 The earliest recorded precursors to the modern hammer throw stem from the <unk> Games around 1800 BC , which featured events such as throwing either a weight attached to a rope , a large rock on a wooden handle , or even a chariot wheel on a wooden axle . Other ancient competitions included throwing a cast iron ball attached to a wooden handle – the root of the term " hammer throw " due to their resemblance to the tools . In 16th century England , contests involving the throwing of actual blacksmith 's <unk> were recorded . The hammer implement was standardised in 1887 and the competitions began to resemble the modern event . The weight of the metal ball was set at 16 pounds ( 7 @.@ 26 kg ) while the attached wire had to measure between 1 @.@ 175 m and 1 @.@ 215 m . 
