Wolf Kiessling
03-16-2004, 5:01 PM
This happened at a recent international Olympic trials during the hammer throw event.
A big German man, 6 ft tall and weighing about 240 pounds, grabbed the hammer, did three twirls and released it. It flew 132 ft. The judge was astounded. “My gosh”, he said, “that is a new world record. How did you ever throw that hammer so far?” The German contestant replied, “My grandfather was a blacksmith, my father was a blacksmith and I am a blacksmith. I spend all day swinging that hammer onto the anvil and this gives me great strength.”
The next contestant was a Russian, 6 ft 3 in and weighing in at 265 lbs. He took the hammer, twirled three times and released it for 156 feet. The judge couldn’t believe it. “That is a new world record again. How ever did you do that?” The Russian replied, “My grandfather was a woodworker, my father was a woodworker and I am a woodworker. I swing a hammer all day long and this makes me very strong. That’s how I did it.”
Next comes the American contestant, 5 ft 8 in weighing 135 pounds. He took up the hammer, twirled three times and threw it for 172 feet. Again, the judge was absolutely amazed. He said, “You are such a small man, how did you ever throw that hammer so far and manage to come up with a third world record in one day?” The American replied, “My grandfather was a civil servant, my father was a civil servant and I am a civil servant. When I first got into the civil service my father told me, “Son, if you ever get a tool in your hand, throw it away just as far as you can or you might have to do some work.””
A big German man, 6 ft tall and weighing about 240 pounds, grabbed the hammer, did three twirls and released it. It flew 132 ft. The judge was astounded. “My gosh”, he said, “that is a new world record. How did you ever throw that hammer so far?” The German contestant replied, “My grandfather was a blacksmith, my father was a blacksmith and I am a blacksmith. I spend all day swinging that hammer onto the anvil and this gives me great strength.”
The next contestant was a Russian, 6 ft 3 in and weighing in at 265 lbs. He took the hammer, twirled three times and released it for 156 feet. The judge couldn’t believe it. “That is a new world record again. How ever did you do that?” The Russian replied, “My grandfather was a woodworker, my father was a woodworker and I am a woodworker. I swing a hammer all day long and this makes me very strong. That’s how I did it.”
Next comes the American contestant, 5 ft 8 in weighing 135 pounds. He took up the hammer, twirled three times and threw it for 172 feet. Again, the judge was absolutely amazed. He said, “You are such a small man, how did you ever throw that hammer so far and manage to come up with a third world record in one day?” The American replied, “My grandfather was a civil servant, my father was a civil servant and I am a civil servant. When I first got into the civil service my father told me, “Son, if you ever get a tool in your hand, throw it away just as far as you can or you might have to do some work.””