About the Hammer Throw
The hammer throw is all about the release. An athlete spins inside a circle, building speed, and lets go at the one instant that sends the hammer out through a narrow opening in the cage. This event gives you that instant to find.
How it works
Press and hold, and the hammer begins to circle. It starts slowly and accelerates for about three seconds, until it reaches top speed.
A yellow wedge at the top of the screen marks the legal sector. Release while the hammer is pointing into that wedge and it flies. The distance depends on two things: how fast the hammer was spinning, and how close to the centre line of the sector you let go. A release dead centre at full speed sends it about 86 metres.
Let go when the hammer is pointing anywhere else and it is a foul, scoring nothing.
You have three throws, and the best one counts.
Throwing further
Wait for full speed. A release after one second goes little more than half as far as a release at top speed. Hold for a good three seconds before you think about letting go.
Understand the trade. The faster the hammer spins, the less time it spends in the sector on each turn. At top speed the window is very short. That is the challenge of the event.
Count the turns. At full speed the hammer comes round at a steady beat. Count two or three passes to get the rhythm, then release on the next.
Let go slightly early. Your finger takes a moment to lift, and at speed the hammer travels a long way in that moment.
If you keep fouling, take one throw at lower speed to put a distance on the board.
As press-and-release HTML5 games go, few punish hesitation as sharply.