Latest news with #ColoradoUnitedTrackClub
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man killed by stray weight at Colorado track and field meet remembered as dedicated husband, dad
A spectator killed by an errant weight in a hammer throw event at a youth track and field meet was a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humor, relatives said. The accident Sunday at the Colorado United Track Club meet at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus killed Wade Langston, 57, of Colorado Springs, the El Paso County coroner's office said Tuesday. 'He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered,' wrote niece-in-law Tamara Rocha for a GoFundMe effort that had raised over $7,500. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The funds will help Langston's son, a high school senior, with college tuition, according to the post. The weight cleared 'certified barriers' before striking Langston in a fieldhouse at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus, according to a university statement. Firefighters pronounced Langston dead at the scene. Witnesses reported Langston trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight. University officials didn't respond Tuesday when asked whether possible factors in the accident, including who set up the barriers and how, were being investigated. The so-called hammer in the hammer throw event is actually a ball on a chain. The ball weighs 16 pounds (7 kilograms) for men and 9 pounds (4 kilograms) for women in adult competition, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body. Athletes spin in a circle to gain momentum before releasing the weight to throw as far as they can. Another GoFundMe effort for Langston's family started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for Langston's family. The family had no further comment besides its statement, Rocha said by email. A message left for Huffman through his GoFundMe page wasn't immediately returned Tuesday. Fatal accidents at track and field competitions are rare but not unheard of. A shot-put ball struck and killed an officiant during practice at the U.S. track and field championships in Los Angeles in 2005. A hammer killed a student at a college track and field meet at Wheaton College in Illinois in 2017.
The Independent
28-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Man killed by stray weight at Colorado track and field meet remembered as dedicated husband, dad
A spectator killed by an errant weight in a hammer throw event at a youth track and field meet was a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humor, relatives said. The accident Sunday at the Colorado United Track Club meet at the University of Colorado 's Colorado Springs campus killed Wade Langston, 57, of Colorado Springs, the El Paso County coroner's office said Tuesday. 'He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered,' wrote niece-in-law Tamara Rocha for a GoFundMe effort that had raised over $7,500. The funds will help Langston's son, a high school senior, with college tuition, according to the post. The weight cleared 'certified barriers' before striking Langston in a fieldhouse at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus, according to a university statement. Firefighters pronounced Langston dead at the scene. Witnesses reported Langston trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight. University officials didn't respond Tuesday when asked whether possible factors in the accident, including who set up the barriers and how, were being investigated. The so-called hammer in the hammer throw event is actually a ball on a chain. The ball weighs 16 pounds (7 kilograms) for men and 9 pounds (4 kilograms) for women in adult competition, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body. Athletes spin in a circle to gain momentum before releasing the weight to throw as far as they can. Another GoFundMe effort for Langston's family started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for Langston's family. The family had no further comment besides its statement, Rocha said by email. A message left for Huffman through his GoFundMe page wasn't immediately returned Tuesday. Fatal accidents at track and field competitions are rare but not unheard of. A shot-put ball struck and killed an officiant during practice at the U.S. track and field championships in Los Angeles in 2005. A hammer killed a student at a college track and field meet at Wheaton College in Illinois in 2017.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man killed by stray weight at Colorado track and field meet remembered as dedicated husband, dad
A spectator killed by an errant weight in a hammer throw event at a youth track and field meet was a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humor, relatives said. The accident Sunday at the Colorado United Track Club meet at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus killed Wade Langston, 57, of Colorado Springs, the El Paso County coroner's office said Tuesday. 'He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered,' wrote niece-in-law Tamara Rocha for a GoFundMe effort that had raised over $7,500. The funds will help Langston's son, a high school senior, with college tuition, according to the post. The weight cleared 'certified barriers' before striking Langston in a fieldhouse at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus, according to a university statement. Firefighters pronounced Langston dead at the scene. Witnesses reported Langston trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight. University officials didn't respond Tuesday when asked whether possible factors in the accident, including who set up the barriers and how, were being investigated. The so-called hammer in the hammer throw event is actually a ball on a chain. The ball weighs 16 pounds (7 kilograms) for men and 9 pounds (4 kilograms) for women in adult competition, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body. Athletes spin in a circle to gain momentum before releasing the weight to throw as far as they can. Another GoFundMe effort for Langston's family started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for Langston's family. The family had no further comment besides its statement, Rocha said by email. A message left for Huffman through his GoFundMe page wasn't immediately returned Tuesday. Fatal accidents at track and field competitions are rare but not unheard of. A shot-put ball struck and killed an officiant during practice at the U.S. track and field championships in Los Angeles in 2005. A hammer killed a student at a college track and field meet at Wheaton College in Illinois in 2017.
Associated Press
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Man killed by stray weight at Colorado track and field meet remembered as dedicated husband, dad
A spectator killed by an errant weight in a hammer throw event at a youth track and field meet was a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humor, relatives said. The accident Sunday at the Colorado United Track Club meet at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus killed Wade Langston, 57, of Colorado Springs, the El Paso County coroner's office said Tuesday. 'He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered,' wrote niece-in-law Tamara Rocha for a GoFundMe effort that had raised over $7,500. The funds will help Langston's son, a high school senior, with college tuition, according to the post. The weight cleared 'certified barriers' before striking Langston in a fieldhouse at the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus, according to a university statement. Firefighters pronounced Langston dead at the scene. Witnesses reported Langston trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight. University officials didn't respond Tuesday when asked whether possible factors in the accident, including who set up the barriers and how, were being investigated. The so-called hammer in the hammer throw event is actually a ball on a chain. The ball weighs 16 pounds (7 kilograms) for men and 9 pounds (4 kilograms) for women in adult competition, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body. Athletes spin in a circle to gain momentum before releasing the weight to throw as far as they can. Another GoFundMe effort for Langston's family started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for Langston's family. The family had no further comment besides its statement, Rocha said by email. A message left for Huffman through his GoFundMe page wasn't immediately returned Tuesday. Fatal accidents at track and field competitions are rare but not unheard of. A shot-put ball struck and killed an officiant during practice at the U.S. track and field championships in Los Angeles in 2005.
New York Times
27-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Weight Tossed in Indoor Hammer Throw Event Kills Spectator at Track Meet
A heavy weight thrown by a participant at an indoor high school track meet cleared safety barriers and struck and killed a spectator in Colorado Springs on Sunday, the event organizers said. 'A member of the attending audience was killed when a hammer thrown by a participant cleared certified barriers and struck him,' said a statement from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which hosted the meet at its Mountain Lion Fieldhouse. The meet was canceled after the incident. A spokeswoman for the El Paso County coroner's office said on Monday that it had not performed an autopsy and could not yet release the name of the person who was killed. The Colorado United Track Club said in an email reported by 11 News and other local news media that the victim was the father of one of its team members. In the more familiar hammer throw, contested outdoors at events like the Olympics, competitors spin around in a circle to build momentum and then release a heavy ball on a chain, which is known as a hammer. For safety, the spinning takes place in a cage with an open segment for the hammer to go through when it is released. At indoor meets like the one in Colorado Springs, the event is normally renamed the weight throw. The implement is attached to a grip, rather than a chain, and is heavier than the hammer so that it does not travel as far. As in the hammer competition, the thrower is within a cage or netting. At the Olympic Games, men can throw the hammer well over 200 feet. High school boys typically throw a 25-pound weight indoors, but they can still throw it quite a distance: The record for that age group is currently more than 90 feet. Hammer and other throwing events can be dangerous, and cases of injury to competitors, officials and spectators are not rare. As recently as September, a teenager was critically injured by a hammer at a meet in Australia. Javelins can be thrown even farther than hammers, and their sharp tips also contribute to the danger. Even at the sport's highest levels, disaster can occur. In 2008, at the Golden League in Rome, the top level of the professional sport, a javelin thrown by an elite athlete struck a long jumper, Salim Sdiri of France, causing severe internal injuries.
