Ithaca’s Winkler Olympic-bound for hammer throw

Back in 2016, Rudy Winkler was a junior at Cornell University. He also represented the United States at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro finishing 18th in the hammer throw. This year, Winkler, who has lived in Ithaca since graduating in 2017, is heading to Tokyo to compete in the Olympics again after setting the national record in the hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this month.

Winkler, originally from Sand Lake, New York, is in a different phase of his life now for his second trip to the Games. He’s able to place more focus on his pursuit of greatness in the hammer throw, and that has led to a successful post-college career.

“It feels pretty incredible qualifying for my second Olympic Games,” Winkler said. “The first time around, it feels like it was something that happened to me. It wasn’t something that I was really planning for or necessarily training for. I was still in college. I had the whole college season and went through the trials and won and went to the Olympics. But this time around, this feels more like it was my goal this season.”

He’s had this goal in mind for five years and achieved it in spectacular fashion, by breaking an American record that stood for 25 years. Winkler’s record-breaking throw traveled 82.71 meters, which is over 271 feet. Winkler credits the performance at the Trials, which took place in Oregon on June 20, to exceptional preparation.

“The week leading up to the meet, my practices were phenomenal, better than I’ve ever practiced in my entire life,” he said. “So, I was feeling really good. [The record] was definitely on my radar because earlier in the season, I had thrown 198 [feet] and didn’t really have nearly as good of preparation for it. I knew if I had a decent throw, I was going to be able to get close to or break the American record.”

The previous record was held by Lance Deal, who Winkler considers “a mythical legend.” Winkler discussed what went through his mind when he surpassed Deal and entered the record books.

“Seeing the American record come up on the board, I was ecstatic,” Winkler said. “It was great. I looked up at my family with my sister in the air, and the rest of the comp went awesome as well. I did another throw over 82 [meters], and all but one of my throws were all over 80. Eighty is sort of this magical mark for hammer throwers. It’s a huge milestone for me. Only about 100 people historically have ever done it. That record throw put me over the edge for excitement. It was awesome.”

Now that his spot on the Olympic roster is secured, Winkler has his eyes on Paweł Fajdek, a four-time world champion from Poland who is the only thrower in the world with a better distance than Winkler this year.

“I’m pretty confident,” Winkler said. “I still actually have a lot of work ahead of me going into Tokyo, but I’ve also had a very consistent season — I’m over 80 meters more consistently than [Fajdek] is. No doubt he’ll be the most prepared for the Olympics, obviously. You never know what’s going to happen in a big meet like that. I think I’ll be able to throw probably just as far if I do everything right or further. I think if that happens, I’ll be in a good position to win a medal and potentially a gold.”

Now heading to Tokyo with serious momentum, a gold medal is attainable for Winkler. He gave his thoughts on what finishing on the podium this summer would mean to him.

“I was kind of at a loss for words after the trials and breaking the American record, so I’m not even sure how to feel if I got an Olympic medal,” Winkler said. “The last person to do it was the last American record-holder, Lance Deal. He medaled in the ’96 Olympics. It’s kind of indescribable that I’m even in that position that I’m considering a medal. Getting a medal is a whole other story. I’ll deal with that if it comes.”

The Cornell contingent for the Tokyo Olympics now grows stronger with Winkler’s berth. He joins triathlete Taylor Knibb, rowers Michael Grady and Taylor Eisser, and, of course, Lansing’s own Kyle Dake as Big Red alumni heading to this year’s Olympics.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Winkler said. “Cornell doesn’t really compare to an SEC school who’s funneling tons and tons of money into athletics. The people who make it from [the] Cornell team or even from other Ivy League schools are people who are incredibly passionate about what they do. It’s just an amazing testament to the people they are and the type of coaches that we do have here at Cornell. So, it’s a pretty amazing feat to be able to do that.”

Leading up to the Games, Winkler will be splitting his training time between Ithaca, with Cornell assistant track and field coach Kevin Phipps, and Wallkill, New York, with former Olympian Paddy McGrath. He’ll be departing Ithaca for Japan on July 24, looking to build upon his recent success to take home a gold medal.