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Batavia HS grad places 2nd in state hammer throw competition

By Howard B. Owens

Submitted by Diana Anderson Radley:

Batavian, Max Radley, junior at SUNY Fredonia, a member of theSUNY Fredonia Mens track and Field since a freshmen and a former member of the Batavia HS Track and Field Team competed in State University of New York Athletic Competitions in Oneoneta this past weekend.  Max finished 2nd in the state competition  in Hammer throwing with a with a distance of 47.74 meters.

Max plans on studying and competing in the Netherlands next semester.  Max is the son of Diana Anderson Radley, a licensed Massage Therapist and Herbalist, owner of Massage by Diana and copartner in a new business called Scientific Edge, Health and Wellness trainings and education for the Professional Community and general community   Carl Radley, formerly of Batavia

Like other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the ball the farthest. The men's hammer weighs 16 pounds (7.257 kg) and measures 3 feet 11 3⁄4 inches (121.5 cm) in length and the women's hammer weighs 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 feet 11 inches (119.5 cm) in length.[1] Competitors gain maximum distance by swinging the hammer above their head to set up the circular motion. Then they apply force and pick up speed by completing one to four turns in the circle. In competition, most throwers turn three or four times. The ball moves in a circular path, gradually increasing in velocity with each turn with the high point of the ball toward the sector and the low point at the back of the circle. The thrower releases the ball from the front of the circle. The two most important factors for a long throw are the angle of release (45° up from the ground) and the speed of the ball (the highest possible).

While the men's hammer throw has been in the Olympic Games since 1900, the IAAF did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.

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