Video: 1935 NCAA hammer champ Anton Kishon ’37 shows his form

“I’d take him on the team right now!”

So said Al Fereshetian, men’s track and field coach, after seeing this circa-1935 film clip of famed Bates thrower Anton “Tony” Kishon ’37 in action, probably on Garcelon Field.

“His form and technique are good,” Fereshetian says. “He’s relaxed and fluid. He’s not a big guy, which means he had to be better technically than others.”

Kishon won the hammer throw at the 1935 NCAA outdoor championships, held at Berkeley’s Edwards Stadium.

If there’s a difference in throwing style since the 1930s, says Fereshetian, it’s the footwork, which is key to the speed of the hammer.

Today, a Fereshetian-coached thrower would, within each turn, try to spend more time with both feet in contact with the ground. “That would mean ‘catching’ the ball earlier and rotating the right foot deeper into the turn before it leaves the ground.”