Rio de Janeiro, Aug 15 (IANS) Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk smashed her own world record on Monday to win gold in the women's hammer throw at the Rio Olympics.
The 31-year-old hurled the hammer 82.29 metres in her third attempt, surpassing the mark of 81.08m that she set last year, reported Xinhua news agency.
China's Zhang Wenxiu took silver with a season's best throw of 76.75m while Germany's Sophie Hitchon grabbed bronze with 74.54m.
"It's the world record and I believed I could get the gold medal but wasn't sure about the world record," Wlodarczyk said. "Before the third throw I felt the power and knew it would be the best moment. After many years of hard work I'm on top."
Wlodarczyk, who took silver in the event at the London 2012 Games, said the athletes struggled to cope with the heat inside the Olympic Stadium.
"It was extremely hard conditions and mega hot," she said. "I had to use cold water on my head throughout the competition. This result is fantastic in these conditions.
"After the world record I felt an explosion of happiness. But now I'm extremely tired. This day is the best day of my life and I still fight to improve my result."
Wlodarczyk has not lost a hammer throw competition since June 2014 and has posted the top 11 throws of all time.
--IANS
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