The blue skies at Oakengates Leisure Centre were the perfect backdrop for the first Hammerfest of 2025, which young athletes and their families travelled from as far as Cardiff, Swansea, Cumbria, and Liverpool to compete in.
The Black Country Hammerfest Junior Grand Prix was founded to provide good quality competitions for young throwers and the opportunity to thrive, develop and enjoy competing.
Focused on fun, the events offer a relaxed environment to take the pressure off the athletes, as well as giving them more throwing opportunities, encouraging taking risks and personal bests.
Founder Matthew Sutton said: “The overarching aim of the event is to help youngsters fall in love with sport, it is crucial we do this for future success. I hope this inspires others around the country to do the same.”
Hammer throwing has always been the Cinderella event within the athletics world and lack of representation in athletics can lead to less young people deciding to participate.
Sutton believes it is in the hands of those who love the sport to change this and says it is not surprising that some grassroot athletes change sport to those that provide more input and satisfaction.
(Marnie McEntee)
Hammerfest aims to give young athletes the chance to see hammer throwing in a fun light, igniting a passion that athletes in other track and field sports may get from the opportunities they receive.
Coach Stephen Pearson said: “‘In mainstream athletics hammer throwers are pushed out so we have to do these things to make up for what we miss.”
In most competitions, throwers get four throws overall whereas Hammerfest athletes get twelve throughout the day, minimising the fear of a no throw so they can focus more on the throw itself.
Over three meetings throughout the year, athletes pick up points for exceeding their personal best’s until two overall winners are crowned at the final meeting, with a goal to incentivise athletes pushing themselves to a higher level.
An average of 25 throws over existing personal best’s at all five meetings held so far stands as proof that the formula works. Sutton said: “I put it down to two quotes: ‘Energy flows where focus goes and all boats rise with the tide.’ Success is infectious.”
One of last year’s winners Jabez Berry is now seventh in the all time under-20 hammer throw rankings after throwing a personal best of 73.66m at Hammerfest last week.
Berry said: “Being in a comfortable environment always relaxes you. You can just enjoy throwing and have a good time with the people around you.”
Events like this are important in sports like hammer throwing which can be disciplined and competitions are all-or-nothing.
Jabez’ father Stuart Berry explained how Hammerfest has helped with his son’s competition anxiety which he said can have a “detrimental impact,” adding that the crowd involvement and microphone commentary from Sutton prepares young athletes for other competitions.
(Marnie McEntee)
The event took inspiration from the organiser’s youth coach Alan Bertram MBE, who passed away in 2013. Bertram – who coached multiple Olympians, Commonwealth and National Champions – instilled a passion in Sutton.
A project that stuck with him was the Youth Grand Prix in the late nineties – a monthly competition for the top eight ranked boys in the under-17 age group which focused on helping athletes grow through a fun environment.
This experience was combined with the party atmosphere of competitions he attended in Germany which motivated him by making competing fun, inspiring him to create the Black Country Hammerfest Junior Grand Prix.
With rock music blaring across the field, Jamaican food, and welly wanging, participants were invited on a fun day out, helping them look forward to competing rather than dreading a stern, unsupportive environment.
Resources for young people starting throwing do not compare with other events and it is rarely taught in schools. Amy Rushton – a mother at the event – travels an hour from Stoke four times a week with her son in order to receive a high standard of coaching, with his closest competitors living across the country.
Sutton said: “I hope the event shines a light on the importance of investing in grassroots and provides an example of how to do it.”
There is a stir around the way these events could impact the sport on both a domestic and international level, with Berry in contention to attend the European Junior Championships in Finland later this year, the event could produce its first Olympian in the near future.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
