Anita Włodarczyk

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Lore & Background

Anita Włodarczyk won her first national U23 championships in 2007. She finished fourth in the hammer throw at the 2008 Olympic Games. In 2009, she set a world record of 77.96 m at the World Championships in Berlin, then broke it with 78.30 m in Bydgoszcz on 6 June 2010. She won bronze at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and placed fifth at the 2011 World Championships. At the 2012 Olympics, she initially won silver, but was retroactively awarded gold on 11 October 2016 after Russia's Tatyana Lysenko was stripped of the medal for doping. She set a world record of 81.08 m on 1 August 2015, becoming the first woman over 80 m. She won Olympic gold in 2016 with a world record of 82.29 m, then threw 82.98 m two weeks later at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Warsaw. She won her third consecutive Olympic gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics with a throw of 78.48 m.

Reader's Guide

Anita Włodarczyk's significance lies in her dominance of women's hammer throw, becoming the first woman to surpass 80 m and holding the world record at 82.98 m. She is the only woman to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the hammer throw, a feat matched in the men's competition only by John Flanagan. As of 2020, she holds all of the top 15 women's hammer throw results and 27 of the top 30. Her achievements earned her the Polish Sports Personality of the Year in 2016 and the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2021. She also received a Shero Barbie doll from Mattel in 2021 for inspiring others. Her legacy is that of the greatest female hammer thrower in history, with a winning streak of 42 contests from July 2014 through 2017.

Did You Know?

• Włodarczyk was retroactively awarded the 2012 Olympic gold medal on 11 October 2016 after Russia's Tatyana Lysenko was stripped of the medal for doping.
• She holds all of the top 15 women's hammer throw results and 27 of the top 30 as of 2020.
• In competition, she uses some of the equipment that belonged to the late Kamila Skolimowska as a tribute.
• She is the first woman to win a specific individual athletics event three times in a row at the Olympic Games.
• Mattel created a Shero Barbie doll with her image in 2021, making her the third Polish woman to receive one.

Rise Through the Ranks

Anita Włodarczyk, born on 8 August 1985, carved her path in the hammer throw through a steady accumulation of breakthroughs. Her competitive journey began in earnest when she claimed her first national U23 title in 2007, though her appearance at that year's European U23 Championships ended in the qualifying round. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing saw her finish fourth, a result that signaled she belonged at the highest level. By 2009, she had secured her first major international gold at the European Team Championships and pushed her personal best to 76.20 metres in Biała Podlaska on 30 May 2009. That same year, a 77.20-metre throw in Cottbus set a national record, and then in Berlin at the World Championships, she shattered the world mark at 77.96 metres on 22 August 2009. A twisted ankle during her celebration cut that season short, but she returned in 2010 to extend the record to 78.30 metres in Bydgoszcz on 6 June 2010. The trajectory was unmistakable: Włodarczyk was building toward something unprecedented in women's athletics.

Shattering Barriers and Claiming Gold

The defining moments of Włodarczyk's career are marked by thresholds no woman had previously crossed. On 1 August 2015, she hurled the hammer 81.08 metres, becoming the first female athlete in history to clear the 80-metre barrier. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, she won gold with a world-record 82.29 metres, and just two weeks after that, at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Warsaw on 28 August 2016, she pushed the mark further to 82.98 metres — a record that still stands. Her 2020 Olympic victory, thrown at 78.48 metres, made her the only woman to win the hammer throw three consecutive times, a feat matched in the men's event solely by John Flanagan in the early 1900s. Her dominance was further underscored by a 42-competition winning streak that began in July 2014, and by the fact that she holds every one of the top 15 women's hammer throw results of all time, plus 27 of the top 30. In competition, she uses some of the equipment that belonged to the late Kamila Skolimowska, a tribute to a fellow Polish hammer thrower.

A Legacy Written in Records

Włodarczyk's standing in athletics is singular. Widely regarded as the greatest female hammer thrower of all time, she is the first woman to throw the hammer beyond 80 metres and holds the women's world record of 82.98 metres. Her three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016, and 2020 place her third on the all-time Summer Olympics medal list among Polish athletes, trailing only racewalker Robert Korzeniowski and sprinter Irena Szewińska. She is also the first woman to win any specific individual athletics event three times in a row at the Games. Beyond the field, her cultural footprint extends into popular imagination: in 2021, Mattel announced a Shero Barbie doll bearing her likeness, recognizing her as an inspiration to others pursuing their dreams. She became the third Polish woman to receive such an honor, following Martyna Wojciechowska and Iwona Blecharczyk.

Honors and National Recognition

Poland has consistently recognized Włodarczyk's contributions with its highest state and sporting honors. She received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2009, followed by the Officer's Cross in 2016, and ultimately the Commander's Cross with Star in 2021 — a progression reflecting her sustained excellence over more than a decade. In 2016, she was named Polish Sports Personality of the Year by Przegląd Sportowy magazine, and the town of Rawicz granted her honorary citizenship that same year. Track & Field News named her Athlete of the Year in 2014, 2016 and 2017. She also received the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year Award in 2017 for her sports achievements in the previous year. These accolades, layered over her competitive record, paint a picture of an athlete whose impact transcended the throwing circle, earning her a place among Poland's most celebrated public figures.