- I am mighty. I am powerful.
I am Keith, God of Thunder!
(imitating lightning)
(Keith makes whirring sound) - Keith.
Keith, Keith, Keith. What're you doing?
- I'm-- You know, it's...
this episode of the
we're doing the hammer throw-- - No, no, no.
This is a mallet.
This... - My mallet!
- ...is a hammer-throw hammer.
- You shouldn't be able to lift that.
- It's a steel ball connected to a steel wire, with a handle.
- How am I supposed to use this?
(grunting) Actually, that's really heavy!
- I know! - Too hard to use as a hammer.
- We'll learn from an expert today.
- Oh. - We're gonna meet real-life Thor.
- Oh, wow, well, let's get to it.
(Zach): We're the Try Guys, and we absolutely
love the Olympics.
(Eugene): The competition, the drama...
(Keith): The glory! We can't get enough of it!
(Eugene): But to be honest, there's a lot we don't know.
(Zach): So we want to become the ultimate Olympic experts
the best way we know how...
by trying!
(Keith): As we find out How to Olympics.
(echoing footsteps thudding)
(dramatic music)
(Eugene): Look how big he is! (Keith): Whoa!
(long exhale)
- He is a
- I'm seeing everything in slow motion right now.
(loud explosion)
(Keith): Oh, that was incredible!
That was amazing! Wow! (clapping)
- Hey! - Conor, so great to meet you!
This is Eugene. I'm Keith
so I'm pretty ready for the day.
- Nice to meet you guys. (Eugene): Yeah.
- Do you know anything about the hammer throw?
- Absolutely nothing! - But it looks cool.
- Let me give you a quick little rundown.
It's really simple, it's about hurling a 16-pound steel ball
as far as you can.
Almost the entire length of a football field.
Takes a combination of strength and finesse
to get that done. - Ah!
- You're spinning as fast as you can
while holding really, really, really intense tension
that builds on the wire,
and you're releasing it at over 100 kilometres an hour.
(screaming)
- You're obviously very trained...
- Strong. - Strong.
- Muscular.
- Bigger than us. - Handsome.
- Do we have to be handsome-- - Do we need to be handsome?
- Handsome is number one. (Keith): Okay.
- Number two is years and years
of grinding on the technical aspects of the throw
and building your strength and power.
- It's sorta categorized with the discus,
and the javelin and the shot put,
but this is way cooler, 'cause you know, you're like, spinning,
you're, like, really revving up,
kind of like a superhero,
kind of like Thor,
and I'm kinda hoping that I'll be like Thor today.
- Yeah, well, Thor's only 1000 years old,
but the hammer throw is actually 2000 plus years old.
(loud thud)
- We actually have a narrator who can help us out with the history.
(narrator):
(whirring)
Legend has it that the concept of the hammer throw
began as wheel hurling in Ireland's Tailteann Games
in 2000 B.C.
when Celtic warrior, Cuchulainn,
gripped a chariot wheel by its axle,
whirled it around his head and threw it further than anyone else.
People liked what they saw, but said, "Hey, man,
let's leave the chariots alone so we can still get places?"
They replaced it with a boulder
attached to a wooden handle.
Genius.
By the Middle Ages,
athletes were throwing actual sledgehammers,
which is when the sport got its name.
King Henry VIII even got in on the action.
Who knew His Royal Highness was also a jock?
(thud, person cries out in pain)
Since 1866, the hammer throw has been a regular event
at athletic competitions.
By then, the wooden handle had been replaced
by a steel wire connecting an iron ball
to a pair of grips.
Way less splinters.
After the rules were set by the English,
the sport became a fan favourite at the Highland Games
where hammer throwers don traditional kilts...
hoping for no wind.
Hammer throwing joined the Olympics in 1900.
But for men only.
Women didn't compete until the 2000 Games,
a whole 100 years after the dudes.
The Olympic men's record was set in 1988,
by Sergey Litvinov
with a throw of 84.80 metres.
Anita Wlodarczyk set the Olympic record for women
in 2016, with an 82.29-metre throw.
Making her the first and only woman ever to throw the hammer
over 80 metres at the Olympics.
Watch out, Thor!
(soft rhythmic music)
- You're the perfect person to teach us how to do this.
I think we're ready to throw some hammers.
- Gimme one of them string balls, baby!
- No hammers yet.
You've gotta learn slow before you can go fast.
You gotta learn to turn with some other things.
We're gonna start with some medicine balls.
- These blue balls. - Yes, the blue balls.
First rule's on turning in the hammer throw.
Left hell, right toe.
It's very controlled, efficient turns.
And we're gonna start to our left
and when you're moving,
you get more force through release.
Like this.
- That's a real heel-toe.
- Yeah, exactly. Heel-toe the whole way down the circle.
- It's a lot more of a dance.
- Yeah, when I said finesse, I really meant it.
Uh, it's really getting the power efficiently
into the hammer,
and straight out in the direction of the throw.
- And you can't step out of the circle.
- No, so you have to exit the back half of that circle.
Under control.
So, you can't release and fall out; that's a foul.
And can't step on the edge. That's a foul.
(Eugene): Wow.
- I'll give it a whirl! Ha!
- Never heard that one before... - Really?
Twist. - And hold there.
Make sure your left toe is pointing. There we go.
You switch to your toe when you turn.
There you go.
And very controlled.
- Heel-toe.
- Yeah, and we slow it down a bit,
make sure we're at 90
with our toes pointed toward 90. Good.
- Uh-huh. Do-si-do.
Twist!
(Conor): There we go! (Eugene): Yes! And exit...
gracefully.
- I think the official might consider that under control.
- It's time to get a little hammer action and swing 'em.
- Not quite yet.
We will grab some brooms next to prepare.
- Brooms? - I'm sorry, brooms?
Do we need to clean up the area before we can swing the hammers?
- We need to clean up your technique.
- Ooh! Damn, girl!
- Okay, I'll grab the broom. - You just got McCulloughed.
- I went almost a year before throwing an actual hammer.
(Keith exhales sharply)
- You look like the stupidest kid at Hogwarts.
(Conor chuckles): The idea is to feel more similar,
like a hammer, where it's further away from you.
You can start to feel the orbit of a real hammer.
And see if you can increase your speed.
- Yeah, I'm going for it here.
- Heel-toe.
- We're going for it!
(clanging) (laughter)
- That-- But that's not good. That's why you have this cage.
- That's exactly why you have this cage,
to keep everybody else on the outside safe.
- Alright, so we threw the medicine balls.
- Crushed it!
- Then, we threw the brooms. - Swept the competition.
- I think we're ready for the hammers, don't you say?
- You make a good argument,
but remember how long I told you it took me
before I put a hammer in my hand?
(Keith, whining): A whole year.
- Three-hundred-sixty-five days. - ...sixty-five days...
- So let's take an extra few steps
before we get to the real hammer.
And put something a little heavier in our hands.
- A mop? - Is it a mop?
- A bucket and a mop?
- Golf clubs!
- Oh! - Oh. Okay, that makes sense.
- I've actually accidentally thrown these many times.
(Conor): The next step is the winds.
We use the winds to prepare a little more speed
into the entry of your full turns.
With these, you'll feel a little bit of weight at the end...
across...
over the head...
(softly): Oh, above the head!
(Keith): Oh my goodness gracious, look at it go!
(imitating a rock guitar)
How many times do you guys pretend
there's a rock guitar in the circle?
- Never.
One...
two...
One.
(Keith): That's hot. - Is this too sexy?
(Conor): Try to increase your speed... and release.
Very good.
Improvement!
(Keith): The eye's beautiful. He looks like a ballet dancer.
(Conor): There you go! (Keith): And a beautiful toss,
followed by a bow! Incredible.
(Eugene): So, this is such a unique sport,
Conor, how did you get into it in the first place?
- I have a long history in the sport. It's in my blood.
My father threw for the Irish Olympic Team in the 1984
and '88 Olympic Games. (Eugene): Wow!
(father shouting)
- Back into my history,
as I entered high school
is when I really grew in my interest for the hammer throw.
I broke some national records.
Competed at the collegiate level
where I won a national championship.
I eventually made the US Olympic team in 2016 in Rio.
The crowning experience of my athletic career.
And now, I'm preparing for the Olympic trials
and hopefully will make the Tokyo 2020 team.
- Wow. - Incredible!
- So we did the medicine balls, we crushed it,
we did the brooms, amazing,
we practiced the overhead swing
and the spin with the golf clubs,
certainly now, that's enough and we can do the big dog thing
with the hammer.
- Not yet.
- Oh my gosh! - Conor McCullough...
- How much more time?
- No, I'm just kidding. It's hammer time!
(both): It's hammer time.
- Everybody back up. Get away from me!
You, get away from me. Get away from me!
I'm about to start swinging!
So, if I go, like, that...
- Yeah. - Ow...
(chuckling)
I already hurt myself. (Conor chuckling)
(grunting) (Conor): That's better.
(grunting): Oh god!
Bloh, god!
(Eugene): Thor, you got it. You're Thor!
- What happened to left heel, right toe?
- Well, I... (laughing)
- Whoa. Just got dizzy.
- Do you know why you get dizzy?
- I do not.
- What's happening inside of your ear
is the fluid is moving and when you stop moving,
the fluid keeps moving,
telling your brain that you're moving,
when we're not actually moving.
- So, if my ear juice is spinning,
how do I stop from getting dizzy?
- One of the techniques that we use
is to focus on the hammer as you're spinning.
Instead of staring at everything else that's moving around you.
Because your frame of reference, then, isn't moving.
- So the idea of getting dizzy
while swinging around a ball of lead,
I do understand why this is dangerous, now.
- You got this.
He's really proud of himself.
(Conor): What does working hard mean to him?
(Eugene): Oh, you know, throwing stuff around the house.
- There we go.
(exhaling)
Then, we would go... (soft grunting)
(Eugene): Good turns, honey!
- That was nice and controlled. (Eugene): Yeah!
- Controlled. Now, that, technically would count as a metre.
- Maybe a metre and a half.
- "Are you not entertained?!"
(Eugene): Nice old reference! - Thank you!
(Conor): There you go. (Keith): Yeah!
Wow! Look at him go!
(Conor): Try to keep it a little flatter.
So your orbit... is less like this...
Yeah. And more...
Yeah. That's- Exactly.
(Keith): So strong. Look at him.
(dramatic music)
(soft grunt) (Keith): Yeah!
(Conor): Great. - Yeah, you crushed it!
That was incredible! (Conor applauds)
Wow, what was that? Ten metres? Twelve metres?
Your hair's a little out of control,
but your form is incredible.
- So there's one last thing we need to learn.
(competitors screaming in succession)
- The yell.
Why the yell? Is that, like, are they mad about something?
Is that an intimidation thing?
- It's actually just to release the pressure
at the end of your throw.
You guys wanna give it a try? - Yeah!
So, if I was, like...
(humming)
Yeah!
- Not bad, not bad. (Eugene): So... positive.
- Yeah! Well, I'm trying to encourage it on its flight.
- Should I say "no" then? - Yeah!
- Yeah. Hummana-hummana-hummana... No!
- That was nice. Nice and deep. That was a good one.
- Ho!
- A popular one these days is "yeet".
(high-pitched): Yeet!
(deep voice): Ha! - Ha!
That felt good.
- I'll give you one of mine.
(screams loudly)
(whispering): Jesus. God.
(Eugene): So, that was incredible.
But... will it be as incredible going against...
- Us.
I think it's time that we challenge you
to a competition.
If we do lose, that means you didn't teach us well enough.
(laughter)
(Eugene): We probably should know how the rules work first.
Narrator!
(narrator):
Men and women compete separately
with the men's hammer weighing 7.26 kilograms,
or about the weight of a bowling ball.
The women's hammer weighs in at about 4 kilograms,
or one half of a bowling ball,
if they came in halves.
The throwing circle is 2.135 metres in diameter,
and once the throwers start swinging,
they cannot set the hammer down or drop it.
They also can't touch the ground or step outside of the circle
or on the insert
until the hammer hits the ground.
Also, for the throw to be measured,
the hammer must land inside a marked 35-degree sector.
Any of these violations is considered a foul
which invalidates the throw.
At the Olympics, athletes get three attempts
to make it into the top eight throwers.
Then, the top eight throwers get three more throws.
And the longest single throw in that final round wins.
- Wait, I thought we decided we were doing a no-shirt thing.
- We didn't decide anything, you just came out shirtless.
- I thought that was part of the decision,
that I would make a decision and you would follow it.
- No, we said kilts.
- I know, but kilts sort of--
you know, if you're gonna be sexy, be sexy.
- Keith.
There's such a thing as too sexy.
(laughing)
- I think we're ready for the competition.
- Well, I wasn't expecting kilts.
- Well, I'd say we kilt it, so...
(both): Hey!
- Today, we're not gonna do typical Olympic rules,
we're gonna have one throw each.
The combined distance of your throws
against the single distance of mine.
(both): Okay, our combined distance
versus your single distance.
- Correct.
- If we beat you today,
you will wear a kilt in the Olympics.
- Deal. (Keith): Okay. Wow!
- Wow, now the stakes are real.
- Now I'm gonna really try.
Let's do it! Yeah, we're gonna take him down.
We're gonna crush him.
Sorry, no cameras. Psht!
- Alright, make sure you do your full three turns.
Arms straight.
Relaxed, controlled turns. (Keith): Yeah.
(grunting)
(exhaling loudly)
(screaming)
(Eugene): The scream was excellent!
- Yeah. A ten. Ten for the yell at the end.
(Keith): I figure right where the ball rolled.
- Eugene, you better go check and make sure that
he's not cheating.
- I'm gonna give myself two inches. Don't tell him.
- The closest part. - Yes! To me!
- Not where the ball rolled to! - Yeah, the closest part to me!
(Eugene chuckling): To him.
Fourteen metres, eight centimetres.
Woo! Woo, beat that!
(Eugene laughing) Yeah!
- You ready for some mischief? (Keith): I'm ready.
- Let's see what you got!
(dramatic music)
Ah!
(Keith): Yes! (applause)
- Look at that control.
- I feel like we're two schoolgirls
skipping through the field. - This is fun!
Oh, wow! Look at that! You really ruined the yard!
(Eugene): Eighteen metres, 41 centimetres.
Yeah!
- Alright, guys, here's what I'm thinking.
(Eugene): Mm-hmm.
- We take your combined distance of 33, we double it,
make it 66, and that's my new mark to beat.
- Okay, well, good luck
and remember, if you lose,
you gotta wear a kilt in the Olympics.
- Sounds like a deal to me.
(loud scream) (Keith): My god!
(softly): Oh my goodness, me.
Jeez. (Eugene): Holy mother of balls.
- Yeah, that was intense.
(Eugene): Straight, too. (Keith): Wow, that was, like,
right down the middle!
But was it longer than 66 metres?
(Keith giggling): Where is the ball?
(Eugene): Uh...
(Keith): Wow, it almost left the whole field.
(Eugene): Sixty-nine, seventy-one!
(Keith): Wow!
Well, fair is fair, Conor, you barely edged us out today.
You barely beat us.
But really, it was incredible to watch you and train with you,
it was super cool.
I got a really great respect for this sport.
It's impossible, what you do.
- Yeah, it takes years and years to really perfect it.
I'm glad you guys came out.
I hope you guys learned a lot.
- Oh, yeah! - Yeah, the technique,
the power, the finesse.
(Keith): I can't wait to watch this in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
I hopefully will be able to see you and cheer you on this summer as well.
- Yeah, hopefully. - Right after you throw it,
I want you to look to the camera and say, "That's for you, Keith."
- There we go. (Keith): Yeah.
You know, it was a tough defeat,
but when you consider he's an Olympic athlete,
it makes sense that we lost.
- What did we learn, Keith?
- We learned that Thor has almost nothing to do with this event,
that shirtless kilts are not allowed,
and that there's actually a lot of finesse in the hammer throw.
(grunting)
It just shows how much work these professionals put in
that they can make it look easy,
because let me tell you, it's not.
(Conor screaming)
It's been an amazing day.
But I think all that's left is to walk into the sunset.
Shall we?
Wait, this is gonna- Wait, this isn't the right way.
This way. This way. - Alright, yes, yes, yes.
(Keith sighs)
(Conor): So, these are plate twists.
- I get the 20?! Oh, ho, ho, ho!
- And they're gonna help prepare you guys for the actual throw.
(Keith): Oh, my God!
This is where I tweak my back.
(Conor): Yeah, very good, there we go. Perfect.
- Oh, my God. This is mostly an arm workout for me so far.
- And most of our power is gonna come from our back and legs.
(grunting)
There we go. The grunting is really important.
- Ooh, it's all tummy right there.
- Do Olympians say "tummy"? - Not usually.
- Wh-- Oh, yeah, well... you know, we-we're...
trying to rebrand the sport.