Canadian world champion Ethan Katzberg secured the men's hammer gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday with a phenomenal first throw, marking a significant achievement in his athletic career. The 22-year-old from British Columbia launched an impressive 84.12m throw on his opening effort, which set the benchmark for the competition at the Stade de France.

Katzberg's throw was over four meters further than his closest competitor, Hungary's Bence Halasz, who claimed silver with a throw of 79.97m. Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan took the bronze with a throw of 79.39m.

This victory continues Katzberg's unbeaten streak in the event since his unexpected win at the World Championships in Budapest last year. His gold medal in Paris makes him the first Canadian to win the Olympic hammer gold and the first North American man to achieve this feat since Hal Connolly in 1956.

Katzberg shared that starting the competition with such a strong throw alleviated much of the pressure. "Coming into it I wanted to get a good one out in the first round," he told AFP. "For it to be 84 was a really good feeling and then after that I kind of tried to go for more. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a little more out but I was really happy."

The champion revealed that his journey into hammer throwing began by watching his sister participate in the sport. "My sister was a hammer thrower before me," he said. "I started coming out to her trainings and I thought it looked like fun. So I picked it up when I was 14 and I just kind of did it for fun. It feels great to be here now with a gold medal."

Katzberg's win is a testament to his dedication and talent, setting a new standard in the hammer throw and bringing pride to Canada with his historic achievement.