PISCATAWAY, N.J.  –  Rutgers track and field alum Rudy Winkler represented Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Hammer Throw final on Wednesday, August 4. Winkler, the U.S. Track & Field Champion in the event, finished seventh in the world with a throw of 77.08m (252' 10") in the finals held at Olympic Stadium.
 
In the qualifying round, the New York native finished second in Group B with a throw of 78.81m (258' 6") to advance to the finals on the world's biggest stage. Winkler, a two-time Olympic qualifier, now adds Olympic finalist to his long list of accolades.
 
This past June, Winkler set the American record in the hammer throw at U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing first in the event and punching his ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games. It marked the second-consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials that Winker won the event as he recorded a throw of 82.71m (271' 4") to defeat this year's field. He became the first Scarlet Knight competing at 2020 trials to advance to the Olympic Games.
 
The four-time First Team All-American, NCAA champion and Big Ten champion, entered the U.S. Olympic Trials ranked second in the world in the hammer throw with a mark of 81.98m (268' 11"). He competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics as the U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the hammer throw.
 
Winkler joins four other former Scarlet Knights at this year's games. Todd Frazier and Patrick Kivlehan are on Team USA for baseball with Darren Fenster serving as an assistant coach, while Carli Lloyd is on the pitch with women's soccer for her fourth Olympic games.
 
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