Athletic Bio
I am a hammer thrower. I don’t throw sledge hammers or tack hammers. Instead I throw a 7.26-kilogram (16-pound) ball connected to a wire and handle. I take the implement and turn around four times within a seven foot ring before releasing the implement the length of a football field. While I have been doing this for years, I am currently training post-collegiately in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. I am the Swiss national champion, a member of the Swiss national team, and train with the Kamloops Track and Field Club under the guidance of the extraordinary coach Dr. Anatoli Bondarchuk. While in Europe, I compete for the ST Bern track club in Bern, Switzerland.
My athletic career began at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington where I participated in track and field, football, and tennis. While I did qualify for state meet in the shot put, I was not recruited by any colleges and decided to pick up the hammer throw in hopes on continuing to compete in college. The decision paid off and I was invited by coach Glenn McAtee to walk on at California State University, Northridge. Unfortunately, Coach McAtee left Northridge early in my first year of college. I decided to redshirt the season and spent all my time working hard to improve both athletically and academically. The next year I transferred back home to the University of Washington.
The University of Washington was a great fit for me. I competed for the team for four seasons and earned several awards, including two All-American honors. In 2007, I placed sixth at the NCAA Championships during my final competition for the University. After my eligibility expired, I continued to train in Seattle while finishing law school. During the 2008 season, I was selected to join the Swiss National Team and represented them at the European Cup in Istanbul. I also earned my law degree in 2008 and decided to move to Kamloops, British Columbia to train full-time with Dr. Bondarchuk. During the 2009 season I again competed for the Swiss national team and also won the Swiss national championship. My goal is to compete in the 2012 Olympics, and I have everything I need here to achieve that goal. I am surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world and coached by a former gold medalist. Keep tuned to this site for updates on my progress.
Media Coverage
Newspaper
» 83,5 Kilogramm auf den Hände, Thurgauer Zeitung (August 23, 2010)
» Helping Olympic hopefuls reach their dreams, Bellevue Reporter, Bellevue, WA (April 1, 2009)
» Brains and brawn, The Olympia, Olympia, WA (January 25, 2007)
» UW athlete hammers at achievement, Tacoma News Tribune (May 11, 2006)
» Hammering the obstacles, University of Washington Daily (April 20, 2006)
» Ball and chain helps UW thrower turn himself around, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (May 25, 2005)
Magazine
» Graduation and the Olympics Are Just a Hammer’s Throw Away, ABA Student Lawyer (May 2008)
» Martin Bingisser Trains for 2008 Olympics, UW Law (Spring 2008)
Radio
» Spotlight on 2008 Graduates, KIRO 710 AM (June 16, 2008)
Other
» Martin Bingisser and Angela Wishaar Given Wayne and Anne Gittinger Endowed Scholarships, UW Law School Annual Report (Spring 2008)
» UW’s Bingisser Named First-Team Academic All- American, GoHuskies.com (June 27, 2007)
» Holding Court With Martin Bingisser, University of Washington Track and Field Newsletter (May 1, 2007)
» Archived Profile at GoHuskies.com
