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Sergey Litvinov and Soviet compatriot Yuriy Sedykh dominated the world
of hammer throwing during the 1980's, fuelling an intense on-field
rivalry that saw them frequently exchanging world records and victories
at major championships. Litvinov's first major success came in 1979
when he won the Soviet hammer throw title, and then scored an easy
victory at the World Cup in Montreal. On 16 May 1980, Sedykh set a new
world record of 80.64m, but only eight days later, Litvinov broke this
world record when he threw 81.66m. At a showdown of the recent world
record-breakers at the Moscow Olympics on 31 July, Litvinov won the
silver medal behind Sedykh, who also reclaimed the world record from
Sergey.
This record stood until 4 June 1982, when Litvinov regained the
world record with a first round throw of 83.98m in Moscow. However, at
the European Championships in Athens on 10 September, it was Sedykh who
prevailed, with Litvinov winning the bronze medal. The following year,
Litvinov improved his world record to 84.14m at the Spartakiade in
Moscow on 21 June. Less than two months later, at the inaugural world
championships in Helsinki on 9 August, Sergey won the gold medal with a
throw of 82.68m, relegating his old rival Sedykh to second place.
Both
Litvinov and Sedykh missed the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles due to
the Soviet boycott, and their next opportunity to continue their duel
was at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart. In the lead up to
the Championships, Litvinov scored an impressive victory at London on 11
July (see photo above) with a best throw of 85.14m, but at
Stuttgart on 30 August, his best throw of 85.74m was again only good
enough for second place behind Sedykh who threw a new world record of
86.74m. (Ron Casey)
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