Koji The Biomechanist
Many people often forget that the current men’s hammer throw world champion is also one of the foremost contributors to advancing the science of hammer throwing. Koji Murofushi, or maybe I should say Dr. Koji, received his doctorate in physical education from Chyukyo University. His dissertation and research focused on the biomechanics of hammer throwing and is one of the few contributors to a field that has been relatively dormant over the past two decades.
When I mentioned these facts in an article I wrote last October, I immediately received emails asking for a copy of his dissertation. While I do not have a copy of the dissertation, I do have a copy of a paper he co-authored that was published back in 2007. In the paper, Murofushi measures ground reaction for and hammer wire tensile force of his throw and the throw of two other Japanese throwers in order to analyze the hammer’s acceleration patterns. The set-up was so complex he actually published another article that explained how they developed the devices that were used.
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If you look at the latest videos of Sophie Hitchon and Quentin Bigot you can see that they also transfer pressure from the right to left foot extremely well during turns 2,3,4. It seems to allow them to push more effectively. I am trying to get Julia to do this at the moment (so far without success).