This week Burso and I met with Hammer Throw athlete Ned Weatherly. Despite the fact Ned has never been a ‘fulltime professional athlete’, he has had an impressive athletics career so far. Ned has been: 

• A multiple Australian Junior Champion  

• Represented Australia in China at the Youth Olympic Games (2013)  

• Bronze medalist in Columbia at the World Youth Championships (2015) 

• Placed 7^th in the World Under 20 Championship in Poland 

• A two-time Oceania medalist including gold in 2022 

• 3-time Australian Hammer Throw Champion. 

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Imposter Takeaways

• Ned's dedication to hammer throw highlights the importance of pursuing your passion’s for the love and process, over potential accolades and opportunities. Those are just a bonus if they do come.

• Goals don’t always have to be to win something. Whilst Ned want’s to compete at the Olympics, his realistic goal is simply for ‘Shazza from Rockhampton’ to see him competing and think, “that’s cool!'“

• Ned’s mantra is, “Pursue it aggressively, but carry it lightly.” If you work your hardest, but you carry whatever the result is lightly, there will always be another opportunity to do something.

Starting in Athletics

Ned told us how growing up, school sports days were always hard, at least until it was time for one of the throwing sports. He said, “I always described myself as like the fat little kid in primary school. Any sport days were the worst day ever, except for when shot put came up, and i’d just demolish the shot put.” I found it interesting when Ned reminded us how different sports suit different people, especially in school, with little athletics offering more options in one arena than possibly any other. 

Many of athletics' individual disciplines are ancient - including the hammer throw, shot put and discus. The hammer throw has been traced back some 3000 years to Irish games, was also a well-known Scottish Highland games event, and in medieval England competitors would launch a blacksmiths hammer! The modern hammer consists of a handle, steel wire and a metal ball weighing just over 7kg’s for men and 4kg’s for women. The respective world records are currently 86.74m and 82.98m, which is insane thinking of that weight being launched that far, with such accuracy. 

Ned’s Unique Approach and Inspirations 

Ned’s approach to athletics is very passionate. He often gets animated and vocal, and has worn some colourful attire during competitions, which he attributes to his early inspirations. His first inspiration came from Reese Hoffa. Ned remembered, "He was this guy from America, but he used to compete in a mask and a cape.” Inspired by Hoffa’s dramatic flair, Ned adopted a similar approach, making his performances memorable and engaging - well, except for the mask and cape part. 

See Ned throw a Hammer here

This approach became a part of his competitive strategy. The vocal and physical expressions of energy help him channel his focus and performance. This also serves as a way to captivate the audience, drawing attention to a sport that often doesn’t receive the same level of recognition as other athletic events. For Ned, it’s about more than just the throw; it’s about the experience and the showmanship that brings the sport to life. 

The Struggles of a Lesser-Known Sport 

Despite his dedication and success, Ned’s journey has been far from easy. He explained to us the lack of support and recognition for athletes in lesser-known sports like hammer throw. Unlike some high-profile athletes, hammer throwers often have to fund their own training and competitions. Ned mentioned that even top athletes like Sally Pearson received minimal financial support from Athletics Australia. “I think at her peak, she was getting paid like maybe $40,000 by Athletics Australia. That's below the minimum wage,” he noted.

It made me wonder what assumptions I had about athletics as an Olympic sport. I had believed that anyone leading their sport in Australia, would be on a full ride at the Australian Institute of Sport, getting a salary and sponsorships too. But as Ned explained athletes often even had to pay for their own tracksuits and uniforms. It’s a complex issue I suppose because any funding provided to athletes would come from tax payers, but my assumption was that if you were the best at something in Australia, that you would be paid to pursue it. 

For athletes like Ned, the financial challenges are a significant hurdle. The cost of training, equipment, travel, and competition fees can add up quickly. Ned told us about travelling to a competition in Sydney, that he won, but the $300 prize money hadn't even covered travel cost for him, let alone the lower placed competitors. Without substantial sponsorship or institutional support, many athletes struggle to make ends meet or in most cases compete as a passion accompanying a full-time job. This financial strain can be a major distraction from training and competition, and no doubt prohibits a lot of exceptional competitors from reaching their full potential. 

The Everyday Punter 

What made me really enjoy Ned’s story was his view of his success. Despite being an Australian champion, he describes himself as a ‘normal bloke.’ He told us, “I still smoke cigarettes. I still drink beers.”  Ned’s honesty and his genuine love for the sport make him a relatable and endearing figure, which ironically, we think makes him highly sponsorable for a brand that would embrace his character. We joked at length how big of a difference a sponsorship from say a petrol company, who only need provide him some fuel cards would make, and how someone like Ned, that has toughed it out would give back 10x to a company that gave him a helping hand. We are now living in the age of the ‘nano influencer’ on social media so it would be cool to see a grass roots sponsor get behind an everyday athlete like Ned. 

Maybe, on the way to the Olympics, Ned could attempt to break cricketer David Boons record, where he allegedly consumed 52 Beers on a Qantas flight to Heathrow in 1989. I doubt Qantas would get behind that these days, but I’m sure an Aussie beer company would. I would wager however, it would get the Australian public behind him and offer something relatable to the viewers! 

Ned’s approach to sport is one that many can identify with. He competes not for fame or fortune, but for the love of the sport. His passion and dedication are driven by a genuine enjoyment of hammer throw.  

Grassroots Olympic Ambitions 

Ned’s ultimate dream is to compete in the Olympics, and with his record so far, it could certainly be achievable. “I think if I was to throw 74 to 75 meters, I'm talking about an improvement of about three to four meters, which is still a lot, but you don't peak as a hammer throw until you're probably in your 30s. I'm 26 now. I've still got time.” 

Ned’s very humble, and very Australian dream, is not to be a celebrity athlete and become wealthy from the hammer throw; but stated very simply,” maybe Shazza from Rockhampton, at the 2032 Olympics might watch me and go, ‘Oh, that's pretty cool’. That'd be sick, but I don't do it for that. I just do it because I love it and I'm good at it and that's, that.” 

To achieve his Olympic goal, Ned will be focused on continuous improvement and incremental gains. He understands that reaching the required distance will take time and effort, but he is committed to the journey. This long-term perspective is crucial in a sport like hammer throw, where athletes often peak later in their careers. 

I was quite shocked to hear that Ned has already been overlooked for a Commonwealth games. Despite him being the Oceania champion at the time, and being informed he was being considered for the games, he was later just sent an email stating he was not selected, meaning no competitor would go for the Hammer Throw. I think most Australians would be unaware that we do not send all our best Athletes to the Commonwealth and Olympic games. I was genuinely surprised to learn that you can be the best at something and have a high chance of finals at the games, and simply not be selected. For a sport where each pinnacle event only comes around every four years, it’s not hard to understand how this non-selection devastated Ned, and undoubtedly many other athletes in each selection. 

Along the way Ned learned a mantra that was pivotal in challenging times like these. ”Pursue it aggressively, but carry it lightly.” And that has always stuck in his mind. “It's like you work your hardest, but you carry whatever the result is lightly. There's always going to be another opportunity to do something”. That has been a really powerful statement for Ned and has always stuck with him. 

Imposter takeaways

• Ned's dedication to hammer throw, highlights the importance of pursuing your passion’s for the love and process, over potential accolades and opportunities. Those are just a bonus if they do come.

• Goals don’t always have to be to win something. Whilst Ned want’s to compete at the Olympics, his realistic goal is simply for ‘Shazza from Rockhampton’ to see him competing and think, “that’s cool!'“

• Ned’s mantra is, “Pursue it aggressively, but carry it lightly.” If you work your hardest, but you carry whatever the result is lightly, there will always be another opportunity to do something.

I really enjoyed hearing from an athlete, and it is rare to meet anyone who is the ‘best’ at something. I really appreciated Ned’s humble approach and his acceptance of the realities that some sports face. It truly shows that he competes in hammer throw for the love! 

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