A father watching a high school athletics competition in Colorado has died after a being hit by a weight in a hammer throw event.
Wade Langston, 57, was watching the track and field competition when a hammer weight cleared barriers and struck him on Sunday morning, the El Paso County coroner’s office said, adding he died at the scene.
Witnesses at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus event reported Mr Langston was trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight.
The hammer is a ball on a chain which competitors throw after spinning in a circle to gain momentum.
They weigh 7kg for men and 4kg for women in adult competitions, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body.
A hammer caught by the safety net during the men’s hammer throw qualification at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Pic: AP
A number of GoFundMe pages have been made to raise money in memory of Mr Langston, whose family described him as a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humour.
One set up by his niece-in-law Tamara Rocha has raised more than $7,500 to help Mr Langston’s son, a high school senior, with his university tuition, while another started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for his family.
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“Wade was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished brother and brother-in-law, fun uncle, and an even more fun great-uncle,” Ms Rocha wrote on the fundraising page.
“He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered with his great sense of humour.”
“We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved,” the university’s chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in a statement.
The university declined to comment on Tuesday when asked by the Associated Press whether potential factors in the accident, including who set up the barriers and how, were being investigated.
Sky News has contacted the university for comment.
