Nanaimo’s Ethan Katzberg celebrates winning gold at the Olympics

Katzberg said the Olympics were an unbelievable event and the last couple of weeks have been unreal for him. Photo: Tyler Heisterman (Nanaimo Track and Field Club) / City of Nanaimo

Nanaimo’s Ethan Katzberg is still celebrating his big win at the 2024 Paris Olympics after making history as the first-ever Canadian to win gold in hammer throw.

Katzberg spoke with CHLY following the Olympics as he trains in Slovakia ahead of his next two competitions in the coming weeks.

Katzberg’s story of how he got into hammer throw starts with the Nanaimo Track and Field Club where he wanted to try out every sport possible. It wasn't until he started to attend his older sister’s hammer throw training sessions that thier dad coached, that he began to take an interest in the sport.

“So I picked it up and gave it a go and just kind of went from there and really, really enjoyed it, and just kept going,” Katzberg said.

It was after he finished high school that he got the opportunity to train in the sport full-time in Kamloops.

“It's not really an opportunity that you can pass up, because, you never really know what can happen with something like that,” Katzberg said. “So it's just something that I was passionate about, I wanted to pursue, and just kind of could see how far it could take.”

Katzberg has been training out of Kamloops with a coach Dylan Armstrong for the last three and a half years.

“The coaching is really wrapped around hammer throw, and it's been really great for me, and being coached by Dylan Armstrong is a is very, very helpful for my career,” Katzberg said.

He said it is incredibly special to have fallen in love with a sport and is honoured to know that his recent win may inspire other people to do the same.

“And if my passion can inspire anybody to try hammer throw or to try track and field or sport, or whatever it is, that's an amazing thing,” Katzberg said. “I'm really humbled that is a situation that's kind of coming into what's happening, and that people want to see what the hammer throws about, see what track and field is about, and it's really exciting.”

Katzberg was not the only Canadian to take home gold in hammer throw at this year's Olympics. Richmond B.C.’s Camryn Rogers also won gold for the women’s division in hammer throw, making her Canada’s first-ever Olympic medallist for her event.

“I think there's been quite a lot of focus on it in British Columbia as of recently, because myself, as well as Camryn Rogers, who won the gold in the women's hammer throw, are both, from British Columbia,” he said. “So I think there's been a good amount of attention around it, and hopefully, we can keep building the sport and keep promoting it as best we can.”

Katzberg said the Olympics were an unbelievable event and the last couple of weeks have been unreal for him.

“Just such an experience to take in with people congratulating me, and like doing interviews and talking,” he said. “I was the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies, so being able to do that, it's been, it's been a whirlwind, but it's been incredibly enjoyable, just to kind of see the community coming around hammer throw.”

While his friends and family were already in the stands cheering him on in Paris, he said after finding out he got gold, the first person he spoke with back home was his coach’s coach Dr Anatoliy Bondarchuk who helps oversee the training and programs for Katzberg.

“It was in the stadium, and my coach came up to me and he said, ‘Oh, Dr B's on the phone.’ So I got to talk to him, and now that was really great experience, to celebrate with him,” he said. “He was so happy, and just to talk to him really quick it was really special.”

For some other Olympic highlights, Katzberg said he got to say hi to swimmer Micheal Phelps and experience the games with other world-class hammer throwers and Canadian athletes.

When asked if he took part in the popular Olympic tradition of pin trading amongst other Olympic athletes in the Olympic Village, he said he did not.

“It's definitely cool to see everybody's got their lanyards, and they've got like, 300 pins attached to it. It is cool, but [my] pins stayed in the bags,” he said.

He does say that he was asked a couple of times if he had any pins to trade, so at the next Olympics, he said he will be sure to keep a couple with him.

Since Katzberg’s win, residents in Nanaimo have all come out in support of him in person, on social media and creating posters celebrating his win. Mayor of Nanaimo Leonard Krog even sent out a statement shortly after the win congratulating him.

“I'm really just doing what I love and what I'm passionate about, and being able to represent Nanaimo, I'm incredibly happy to do so,” he said. “It's been an incredible couple of weeks and all the support online, and obviously the mayor of Nanaimo, he's saying stuff like, it's really special. The community coming out of this and just kind of supporting me and cheering me on. It was really special, and it's been a great experience. 

The City of Nanaimo has posted on social media saying they are working with the Nanaimo Track and Field Club and Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District to plan a celebration for Katzberg once he returns to Nanaimo.

But for now, Katzberg is training in Slovakia as he has two more competitions before the season wraps up but he said he is very much looking forward to a vacation.

“So after those two competitions, I'll take a much-needed rest, get the energy back in the system, because the Olympics, it takes it out of you,” he said. “You get drained after that, for sure. So get some rest, and yeah, and just kind of enjoy the experience, and then get back on the horse and focus on next season.”

Katzberg will be competing in the Silesia Diamond League in Poland at the end of August and then competing in Croatia at the beginning of September before heading back home to Canada.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.