Spectator dies after hammer weight flies into audience during track and field meet

A spectator at a track and field meet in Colorado was killed after being hit with a hammer thrown by one of the competitors in the event, officials said Sunday.

The club track and field meet consisting of high school athletes took place at the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, according to KXRM-TV. The hammer cleared the certified barriers and struck one of the spectators in the stands.

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Jun 9, 2011; Des Moines, IA, USA; General view of implements during the women’s hammer throw at the 2011 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium.  (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports)

The spectator was pronounced dead at the scene, the station reported. The Colorado Springs Fire Department, university police and Colorado Springs police all responded to calls.

“We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved,” university chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in a statement.

The victim was a father of one of the athletes competing in the event, according to the Colorado United Track Club. 

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Colorado Springs police told KRDO-TV that the man was protecting his wife from the 25-pound weight.

“If it was certified, I would believe it would be higher up and there wouldn’t be seating there and they would have already tested it to see if there was any possible incident, anything that could be possibly happening before you had two hundred people there,” one spectator told KKTV.

The hammer throw is one of the signature events in track and field competition. The weight is attached to a grip, and the athlete spins around and lets it go down the field.

May 17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of hammer implements during the women’s hammer throw at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships at Drake Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

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The meet was canceled after the incident.

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