# Rudy Winkler

Rudy Winkler (born December 6, 1994) is an American male track and field athlete who competes in the hammer throw. He is the NACAC area record holder and American record holder with a throw of 82.71 m (271 ft 4 in) for the hammer and holds a personal best of 23.32 m (76 ft 6 in) for the weight throw. He was the hammer national champion in 2016 and 2020, winning the 2016. and 2020 United States Olympic Trials.

## Career

Born in Sand Lake, New York, Winkler attended Averill Park High School and competed in the hammer from a young age and represented the United States in age category competitions. He was a finalist at both the 2011 World Youth and the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He won his first international medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in 2013, taking the silver medal behind Mexico's Diego del Real.
He joined Cornell University and competed collegiately for their Cornell Big Red track team and was selected for the Quill and Dagger society. He topped the field of the weight throw at the 2015 Ivy League Indoor Track & Field Championships, then won the hammer title at the conference's outdoor championships later that year. At his first national event, he came eighth in the hammer at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 2016 season, he defended his Ivy League Indoor title and placed tenth at the NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. He was again hammer champion at the Ivy League Outdoor meet and set a personal record of 72.84 m (238 ft 11+1⁄2 in) to place runner-up to Britain's Nick Miller at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Following his graduation in 2017, Winkler used the last of his NCAA eligibility for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights track and field team, setting their school record and placing 4th at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials a big personal best of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) brought him his first national title and selection for the USA Olympic team. Although he was just short of the 77-meter qualifying standard set by the IAAF, he was invited to compete as one of the highest-ranked athletes, as an insufficient number of people had achieved the mark that year.
He currently resides in Washington, D.C., with his fiancé, Olivia Foster.
His greatest sports influences are his friends and coaches Paddy McGrath and Roman Feldman.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| 2011 | World Youth Championships | Lille, France | 9th | Hammer throw | 68.14 m |
| 2012 | World Junior Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 11th | Hammer throw | 69.35 m |
| 2013 | Pan American Junior Championships | Medellin, Colombia | 2nd | Hammer throw | 71.79 m |
| 2016 | NACAC U23 Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 2nd | Hammer throw | 73.00 m |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 18th (q) | Hammer throw | 71.89 m |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 31st (q) | Hammer throw | 68.88 m |
| 2018 | NACAC Championships | Toronto, Canada | 4th | Hammer throw | 70.45 m |
| 2019 | Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 8th | Hammer throw | 71.84 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 11th | Hammer throw | 75.20 m |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | Hammer throw | 77.08 m |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 6th | Hammer throw | 78.99 m |
| 2022 | NACAC Championships | Freeport, Bahamas | 1st | Hammer throw | 78.29 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 8th | Hammer throw | 76.04 m |
| 2023 | Pan American Games | Santiago, Chile | 3rd | Hammer throw | 76.65 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 6th | Hammer throw | 77.92 m |

## National titles

* USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
** Hammer throw: 2016
** Hammer throw: 2020

## Personal records

* Hammer throw – 82.71 m (271 ft 4+1⁄4 in) (2021)
* Discus throw – 51.47 m (168 ft 10+1⁄4 in) (2019)
* Weight throw – 23.32 m (76 ft 6 in) (2017)