ITHACA, N.Y. – Two-time Olympian and Cornell men's track and field alumnus Rudy Winkler '17 represented Team USA in the hammer throw finals of the Olympics on Wednesday morning, finishing seventh in the competition at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

Competing in his first Olympic finals after placing 18th in the event at the 2016 Rio Games, Winkler solidified his best throw on his first attempt, recording a heave of 77.08m (252' 10") to ultimately place seventh among the world's 12 best throwers in the discipline.

The American record-holder and a two-time Olympic Trials champion (2016, 2020) in the event, Winkler was a five-time All-American and the 2017 NCAA Hammer Throw Champion while at Cornell.

Poland claimed two of the three medals in the event, with Wojciech Nowicki, who entered the finals with the longest throw in the qualifying round, taking gold with a mark of 82.52m (270' 9"). Norway's Elvind Henriksen claimed silver with a distance of 81.58m (267' 8") and Poland's Pawel Fajdek rounded out the podium, taking bronze with a throw of 81.53m (267' 6").

Fellow American Daniel Haugh joined Winkler in the final, finishing 11th after throwing 76.22m (250' 0").