A spectator at an athletics meeting in Colorado was killed after being beaten with a hammer launched by one of the competitors in the event, authorities said Sunday.
The Athletics Meeting of the Constant Secondary Athlete Club took place in Mountain Lion Fieldhouse at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, according to KxRM-TV. The hammer cleared the certified barriers and hit one of the spectators in the stands.
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June 9, 2011; Des Moines, Ia, USA; General view of the implements during the launch of female hammer in the Athletics Championships of the NCAA 2011 at the Drake stadium. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA Today Sports)
The spectator was declared dead on the scene, the station reported. The Colorado Springs Department, the University Police and the Colorado Springs police responded to the calls.
“We are disconsolate by this horrible accident and we are focused on supporting all those involved,” said University Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet in a statement.
The victim was the father of one of the athletes competing in the event, according to Colorado United Track Club.
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Colorado Springs police told Krddo-TV that the man was protecting his wife from the weight of 25 pounds.
“If I was certified, I think it would be higher and that there would be no seat there and they would have already tried it to see if there was any possible incident, anything that is possibly happening before having two hundred people. There,” a spectator told KKTV .
The Hammer Throw is one of the exclusive events in the athletics competition. The weight is linked to a grip, and the athlete turns and lets go through the field.
May 17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of hammer implements during the women’s hammer launch in the PAC-12 2015 Championship at Drake Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
The meeting was canceled after the incident.
