Merlin Hummel
{{Short description|German athlete (born 2002)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Merlin Hummel
| birth_name =
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = German
| sport = Athletics
| event = Hammer throw
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|1|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| pb = Hammer: 81.23m (2025)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|{{GER}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|European U23 Championships}}
{{Medal|Silver|2023 Espoo|Hammer throw}}
{{Medal|Competition|European U20 Championships}}
{{Medal|Silver|2021 Tallinn|Hammer throw}}
}}
Merlin Hummel (born 4 January 2002) is a German hammer thrower. He won the German Athletics Championships in 2022 and won a silver medal at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships and represented Germany at the 2024 Olympic Games. He also competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.{{cite web|title=Merlin Hummel|accessdate=9 June 2024|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/germany/merlin-hummel-14753981}}
Career
He is a member of ULC Kulmbach. He was a 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships silver medallist in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2021.{{cite web|url= https://blv-sport.de/news-details?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3844&cHash=1547d21420ed31f357c2ab36758e3b4a|website=blv-de|accessdate=9 June 2024|title= U 20-EM Tallinn: Merlin Hummel im allerletzten Versuch vom Thron gestoßen}} He finished runner-up at the U23 European Throwing Cup in 2022.{{cite web|url= https://www.fraenkischertag.de/sport/lokalsport-kulmbach/leichtathletik-der-kulmbacher-hammerwerfer-merlin-hummel-wird-zweiter-beim-europacup-art-130633|accessdate=9 April 2025|website= fraenkischertag.de|title= Hummel freut sich mit Sieger aus der Ukraine|date=15 March 2022}} He won the senior German Athletics Championships title for the first time in June 2022, ahead of the experienced campaigner and defending champion Tristan Schwandke.{{cite web|url= https://www.sportschau.de/die |website=sportschau|accessdate=9 June 2024|title= Hummel wins the hammer throw|date=June 26, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wiesentbote.de/2022/07/03/empfang-fuer-merlin-hummel-deutscher-meister-zu-besuch-im-kulmbacher-rathaus/|website= wiesentbote.de|accessdate=9 April 2025|title= Reception for Merlin Hummel – German Champion visits Kulmbach Town Hall|date=3 July 2022}}
Competing in Andujar, Spain in June 2023 he won a meeting title on the World Continental Tour with a personal best of 76.28 meters.{{cite web|url=
https://www.wiesentbote.de/2023/06/03/tsv-stadtsteinach-uac-kulmbach-in-spanien-bedeutender-sieg-fuer-hammerwerfer-merlin-hummel/|website= wiesentbote.de|access-date=9 April 2025|title= TSV Stadtsteinach/UAC Kulmbach in Spain: important victory for hammer thrower Merlin Hummel|date=3 June 2023}} He was a 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships silver medallist in Espoo, Finland in July 2023 behind Mykhaylo Kokhan but beating compatriot Soren Klose.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 August 2024|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7147653?eventId=10229621|date=12 July 2023|title= European Athletics U23 Championships}}{{cite web|url= https://www.fraenkischertag.de/sport/lokalsport-kulmbach/leichtathletik-merlin-hummel-zeigt-bei-der-u23-em-nerven-wie-drahtseile-art-272843|website=Fraenkischertag.de|accessdate=9 June 2024|title= Kulmbacher steht vor dem Aus und behält die Nerven}} He competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, but suffered a slipped disk to his back.{{cite web|title=Das Rätsel um Merlin Hummel ist gelöst|date=11 November 2023|url= https://www.fraenkischertag.de/sport/lokalsport-kulmbach/leichtathletik-hammerwerfer-merlin-hummel-hat-verschleppten-bandscheibenvorfall-art-302673|website=Fraenkischertag|accessdate=9 June 2024}}
He won the German Winter Throwing Cup in Halle with a throw of 75.45 metres in February 2024. He set a new personal best of 77.65 metres in Langenbrand in May 2024.{{cite web|url= https://blv-sport.de/news-details?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4527&cHash=089414fed43d79ba9226302bb5c6ea13|website=blv-sport.de|accessdate=9 June 2024|title= Merlin Hummel: "Seit ich zum ersten Mal einen Hammer fliegen sah, wollte ich 80 Meter werfen"|date=13 May 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://www.leichtathletik.de/aktuelles/news/news-detail/79100-merlin-hummel-soeren-klose-konkurrenz-belebt-das-geschaeft|website=Leichtathletik.de|accessdate=9 April 2025|title= Merlin Hummel & Sören Klose: Competition stimulates business|date=5 March 2024}}
He threw 79.25 metres to set a European U23 lead at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy in June 2024, and ultimately placed fourth overall.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7158244?eventId=10229621|website=World Athletics|accessdate=9 June 2024|title=European Athletics Championships}} He competed in the hammer throw at the 2024 Olympics Games, in Paris, France, placing tenth overall with a throw of 76.03 metres.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/results/men/hammer-throw/final/result |website=World Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title=Men's Hammer Throw Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=4 August 2024}}
In May 2025 in Halle, he threw a lifetime best 80.11 metres and became the first German in 18 years to break the 80 metres-barrier.{{cite web|url= https://www.european-athletics.com/home/news/over-72-metres-again-72-11m-for-ceh-in-ptuj|website=European Athletics|accessdate=28 May 2025|title= Over 72 metres again! 72.11m for Ceh in Ptuj|first=Steven|last= Mills|date=26 May 2025}} He then threw a personal best of 81.23m in winning the Hammerwurf-Meeting in Fränkisch-Crumbach, Germany in June 2025. {{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/news/report/zhang-jiale-world-u20-hammer-record-frankisch-crumbach |date=8 June 2025|title= Zhang throws world U20 hammer record in Fränkisch-Crumbach |accessdate=8 June 2025|website=World Athletics}}
Personal life
He is from Burghaig in the Kulmbach district of Bavaria.{{cite web|url= https://www.frankenpost.de/inhalt.lokalsport-ich-peile-eine-weite-von-70-metern-an.e1ab1cc4-43bf-42dc-b70f-dd342c08a035.html|website=Frankenpost.de|accessdate=9 April 2025|title=
"I'm aiming for a distance of 70 meters"|date=4 August 2020|language=German}}{{cite web|url= https://www.fraenkischertag.de/sport/lokalsport-kulmbach/leichtathletik-der-kulmbacher-merlin-hummel-gewinnt-in-berlin-gold-art-162349|website= fraenkischertag.de|accessdate=9 April 2025|title= Hummel krönt sich zum König von Berlin|date=26 June 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hummel, Merlin}}
Category:German male hammer throwers
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics