A weight thrown by a competitor struck and killed a spectator at an indoor high school track event in Colorado on Sunday.
Event organizers said a hammer thrown by a participant cleared certified barriers and hit a man watching the event on the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus.
“We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved,” UC Colorado Springs campus chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in a statement.
First responders provided medical care to the man and announced him dead at the scene. The man tried to protect his wife and son from the errant hammer throw, according to KRDO-TV.
The track meet was canceled after the man’s death.
The Colorado United Track Club confirmed in a statement to KRDO-TV that he was the father of one of the club’s participants. The club hosted the track event for high school athletes around the state on the UC Colorado Springs campus.
The World Athletics Organization defines a hammer throw as “a metal ball that’s attached to a grip by a steel wire.” The hammer weighs 16 pounds for men and 8.8 pounds for women. The goal is to throw the hammer the greatest distance while staying inside a seven-foot diameter circle.
(Photo of a hammer lodged at the top of safety netting: Brendon Thorne /…
