The men's hammer throw was a track and field athletics

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics

These are the results of athletics competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics. 30 events were contested, all for men only.The athletics programme grew by 4 events since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The 5000 and 10000 metre races were introduced for the first time, as the 5 mile event was eliminated...

 programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event, which had been won all three previous times by John Flanagan. The competition was held on Sunday, July 14, 1912.

Fourteen hammer throwers from four nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

World Record	57.10(*)	Matt McGrath Matt McGrath Matthew John “Matt” McGrath was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 65, he attained the rank of Inspector, and during his career received the NYPD's Medal of Valor twice. He competed for...	New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	October 29, 1911
Olympic Record	51.92	John Flanagan	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... )	July 14, 1908

(*) unofficial

Matt McGrath

Matt McGrath

Matthew John “Matt” McGrath was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 65, he attained the rank of Inspector, and during his career received the NYPD's Medal of Valor twice. He competed for...

 set a new Olympic record in the qualification with 54.13 metres and improved his record in the final with 54.74 metres.

Results

Flanagan, who had won all three prior editions of the Olympic hammer throw and held the Olympic record of 51.92 metres, had retired since the 1908 Olympic Games. McGrath took the gold medal, besting Flanagan's Olympic record with all four of his legal marks. No other thrower beat Flanagan's Olympic mark.

Place	Athlete	Preliminary				Final			Best mark
		1	2	3	Rank	4	5	6
1		54.13 OR	—	—	1st	52.83	53.90	54.74 OR	54.74
2		46.17	—	48.39	2nd	—	47.24	—	48.39
3		48.17	—	—	3rd	—	—	—	48.17
4		39.56	46.50	—	4th				46.50
5		45.06	—	45.61	5th				45.61
6		38.99	43.78	—	6th				43.78
7		43.32	—	—	7th				43.32
8		39.18	42.58	—	8th				42.58
		—	40.80	42.58	8th				42.58
10		—	—	41.11	10th				41.11
11		38.66	39.92	—	11th				39.92
12		38.71	—	38.77	12th				38.77
13		—	—	38.44	13th				38.44
14		—			14th				None