Former Cal Star Camryn Rogers Wins Hammer Throw in Kenya

The reigning Olympic champ from Canada competes on her fifth different continent

Camryn Rogers at the Paris 2024 Olympics / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Reigning Olympic champion Camryn Rogers made her first trip to Africa worthwhile, dominating the women’s hammer throw field at the Kip Keino Classic at Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Cal alum delivered the four longest throws of competition, including the winning mark of 255 feet, 8 inches (77.93 meters) at Ulinzi Sports Complex.

In just her second competition of the year, Rogers won by a margin of more than 12 feet.

She won the Mt. SAC Relays on April 13 in her season debut with a throw of 256-4 (78.14), her second-best ever. Rogers fell short of that at Nairobi. But after fouling on her first two attempts and posting a mark of 245-2 (74.73) in the third round, she assembled a string of three straight 77-meter marks.

Denmark’s Katrine Koch Jacobsen second with a season-best of 243-5 (74.21) and American Janee Kassanavoid placed third at 243-4 (74.17). 

The competition also featured world-recordholder and three-time Olympic champion Anita Włodarczyk of Poland. The 39-year-old, who set the first of her six world records in 2009 and the most recent one in 2016, finished seventh Saturday with a season-best of 230-6 (70.27). 

Rogers, who won three NCAA titles and set the collegiate record during her time at Cal, now has competed in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Rogers’ Canadian countryman Ethan Katzberg, the men’s Olympic champion at Paris last year, won the men’s hammer with a world-leading mark of 271-5 (82.73).

The Kip Keino Classic, named in honor of the legendary Kenyan long-distance runner, is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.  

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky

Recent articles:

No. 2 on our countdown of Cal athletes in TV commercials: Aaron Rodgers

Alex Morgan No. 3 in our rankings of Cal athletes' TV commercials

Starting times set for six of Cal's 2025 football games -- five are at night

Former Cal DB Camryn Bynum training with Manny Pacquiao