Dylan Armstrong

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Dylan Armstrong

| image= Dylan Armstrong 2.jpg

| width=280

| imagesize =

| caption = Armstrong in 2011 at the Triton Invitational where he threw 21.72m (71.3 ft)

| nationality = Canadian

| sport = Track and field

| event = Shot put, hammer throw

| club =

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|01|15}}

| birth_place = Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

| residence =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=4}}

| weight = {{convert|306|lb|kg st}}{{cite web|title=Dylan Armstrong |url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/armstrong-dylan-1071625/ |publisher=London 2012 |access-date=July 24, 2012 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501104452/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/armstrong-dylan-1071625/ |archive-date=May 1, 2013 }}

| pb = SP – 22.21 m NR, Calgary, 2011

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }}

}}

Dylan Armstrong (born January 15, 1981) is a Canadian athletics coach and retired competitive shot putter. He is the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, a two-time World Athletics Championships medallist, a two-time Pan American Games champion, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion in that discipline. He was awarded his Olympic bronze medal in 2015, seven years after the event, following the doping disqualification of competitor Andrei Mikhnevich.

Armstrong holds the Canadian national record for the shot put, and is a former holder of the Pan American Games and Commonwealth games records. Armstrong was the first Canadian to reach the podium in a throwing event in a major global competition.

Career

Prior to focusing on the shot put in 2004, Armstrong competed in the hammer throw.{{cite web|title=Dylan Armstrong profile |url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=can/athcode=174424/index.html |publisher=IAAF |access-date=July 27, 2012}} As a junior, he won a gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Junior Games and a silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. He continues to hold the North American high school and junior records in the hammer throw. His personal best is 71.51 ft, achieved in April 2003 in Walnut.

Armstrong achieved a personal best, and Canadian record at that time, of 21.04 meters at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he finished fourth, missing out on a medal by a single centimetre. However, on August 20, 2014 the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that Armstrong would be awarded the 2008 Summer Olympic bronze medal by the International Olympic Committee. This followed a retroactive lifetime ban for doping violations dating back to 2005 given to Belarusian shot putter Andrei Mikhnevich, who had won the medal initially.{{cite news|title=Dylan Armstrong to get Olympic bronze from Beijing Games|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/dylan-armstrong-to-get-olympic-bronze-from-beijing-games-1.2741674|access-date=August 21, 2014|agency=The Canadian Press|publisher=CBC Sports|date=August 20, 2014}}[https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2014/08/20/canadas_dylan_armstrong_finally_gets_2008_beijing_olympics_bronze_medal_after_doping_dq.html Canada’s Dylan Armstrong finally gets 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medal after doping DQ | Toronto Star]. Thestar.com (August 20, 2014). Retrieved on 2016-06-02.

=Commonwealth and World Championships success=

28 years after former Canadian national champion Bruno Pauletto won gold at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Armstrong succeeded in reiterating that performance at the 2010 edition of the Games, placing first with a Commonwealth record of 21.02 m.{{cite news |title =Armstrong (CAN) ends Canada's 28 year medal drought|url =http://results.cwgdelhi2010.org/en/News.mvc/Detail/CompEventDetail/1eaa6cd2-f55a-45e3-8f3b-8dca2d5ba6ce|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101012123125/http://results.cwgdelhi2010.org/en/News.mvc/Detail/CompEventDetail/1eaa6cd2-f55a-45e3-8f3b-8dca2d5ba6ce|url-status =usurped|archive-date =October 12, 2010|publisher =Newsletter of the cwg Delhi 2010.org (official website)|date= October 7, 2010|access-date =February 5, 2011}}{{cite news |title = Canadian shot-putter strikes gold at Games: Kamloops man wins first medal in event at Commonwealth Games since 1982 |url = http://www2.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/news/sports/story.html?id=ed76dab4-cdbd-477e-a03f-4403520e0dd1|publisher = Alberni Valley Times|date=October 8, 2010|access-date =February 5, 2011}} At the 2010 World Indoor Championship, in Doha, Qatar, Dylan placed fourth with a Canadian indoor record of 21.39 m. He improved his outdoor national record to 21.58 m at the Askina Meeting in Baunatal, Germany, beating Ralf Bartels to the victory.Jorg Wenig (June 3, 2010). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=56927.html Friedrich opens season with 1.96m, Armstrong breaks Canadian Shot Put record in Baunatal]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-03. When in 2014 Andrei Mikhnevich was stripped of the event's silver medal for doping violations, Armstrong moved up to the bronze medal position.

His first true world success came at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics when he won the silver at the outdoor event for shot put. He threw a 21.64 before David Storl of Germany beat him with a 21.78 on his last throw.{{cite news |title=Canada's Armstrong takes the silver |author=Jesse Campigotto |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/canada-s-armstrong-takes-silver-in-shot-put-1.989492 |publisher=CBC Sports |date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=July 12, 2012}} Armstrong next attended the 2011 Pan American Games, there he went on to win gold and broke the Pan American Games record with a 21.30.{{cite news|title=Armstrong wins gold, breaks Pan Ams record |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/armstrong-wins-pan-am-gold-with-record-shot-put-1.1033373 |publisher=CBC Sports |date=October 25, 2011}} Armstrong finished off the year by winning the Diamond League title in shot put.{{cite news|title=Dylan Armstrong defeats soft shotput field in Paris|author=James Campigotto |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/dylan-armstrong-defeats-soft-shot-put-field-in-paris-1.1264847 |date=July 6, 2012|work=CBC News}}

As one of Canada's leading medal favourites and only medal favourite in athletics, Armstrong had set a season's best of 21.50 heading into the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There he finished fifth, falling short of a medal.James Mirtle (August 3, 2012) [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/canadas-dylan-armstrong-falls-short-of-the-podium-in-mens-olympic-shot-put/article4461869/ Canada’s Dylan Armstrong falls short of the podium in men’s Olympic shot put]. The Globe and Mail

=Olympic bronze medal awarded=

Prior to the beginning of the 2013 World Athletics Championships, Armstrong was awarded the bronze medal from the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships after Andrei Mikhnevich's positive drug test and subsequent forfeiture of his silver medal.{{cite news |title= Canadian Dylan Armstrong gets shot put bronze medal |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/canadian-dylan-armstrong-gets-shot-put-bronze-medal-1.1318737 |publisher=CBC Sports |date=August 1, 2013}} At the time the IAAF and IOC had yet to rule on whether Armstrong would as well receive the bronze medal from the 2008 Olympics where he just missed the podium behind Mikhnevich. In an interview regarding the possible return of the medal Armstrong stated that "I worked hard for it, and I want it back...It's my country's medal too, we deserve it."{{cite news |title= Olympic bronze may await Canada's Dylan Armstrong |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/olympic-bronze-may-await-canada-s-dylan-armstrong-1.1318739 |publisher=CBC Sports |date=June 13, 2013}} The decision to allocate the Olympic bronze medal to Armstrong was finally announced in January 2015.

After the awarding of his indoor medal, Armstrong began competition at the 2013 World Championships. He qualified for the finals where he threw 21.04

m. In the finals he tossed a season's best 21.34 m. Armstrong acknowledge the importance of sport funding as a result of what was Canada's fourth medal at the World Championships, tying a record from the 1995 World Championships. He said that "I just feel amazing. My coach and I worked really hard, I made some really good choices this year. It's another medal for Canada, it shows that when you have the right coaches in place, the right support and the funding behind it that it's going to pay off. You have to invest in sport, results don't come for free."{{cite news |title=Canada's Dylan Armstrong wins shot put bronze |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/canada-s-dylan-armstrong-wins-shot-put-bronze-1.1379214 |publisher=CBC Sports |date= August 16, 2013}} Armstrong received his medal at a ceremony in his hometown of Kamloops on February 15, 2015, around 700 people attended the event.{{cite news |title=Dylan Armstrong finally receives his Olympic medal |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/panam/news/dylan-armstrong-finally-receives-his-olympic-medal-1.2958485 |publisher=CBC Sports |date= February 15, 2015}}

Following his competitive career, Armstrong started coaching amateur athletes at the Kamloops Track and Field Club in 2017.{{Cite web|title=Dylan Armstrong coaching the next generation of throws athletes |author=Chad Klassen |url=http://cfjctoday.com/article/577746/dylan-armstrong-coaching-next-generation-throws-athletes |website=CFJC-TV |date=June 29, 2017}} He notably guided student Ethan Katzberg to a World title in the men's hammer throw at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.{{cite news |title= 'Skinny basketball player' Ethan Katzberg gives Canada its first gold medal in the hammer throw |first= Kerry |last=Gillespie |url= https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/skinny-basketball-player-ethan-katzberg-gives-canada-its-first-gold-medal-in-the-hammer-throw/article_c28a8be4-7d75-52d9-854e-b1867d1d7889.html |newspaper= The Toronto Star |date= August 20, 2023 |access-date= August 21, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Heroux |first1=Devin |title=Already a world champion, Canada's Ethan Katzberg aims to bring the hammer down at Paris Olympics |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sportslongform/entry/ethan-katzberg-hammer-throw-paris-olympics |access-date=24 May 2024 |publisher=CBC Sports |date=1 May 2024}}

Personal life

Armstrong lives in Kamloops, British Columbia and trained there during his career at the nearby National Throws Centre with famed coach and Olympic gold medallist Anatoliy Bondarchuk. In September 2015 Armstrong married the Russian shot putter Yevgeniya Kolodko whom he dated since 2012.[http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/evgeniia-kolodko-russian-positive-test-1.3608069 Canadian Olympian's wife caught in latest Russian doping scandal: report]. CBC Sports (May 31, 2016) In a reversal of situations, his wife Kolodko was stripped of all her medals from 2012 to 2016 following positive doping results in 2016 and tests of B samples.{{cite news |title= Canadian Olympian's wife caught in latest Russian doping scandal: report |url= https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/evgeniia-kolodko-russian-positive-test-1.3608069|website= CBC News |date= May 31, 2016 |access-date= August 20, 2023}} Armstrong responded to the issue saying: "News of athlete doping is very disheartening for competitive athletes who are committed to competing clean. I have never condoned doping in sport … I have been consistently outspoken about my position on doping, which is zero tolerance. Today's news is especially difficult as it affects both the Olympic athletic community I am part of – and someone I love deeply: Evgeniia."{{cite news |title= Failed drug test 'difficult' for married Olympic shot-putters |author= Sean Gordon |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/failed-drug-test-difficult-for-married-olympic-shot-putters/article30241924/ |website= The Globe and Mail |date= June 1, 2016 |access-date= August 20, 2023}}

Achievements

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{CAN}}
rowspan=2\|2000 \|rowspan=2\|World Junior Championships \|rowspan=2\|Santiago, Chile \|18th (q) \|Discus \|49.53 m
style="background:silver;"\|2nd \|Hammer \|67.50 m
rowspan=3\|2001 \|rowspan=2\|Jeux de la Francophonie \|rowspan=2\|Ottawa, Ontario, Canada \| style="background:#c96;"\|3rd \|Shot put \|17.57 m
7th \|Hammer \|64.91 m
World Championships \|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada \|31st (q) \|Hammer \|63.89 m
rowspan=2\|2007 \|Pan American Games \|Rio, Brazil \| style="background:gold;"\| 1st \|Shot \|20.10 m
World Championships \|Osaka, Japan \|8th \|Shot \|20.23 m
rowspan=2\|2008 \|World Indoor Championships \|Valencia, Spain \|14th (q) \|Shot \|19.56 m
Olympic Games \|Beijing, China \| style="background:#c96;"\|3rd \|Shot \|21.04 m
rowspan=2\|2009 \|World Championships \|Berlin, Germany \|16th (q) \|Shot \|19.86 m
World Athletics Final \|Thessaloniki, Greece \|7th \|Shot \|19.61 m
rowspan=2\|2010 \|World Indoor Championship \|Doha, Qatar \| style="background:#c96;"\| 3rd \|Shot \|21.39 m
Commonwealth Games \|Delhi, India \| style="background:gold;"\| 1st \|Shot \|21.02 m
rowspan=2\|2011 \|World Championship \|Daegu, South Korea \| style="background:silver;"\| 2nd \|Shot \|21.64 m
Pan American Games \|Guadalajara, Mexico \| style="background:gold;"\| 1st \|Shot \|21.30 m
rowspan=2\|2012 \|World Indoor Championship \|Istanbul, Turkey \|9th (q) \|Shot \|19.84 m
Olympic Games \|London, United Kingdom \|5th \|Shot \|20.93 m
2013 \|World Championship \|Moscow, Russia \| style="background:#c96;"\| 3rd \|Shot \|21.34 m

colspan="6"|Representing {{CAN}}

rowspan=2|2000

|rowspan=2|World Junior Championships

|rowspan=2|Santiago, Chile

|18th (q)

|Discus

|49.53 m

style="background:silver;"|2nd

|Hammer

|67.50 m

rowspan=3|2001

|rowspan=2|Jeux de la Francophonie

|rowspan=2|Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

| style="background:#c96;"|3rd

|Shot put

|17.57 m

7th

|Hammer

|64.91 m

World Championships

|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

|31st (q)

|Hammer

|63.89 m

rowspan=2|2007

|Pan American Games

|Rio, Brazil

| style="background:gold;"| 1st

|Shot

|20.10 m

World Championships

|Osaka, Japan

|8th

|Shot

|20.23 m

rowspan=2|2008

|World Indoor Championships

|Valencia, Spain

|14th (q)

|Shot

|19.56 m

Olympic Games

|Beijing, China

| style="background:#c96;"|3rd

|Shot

|21.04 m

rowspan=2|2009

|World Championships

|Berlin, Germany

|16th (q)

|Shot

|19.86 m

World Athletics Final

|Thessaloniki, Greece

|7th

|Shot

|19.61 m

rowspan=2|2010

|World Indoor Championship

|Doha, Qatar

| style="background:#c96;"| 3rd

|Shot

|21.39 m

Commonwealth Games

|Delhi, India

| style="background:gold;"| 1st

|Shot

|21.02 m

rowspan=2|2011

|World Championship

|Daegu, South Korea

| style="background:silver;"| 2nd

|Shot

|21.64 m

Pan American Games

|Guadalajara, Mexico

| style="background:gold;"| 1st

|Shot

|21.30 m

rowspan=2|2012

|World Indoor Championship

|Istanbul, Turkey

|9th (q)

|Shot

|19.84 m

Olympic Games

|London, United Kingdom

|5th

|Shot

|20.93 m

2013

|World Championship

|Moscow, Russia

| style="background:#c96;"| 3rd

|Shot

|21.34 m

References

External links

{{World Athletics}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20140116114540/http://www.athletics.ca/profile_new.asp?pID=4677 Profile at Athletics Canada]
{{Team Canada}}
{{Olympics.com}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{CGF}}