Canadian Olympic gold medalist Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, British Columbia has won the 2024 Lionel Conacher Award. The award is presented to the Canadian male athlete of the year.
Katzberg won gold in the men’s hammer throw at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He posted a throw of 84.12 metres. Bence Halasz of Hungary won the silver medal with a throw of 79.97 metres and Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine won the bronze medal with a throw of 79.39 metres. Katzberg reached the podium by 4.94 metres. Eivind Henriksen of Noway finished in fourth place with a throw of 79.18 metres.
This is the third time a Canadian man won an Olympic medal in the men’s hammer throw. Con Walsh of Toronto, Ontario won the bronze medal at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, and Duncan Gillis of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia won the silver medal at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Amazingly, Katzberg was one of two Canadians to win a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The other was Camryn Rogers of Richmond, British Columbia on the women’s side.
Katzberg was one of two Canadians to win a gold medal in a men’s individual event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The other was Philip Kim of Toronto, Ontario in men’s breakdancing.
In addition to winning Olympic gold in the men’s hammer throw, Katzberg set the Canadian record in the men’s hammer throw this past year. Katzberg had a throw of 84.38 metres in winning the 2024 Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya on April 20.
