Hungarian Hammer Thrower Receives Medal in Front of Thousands of Fans

Bence Halász, who finished third in the men’s hammer throw at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Sunday evening, received his bronze medal on Monday to the applause of thousands of fans.

Sunday’s final in the men’s hammer throw was won by Canadian Ethan Katzberg (81.25m) ahead of Polish Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki (81.02m) and Hungarian athlete, Bence Halász (80.82m). The three podium winners received their medals and bouquets of flowers from the Minister of Defense, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and the Secretary of State for Sport, Ádám Schmidt, on Monday at the medal square between the stadium and the main entrance, before the evening program began.

A new feature of the Budapest World Championships is that the medal ceremonies are taking place one after the other before each evening program in the park next to the stadium.

On Monday, the medal plaza clearly lived up to expectations as the competitors felt like rock stars on stage and the spectators were almost at arm’s length of them as they performed the award ceremony.

The area between the podium and the platform for the photographers about 20 meters away was packed with spectators, and those who could not get there watched from the sidelines, cheering on the medal-winning athletes. The award ceremony concluded with the men’s hammer throw, and before that, fans witnessed, among others, Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, heptathlon winner and fastest gold medalist on the men’s 100 meter Noah Lyles from the USA at the top of the podium.

At the medal ceremony in the hammer throw, Bence Halász was applauded and celebrated even more than the others. At the end, he thanked the Hungarian spectators once again for their encouragement in a mini-interview from the top of the podium, adding that from now on he would focus on the most important competitions of next year, the European Championships and the Olympic Games in Paris.

The organizers also helped celebrate Bence Halász’s achievement by making the Sunday ticket valid for Monday’s medal ceremony. Holders of “expired” tickets were not only allowed to enter the World Championships area on the Medal Square, but could also purchase remaining tickets in the upper part of the auditorium at a 50 percent discount for the program on Monday evening.

There was also a lot going on from a Hungarian point of view on the third day of the World Championships. Hanga Klekner in the pole vault, Boglárka Takács in the 100-meter dash, and Janka Molnár in the 400 hurdles could be watched.

Klekner improved her personal best. The Hungarian pole vaulter reached 4m 50cm, and although she did not go further, she was visibly satisfied. “This height is also the height of the European Championships. I am very happy and it is fantastic to compete here. From now on I can prepare for the European Championships,” she summarized.

Janka Molnár had a great run but did not advance in the 400 meter hurdles. “I am disappointed because I could not completely eliminate everything. I should have gone into the hurdles with a clearer head,” the athlete summed up.

Boglárka Takács tried to enjoy every minute of her run. She had a very strong race in the semifinal, where she finished with 11.26 and did not qualify. “I could not give my best. My run cramped up a little bit. However, what a Hungarian runner can experience here is hard to put into words. That is why I end this day with somewhat mixed feelings,” noted the runner.

On Tuesday, six Hungarian athletes will compete in the fourth day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and four finals will be held.

The evening program will start at 06:40 with the heats of the 100 meter hurdles, featuring three Hungarian athletes: silver medalist Luca Kozák, Gréta Kerekes, and U23 silver medalist Anna Tóth. In the men’s 800 meter there will be two Hungarians to cheer for: Dániel Huller and Balázs Vindics. Attila Molnár, who qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m with a national record, will compete in the first race at 9:00 pm.

Via Ungarn Heute, Featured image via MTI/István Derencsényi