RIO DE JANEIRO _ Upon finishing their final tosses in the hammer throw competition Monday, DeAnna Price and American teammate Amber Campbell linked arms and giddily skipped around the infield.
Campbell and Price, who finished 6th and 8th respectively, will not leave here with medals. But they'll walk away with their names entered in record books under the best performance by United States since the women's hammer throw became an Olympic event in 2000.
Though two Americans reached the finals at the Sydney Games 16 years ago, they finished 7th and 8th. By finishing slightly better here, Price and Campbell say they hope they set a new American standard.
"So why not take a victory lap?" asked Price, who won two NCAA titles at Southern Illinois.
Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk won the event with a throw of 82.29 meters, breaking her own world record. Wenxiu Zhang of China finished second with a 76.75-meter throw, while Britain's Sophie Hitchon won bronze with a 74.54-meter toss.
"After the world record I felt an explosion of happiness. But now I'm extremely tired," said Wlodarczyk, who won silver in London four years ago. "This day is the best day of my life."
The Americans echoed those sentiments after the finals, in which Campbell threw 72.74 meters on her fifth attempt and Price hit 70.95 on her third.
"We're giddy and giggly right now," said Campbell, a three-time Olympian from Indianapolis. "It's an individual sport, but we're loving that we both did so well."
Campbell and Price clearly considered themselves a team as they waited for their turns. When Campbell moved into sixth place after her fifth throw, Price ran over and grabbed her into a bear hug that drew applause from the Brazilian crowd.
The 35-year-old veteran has served as a mentor to Price, 23, during her these Games, so Price said it was important to her that Campbell have a big Olympic moment for herself.
"She took me under her wing to make sure I made it through," Price said. "So I wanted this for her so bad. We're a team here. We both are chasing our dreams and trying to etch our name in history."
