21 Jun USATF Foundation Announces Operation Hammer Sweep Paris 2024 – Part Trois!
PITTSBURGH, PA –
The USATF Foundation is pleased to announce yet another generous commitment of Operation Hammer Sweep funding. The goal is Team USA hammer domination at the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Part Trois,” OHSP 2024 releases a fresh infusion of $100,000 in funding exclusively directed at the top finishers and Team USA qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Part Trois initiative is designed to deliver an additional level of support to the top 6 finishers at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in both the men and women’s events.
This new infusion comes on the heels of the Foundation’s January 2024 announcement of supplemental grants to the top 6 finishers at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships. In that round of funding, Brooke Anderson, DeAnna Price, Janee’ Kassanavoid, Rudy Winkler, Daniel Haugh, and Alex Young each received grants of $10,000. Brock Eager, Jordan Geist, Justin Stafford, Jillian Shippee, Annette Echikunwoke and Erin Reese each received immediate grants of $5,000. OHSP 2024 Part Trois follows phase two, which was aimed at making sure the most promising American hammer throwers had additional funding before the outdoor season began. All of this funding comes on top of USATF Foundation Elite Athlete Grants and Stephen A. Schwarzman Grants that OHSP 2024 grantees may qualify for.
Operation Hammer Sweep was spearheaded in 2022 by Foundation Director Ken Flax – a two-time Olympian in the hammer throw for Team USA in ’88 and ’92 – backed by the generous support of anonymous donors, who are close friends with Flax. The donors support causes they and their friends are passionate about and have generously supported the OHSP mission with $300,000 since its inception two years ago.
As a former Olympian who competed in an era prior to the Foundation’s support, Flax knows all too well the struggles and funding challenges that throwers continue to face. Other than the Foundation, support for the event is almost non-existent. As Ken has said from the outset, “My friends and I created Operation Hammer Sweep to give America’s top hammer throwers the extra resources to help accomplish a podium sweep at the World Championships and/or Olympics. An American Podium sweep has not been achieved since the 1904 Olympic Games.” He added, “with this “Third Turn,” we are expanding support beyond our top 3 and spreading it even deeper to up-and-coming contenders, to help them stay in the sport and grow to their potential.”
Operation Hammer Sweep Grantee and Olympian Alex Young eloquently expressed his gratitude: “Operation Hammer Sweep has been one of the single best opportunities for our event! The support we’ve received as a group has helped not only the current contenders, but it has helped our next generation contenders push the envelope as well. This funding has continued to help me train with extra certainty, especially during the last few turbulent years of my career.” He continued, “Knowing there are such great people behind the scenes supporting our journeys is extra motivating for me to put my best effort forward. This has been a large reminder that people care about the unseen hammer throw, and that our hard work and dedication is noticed and nurtured. Thank you!”