first-ever women's hammer throw. Her toss of more than 233 feet was five feet better than silver medalist Olga Kuzenkova of Russia could muster. Kirsten Muenchow of Germany was third.

Zvereva of Belarus Wins Women's Discus
Ellina Zvereva of Belarus outdistanced the field by nearly 10 feet to grab gold Wednesday in the women's discus. Her winning throw covered 224-feet, five inches. Anastasia Kelesidou of Greece won the silver medal. The bronze went to Zvereva's teammate, Irina Yatchenko.

Finland's Alekna Golden in Discus
Finland's Virgilijus Alekna emerged from a crowded field to gather in gold in the men's discus competition Monday. His throw of 227-feet, four inches relegated Germany's Lars Riedel to the silver medal. Frantz Kruger of South Africa earned the bronze.

Poland's Ziolkowski Wins Men's Hammer Throw
Szymon Ziolkowski of Poland is the new Olympic champion in the men's hammer throw -- Poland's first medal in the event in 40 years. His winning toss was 262-1/2 feet. Italy's Nicola Vizzoni came up with a personal best of 261 feet, three inches to claim the silver medal. Igor Astapkovich of Belarus finished third. His best toss was a foot and a half short of Vizzoni's effort.

Zelezny Wins Javelin; Harju Claims Shot Put
Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic won his third straight gold medal in the javelin with an Olympic record toss of 295 feet, 9 1/2 inches. Steve Backley of Britain was second and Sergey Makarov of Russia was third.

Americans posted a 2-3 finish in the first field event of the games, the shot put, but the gold went to Finland's Arsi Harju. Adam Nelson won the silver despite fouling on his final throw, and John Godina -- named to the shot put team because of an injury to top U.S. hopeful C.J. Hunter -- won the bronze.
About The Throwing Events
Throwing events have undergone plenty of changes over the years, and the evolution continues in Sydney with the introduction of the women's hammer throw for the first time in Olympic competition. The javelin was orginally thrown for accuracy, not for distance, by the ancient Greeks. At the dawn of the modern Games in 1896, the shot put and the discus rewarded versatility as well as power. Competitors threw both missiles with both hands, and the winner was the athlete with the best average distance. And then there's the hammer throw, which evolved from the Taliteann Games of ancient Ireland.
The biggest news in men's field events going into the Sydney Games is the absence of the injured C.J. Hunter, the U.S. shot put specialist who is the sport's current world champion. His absence opens up the field in the shot, and puts teammate John Godina into a pair of events. Godina was planning to concentrate on the discus. Now he will become the third U.S. entrant in the shot put, as well. Americans Adam Nelson and Andy Bloom will be in the running for medals, as well as Yuri Belonog of Ukraine. The discus will be a battle between Virjilius Alekna of Lithuania, American Anthony Washington and Lars Riedel of Germany. The hammer throw gold could go to any of several competitors, but two French stars are likely to be in the running: Gilles Dupray and Christophe Epalle. The javelin will feature Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic and his attempt to win a third straight gold medal. At 34, many believe he can't do it.

In the women's competition, Trine Hattestad of Finland is the odds-on favorite in the javelin. Two Germans and a Russian seem likely to wrestle for the medals in the shot put: Astrid Kumbernuss and Nadine Kleinert are the teammates opposing Russia's Svetlana Krivelyova. The German world champion Franka Deitzch is expected to win the discus. In the women's hammer throw, Romania's Mihaela Milente and Russia's Olga Kuzenkova enter the competition as the most likely winners.