Alumnus competes in Paralympic Games

Chris Hammer, '09, finished ninth in the 1,500-meter race in the Paralympic Games in London September 4.

Hammer said the race was about four seconds slower than his best time, although he is experiencing hamstring problems. He is scheduled to run in a 800-meter preliminary heat September 6 and the marathon on September 9.

Hammer, who was born without a left hand, was a five-time All-American while at Grand Valley, finishing in the top seven of the 3,000-meter steeplechase every year of his career at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

This is the first Paralympic Games for Hammer, who competed in the Paralympic World Championships in New Zealand in January 2011, finishing fifth, and the Pan American Games in Mexico in November 2011, winning the 1,500.
    
Hammer lives in Cheney, Washington, and is married to former Laker track athlete Amy Kolin. Last spring, he earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Eastern Washington University; he hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in sport psychology.