A tragic accident to be sure. Participation in sports, even on the side lines, is not without risk.

Was it a bad thing in ancient times if someone was killed by a hammer throw? Or was that originally the object of it?

All those archaic track and field events like the javelin throw, the shot put, the discus throw and the hammer throw were originally tests of military skill after all.

How the hammer throw got its name.

Hammer throw fail.

College student killed at track and field event; “We ask people to pray for Ethan’s family”

An Illinois college student is dead after being hit during a hammer throw event, officials said.

Wheaton College identified the victim as Ethan Roser, 19, a freshman transfer student from Cincinnati, Ohio. Roser died after being accidentally struck with a hammer Saturday, according to a Wheaton statement. He had been volunteering at a track and field competition on the campus in suburban Chicago.

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