Winkler's Long Throws win earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Winning the men's hammer at the inaugural USATF Winter Long Throws National Championship, Rudy Winkler (Washington, DC/USATF New York) earned recognition as the 12th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026.

Winkler, the American record holder and a three-time Olympian, opened his season with a winning throw of 80.60/264-5 in the third round at the University of Arizona's Drachman Stadium. It was a distance only he and two other Americans have ever bettered and put him more than four feet ahead of the runner-up.

Other top performances from last week:

• Madison Wiltrout won the women's javelin at the USATF Winter Long Throws National Championship with a lifetime best of 61.29/201-1 to move to No. 7 on the all-time U.S. performer list.
• Shelby Houlihan won the women's 10,000 at The TEN with a PB 30:50.10, moving to No. 10 on the all-time U.S. performer list.
• Jacory Patterson won the men's 400 at the Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne, Australia, in 44.41.
• Shawnti Jackson of LSU moved to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. performer list in the women's 300 with a 35.98 at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables.

Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 

2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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