This is one situation where a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, so I've compiled a few videos to give you an idea of how the events looked. The Big Shot competition in Sweden was replicated here in Zurich in 2010 and 2011. I put together a video profile of the event this year that takes a behind the scenes look at it. For a video of the original version in Stockholm, click here.

For hammer throwers, competing the day before the main event and outside the stadium is the norm. But when Swedish champion Mattias Jons found himself in this position again at last August’s Karlstad Grand Prix he had other issues on his mind during warm-ups. As Jons said, "It took one or two throws before I started to get used to throwing three meters above a running river without fear of falling in."

1 - Heidler Smashes The World Record (and Nearly Breaks 80 Meters)

Since the women's hammer throw debuted as an Olympic event in 2000, hammer throwers worldwide have been debating when the first woman will break 80 meters in the hammer throw. The world record was already at 76 meters and that led my first mentor, Harold Connolly, to think it would happen before 2004. Bondarchuk also thought it would happen sooner. Now, in 2011, Betty Heidler came painfully close to the barrier at Halle. This was hands down the top hammer throwing moment of 2011. Halle offers a unique atmosphere with thousands of fans showing up to just watch the throwing events. The environment produced magic once again as Heidler crushed the old world record and was less than two feet off the world record. Heidler continued her season with five more meets over 77 meters. At this level of consistency I think it is only a matter of time before one throw lands over the line.

1. Betty Heidler (GER). As with my men's rankings, my top ranked woman in 2011 also did not win the World Championships. But she did set a new world record that is tantalizingly close to 80 meters. This was also the only outdoor track and field record of 2011. She was also strong before and after Worlds, with eight straight win before and four afterwards and nine of the top ten performance of 2011. In addition to her record in Halle, she easily captured a win in the IAAF World Hammer Challenge where she won each meet she entered by an average of more than 3 meters. Even her runner-up mark of 76.06 meters at the World Championships would have been good enough to beat her competitors any other meet in 2011. She may have just won silver in Daegu, but she was the class of the field this year.

My criteria is subjective, so let the debate begin. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comment section below. If you want some stats for the season, check out the IAAF's performance lists.

1. Krisztian Pars (HUN). Pars had a nearly perfect season. He had the best mark of the year at 81.89m. He broke 80 meters more than any other thrower. He won 20 of his 24 competitions and never placed lower than third. He won the more World Hammer Challenge competitions than anyone and walked away with the title. But there is a reason it was only "nearly" perfect. To be perfect he would have also needed a win at the World Championships. In a thrilling competition he took the silver as his final attempt just two inches away from the gold. But his overall resume was so strong I feel he had the best overall season.