Javelin throw


The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon.

History

The javelin throw was added to the Ancient Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon in 708 BC. It included two events, one for distance and the other for accuracy in hitting a target. The javelin was thrown with the aid of a thong that was wound around the middle of the shaft. Athletes held the javelin by the ankyle, and when they released the shaft, the unwinding of the thong gave the javelin a spiral trajectory.
Throwing javelin-like poles into targets was revived in Germany and Sweden in the early 1870s. In Sweden, these poles developed into the modern javelin, and throwing them for distance became a common event there and in Finland in the 1880s. The rules continued to evolve over the next decades; originally, javelins were thrown with no run-up, and holding them by the grip at the center of gravity was not always mandatory. Limited run-ups were introduced in the late 1890s, and soon developed into the modern unlimited run-up.
Sweden's Eric Lemming, who threw his first world best in 1899 and ruled the event from 1902 to 1912, was the first dominant javelin thrower. When the men's javelin was introduced as an Olympic discipline at the 1906 Intercalated Games, Lemming won by almost nine metres and broke his own world record; Sweden swept the first four places, as Finland's best throwers were absent and the event had yet to become popular in any other country. Though challenged by younger talents, Lemming repeated as Olympic champion in 1908 and 1912; his eventual best mark was the first javelin world record to be officially ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, most javelin competitions were two-handed; the implement was thrown with the right hand and separately with the left hand, and the best marks for each hand were added together. Competitions for the better hand only were less common, though not unknown. At the Olympics a both-hands contest was held only once, in 1912; Finland swept the medals, ahead of Lemming. After that, this version of the javelin rapidly faded into obscurity, together with similar variations of the shot and the discus; Sweden's Yngve Häckner, with his total of 114.28 m from 1917, was the last official both-hands world record holder.
Another early variant was the freestyle javelin, in which holding the javelin by the grip at the center of gravity was not mandatory; such a freestyle competition was held at the 1908 Olympics, but was dropped from the program after that. Hungary's Mór Kóczán used a freestyle end grip to break the 60-meter barrier in 1911, a year before Lemming and Julius Saaristo first did so with a regular grip.
The first known women's javelin marks were recorded in Finland in 1909. Originally, women threw the same implement as men; a lighter, shorter javelin for women was introduced in the 1920s. Women's javelin throw was added to the Olympic program in 1932; Mildred "Babe" Didrikson of the United States became the first champion.
For a long time, javelins were made of solid wood, typically birch, with a steel tip. The hollow, highly aerodynamic Held javelin, invented by American thrower Bud Held and developed and manufactured by his brother Dick, was introduced in the 1950s; the first Held javelins were also wooden with steel tips, but later models were made entirely of metal. These new javelins flew further, but were also less likely to land neatly point first; as a response to the increasingly frequent flat or ambiguously flat landings, experiments with modified javelins started in the early 1980s. The resulting designs, which made flat landings much less common and reduced the distances thrown, became official for men starting in April 1986 and for women in April 1999, and the world records were reset. The current men's world record is held by Jan Železný at 98.48 m ; Barbora Špotáková holds the women's world record at 72.28 m.
Of the 69 Olympic medals that have been awarded in the men's javelin, 32 have gone to competitors from Norway, Sweden or Finland. Finland is the only nation to have swept the medals at a currently recognized official Olympics, and has done so twice, in 1920 and 1932, in addition to its 1912 sweep in the two-handed javelin; in 1920 Finland swept the first four places, which is no longer possible as only three entrants per country are allowed. Finland has, however, never been nearly as successful in the women's javelin.
The javelin throw has been part of the decathlon since the decathlon was introduced in the early 1910s; the all-around, an earlier ten-event contest of American origin, did not include the javelin throw. The javelin was also part of some of the many early forms of women's pentathlon, and has always been included in the heptathlon after it replaced the pentathlon in 1981.

Rules and competitions

The size, shape, minimum weight, and center of gravity of the javelin are all defined by IAAF rules. In international competition, men throw a javelin between in length and in weight, and women throw a javelin between in length and in weight. The javelin has a grip, about wide, made of cord and located at the javelin's center of gravity.
Unlike the other throwing events, the technique used to throw the javelin is dictated by IAAF rules and "non-orthodox" techniques are not permitted. The javelin must be held at its grip and thrown overhand, over the athlete's shoulder or upper arm. Further, the athlete is prohibited from turning completely around such that his back faces the direction of throw. In practice, this prevents athletes from attempting to spin and hurl the javelin sidearm in the style of a discus throw. This rule was put in place when a group of athletes began experimenting with a spin technique referred to as "free style". On 24 October 1956, Pentti Saarikoski threw using the technique holding the end of the javelin. Officials were so afraid of the out of control nature of the technique that the practice was banned through these rule specifications.
Instead of being confined to a circle, javelin throwers have a runway wide and at least in length, ending in a curved arc from which their throw will be measured; athletes typically use this distance to gain momentum in a "run-up" to their throw. Like the other throwing events, the competitor may not leave the throwing area until after the implement lands. The need to come to a stop behind the throwing arc limits both how close the athlete can come to the line before the release as well as the maximum speed achieved at the time of release.
The javelin is thrown towards a "sector" covering an angle of 28.96 degrees extending outwards from the arc at the end of the runway. A throw is legal only if the tip of the javelin lands within this sector, and the tip strikes the ground before any other part of the javelin. The distance of the throw is measured from the throwing arc to the point where the tip of the javelin landed, rounded down to the nearest centimeter.
Competition rules are similar to other throwing events: a round consists of one attempt by each competitor in turn, and competitions typically consist of three to six rounds. The competitor with the longest single legal throw is the winner; in the case of a tie the competitors' second-longest throws are also considered. Competitions involving large numbers of athletes sometimes use a "cut": all competitors compete in the first three rounds, but only athletes who are currently among the top eight or have achieved some minimum distances are permitted to attempt to improve on their distance in additional rounds.

Javelin redesigns

On 1 April 1986, the men's javelin was redesigned by the governing body. They decided to change the rules for javelin design because of the increasingly frequent flat landings and the resulting discussions and protests when these attempts were declared valid or invalid by competition judges. The world record had also crept up to a potentially dangerous level, by Uwe Hohn. With throws exceeding 100 meters, it was becoming difficult to safely stage the competition within the confines of a stadium infield. The javelin was redesigned so that the centre of gravity was moved forward. In addition, the surface area in front of centre of gravity was reduced, while the surface area behind the centre of gravity was increased. This had an effect similar to that produced by the feathers on an arrow. The javelin turns into the relative wind. This relative wind appears to originate from the ground as the javelin descends, thus the javelin turns to face the ground. As the javelin turns into the wind less lift is generated, reducing the flight distance by around 10% but also causing the javelin to stick in the ground more consistently. In 1999, the women's javelin was similarly redesigned.
Modifications that manufacturers made to recover some of the lost distance, by increasing tail drag, were forbidden at the end of 1991 and marks made using implements with such modifications removed from the record books. Seppo Räty had achieved a world record of in 1991 with such a design, but this record was nullified.

Weight rules by age group

The weight of the javelin in the Under-20 category is the same as the senior level.

Technique and training

Unlike other throwing events, javelin allows the competitor to build speed over a considerable distance. In addition to the core and upper body strength necessary to deliver the implement, javelin throwers benefit from the agility and athleticism typically associated with running and jumping events. Thus, the athletes share more physical characteristics with sprinters than with others, although they still need the skill of heavier throwing athletes.
Traditional free-weight training is often used by javelin throwers. Metal-rod exercises and resistance band exercises can be used to train a similar action to the javelin throw to increase power and intensity. Without proper strength and flexibility, throwers can become extremely injury prone, especially in the shoulder and elbow. Core stability can help in the transference of physical power and force from the ground through the body to the javelin. Stretching and sprint training are used to enhance the speed of the athlete at the point of release, and subsequently, the speed of the javelin. At release, a javelin can reach speeds approaching 113 km/h.
The javelin throw consists of three separate phases: the run-up, the transition, and the delivery. During each phase, the position of the javelin changes while the thrower changes his or her muscle recruitment. In the run-up phase as Luann Voza states, "your arm is bent and kept close to your head, keeping the javelin in alignment with little to no arm movement". This allows the thrower's bicep to contract, flexing the elbow. In order for the javelin to stay up high, the thrower's deltoid flexes. In the transition phase, the thrower's "back muscles contract" as "the javelin is brought back in alignment with the shoulder with the thrower's palm up". This, according to Voza, "stretches your pectoral, or chest, muscles. From there, a stretch reflex, an involuntary contraction of your chest, helps bring your throwing arm forward with increased force". During the final phase, the rotation of the shoulders initiates the release, which then “transfers movement through the triceps muscles, wrists and fingers to extend the throwing arm forward to release the javelin".

US high school and below

Due to the fear of liability, the javelin throw is not an event in NFHS high school competition in 36 states, though USATF youth competitions for the same aged athletes do hold javelin competitions. At various points in time, high schools have attempted to create substitute events, including the softball throw, football throw and the grenade throw, throwing different objects under rules similar to javelin throw rules. In those states that do allow high school javelin competition, a few specify that the tip must be of rubber. Further, in age group track meets in the U.S., and in particular with elementary-school children in the Northeast, the Turbojav—a smaller plastic implement with a rubber tip but with similar flying characteristics as a real javelin—is a popular alternative.

Culture

Javelin throwers have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins. One of the recent samples is the €5 Finnish 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics commemorative coin, minted in 2005 to commemorate the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. On the obverse of the coin, a javelin thrower is depicted. On the reverse, legs of hurdle runners with the Helsinki Olympic Stadium tower in the background can be seen.

All-time top 25 javelin throwers (current models)

Men

RankMarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
125 May 1996Jena
211 July 2017Lucerne
35 May 2017Doha
426 June 1999Kuortane
526 August 2015Beijing
630 June 2002Sheffield
721 July 1995Oslo
82 June 2018Offenburg
924 June 2000Kuortane
102 June 2006Oslo
1126 June 2005Kuortane
1225 January 1992Auckland
1326 August 2017Taipei
1421 June 2007Indianapolis
1522 July 2007Tallinn
1622 June 2019Kuortane
1720 July 1992Nurmijärvi
189 July 1997Linz
199 July 2015Lausanne
2012 August 2017London
2118 May 2014Shanghai
2227 July 2019Palanga
23 1 March 1991Potchefstroom
242 August 2014Incheon
2524 March 1990Austin

Women

RankMarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
113 September 2008Stuttgart
214 August 2005Helsinki
31 September 2013Berlin
423 June 2007Munich
528 July 2000Oslo
69 June 2012New York City
711 April 2018Gold Coast
86 July 2017Lausanne
931 August 2008Elstal
102 August 2019Shenyang
1110 August 2018Berlin
129 July 2019Lucerne
1330 August 2015Beijing
146 July 2005Salamanca
1530 September 2000Sydney
167 June 2018Oslo
1726 May 2019Offenburg
1814 June 2014New York City
1919 February 2016Adler
2026 July 2014Kirovohrad
2118 May 2017Baku
2218 August 2000Monaco
2314 May 2010Doha
2420 May 2018Osaka
2516 August 2016Rio de Janeiro

Annulled

The following athletes had their performance annulled due to doping offenses:
Marks set using dimpled rough-tailed javelins manufactured by several companies were nullified effective 20 September 1991.
RankMarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
196.962 June 1991Punkalaidun
291.3615 September 1991Sheffield
390.848 September 1991Gengenbach
490.8226 August 1991Tokyo
590.7210 July 1991Lausanne

All-time top 15 javelin throwers (old model)

Men

Women

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

Season's bests

Men

A new model was introduced in 1986, and all records started fresh.
YearMarkAthletePlace
198685.74Como
198787.66Nitra
198886.88Leverkusen
198987.60San José
199089.58Stockholm
199190.82Tokyo
199291.46Auckland
199395.66Sheffield
199491.82Sheffield
199592.60Oslo
199698.48Jena
199794.02Stellenbosch
199890.88Tartu
199993.09Kuortane
200091.69Kuortane
200192.80Edmonton
200292.61Sheffield
200390.11Dessau
200487.73Ostrava
200591.53Kuortane
200691.59Oslo
200791.29Indianapolis
200890.57Beijing
200991.28Zürich
201090.37Florø
201190.61Byrkjelo
201288.34London
201389.03Bad Köstritz
201489.21Shanghai
201592.72Beijing
201691.28Turku
201794.44Lucerne
201892.70Leiria
201990.61Kuortane

Women

A new model was introduced in 1999 and all records started fresh.
YearMarkAthletePlace
199968.19Fana
200069.48Oslo
200171.54Rethymno
200267.47Munich
200366.52Paris
200471.53Athens
200571.70Helsinki
200666.91Athens
200770.20Munich
200872.28Stuttgart
200968.59Leiria
201068.66Rome
201171.58Daegu
201269.55London
201370.53Berlin
201467.99Brussels
201567.69Beijing
201667.30Adler
201768.43Lausanne
201868.92Gold Coast
201967.98Shenyang