photo by: Kansas Athletics

Gleb Dudarev competes in the hammer throw competition during his collegiate career with the University of Kansas. Dudarev, who will be representing Belarus, is set to make his first trip to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics.

When former Jayhawk Gleb Dudarev squares off against some of the best hammer throwers in the world in the Olympics, he’ll have a lifetime of experience — and a long family history — backing him up.

The 24-year-old thrower, who is representing his home country of Belarus, grew up in a family of throwers. His mother once held a national record in the hammer throw, and his grandmother held one in discus. And Dudarev himself has been throwing since he was 3 years old. He credits a lot of his success to his late grandfather, who taught him the basics of the sport.

“If he didn’t teach me the hammer, I’d never (have) gone to the Olympics,” Dudarev said. “I would not come to (the) USA. I wouldn’t (have) come to KU. It just gave me so much opportunity.”

On Sunday, after decades of honing his skills, he’ll get his first chance to test them on the Olympic stage. Qualification in the men’s hammer throw starts at 7 p.m. Sunday, and the final in the event is slated for 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4.

“I will try to do my best,” Dudarev said. “I’m saying my result can be like top three at the Olympics.”

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No matter how Dudarev performs at the Games, he’s likely to benefit a lot from the experience — especially because his career is likely far from over.

Top hammer throwers tend to be older than top-level athletes in some other Olympic sports, said Andy Kokhanovsky, who has coached throwers at KU since 2005. Many don’t reach their peak performance until their late 20s, when they’re stronger and more experienced.

“Hammer is more unique to older guys,” Kokhanovsky said. “There are not many younger guys who can do this. The older you get, the more you have confidence, and you have to have good technique.”

Kokhanovsky said the main priority for Dudarev right now should be to see how he stacks up against Olympic-level competitors — and potentially use that experience to prepare for 2024.

“He is not there right now to win,” Kokhanovsky said. “For him, it’s an experience just to be there. That will help him in the future.”

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Even before his college career began, Dudarev was already getting high-level throwing experience and setting records. He set the Belarusian junior record in both hammer throw and weight throw before he came to the United States.

And since he arrived at KU in 2017, the honors have continued to pile up.

At KU, Dudarev was a five-time All-American and a six-time Big 12 champion. He holds KU’s outdoor record for the hammer throw — 78.29 meters — and was responsible for all of the other throws in KU’s top 10, as well.

Kokhanovsky said he was impressed with Dudarev’s growth at KU, and that goes beyond his performance as a thrower. He said Dudarev had adapted well to living in a foreign country — no small feat considering that Dudarev didn’t speak English when he first arrived in Lawrence.

“He’s become a man now,” Kokhanovsky said. “When he came here, he was a young kid who didn’t know what to do.”

Dudarev will be one of three throwers with KU ties to compete at the Olympics this year. The other two are both discus throwers: Mason Finley, who’s making his second trip to the Olympics, and Alexandra Emilianov, who is a first-time qualifier.

“For the rest of (Dudarev’s) life, he’s going to be an Olympian,” Kokhanovsky said. “Just to make it at least once is a good experience. They will enjoy it, and they will become better people by doing this.”

Olympics schedule for hammer throw

7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1 – men’s hammer throw qualification

6:15 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4 – men’s hammer throw final