Félix Erausquin
Félix Erausquin (born November 20, 1907 in Zeanuri , Province of Bizkaia , Spain ; † May 7, 1987 ) was a Spanish athlete who was multiple Spanish champion in the shot put and discus throwing and in 1933 Spanish champion in javelin throwing .
His long active phase was unusual, he was the Spanish champion in discus throwing in 1932, 1933, 1936, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1947 and 1948 and Spanish champion in the shot put in 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1949, i.e. over a period of over 16 years.
In 1948 (aged 41) he took part as a discus thrower at the Summer Olympics in London, where he finished 14th out of 28 participants. Up to the age of 58 he competed in regular competitions and only switched to senior sport in 1966.
Spanish throwing style
At the age of 48 (1956) he invented a new javelin throwing technique with which he not only became Spanish champion despite his age and even exceeded the current world record, but also enabled throwing distances of over 100 meters, while Eric Lemming's technique was mostly used at the time achieved distances of around 85 meters. Félix Erausquin held the spear behind his back during the run-up and hurled it away in a circular motion - similar to the technique of throwing a discus - by sliding it through his specially lubricated hand.
The IAAF feared, however, that this throwing technique would be difficult to control, especially for beginners. In addition, the distances that could be achieved were dangerous, as most stadiums were (and are) only designed for throwing distances of around 90 meters. In addition, the throwing technique was found to be visually unappealing. (The Finn Matti Järvinen , himself the dominant javelin thrower in the early 1930s, called it, for example, the "Spanish freak") Therefore the so-called "Spanish" throwing technique was banned and records made by Félix Erausquin and others with this technique were disallowed. Throwing distances of over 100 meters were not achieved again until the mid-80s, as a result the weight distribution of the spear was changed in order to shorten the throwing distances again.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Erausquin, Felix |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Erauzquin, Felix |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish athlete |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 20, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zeanuri |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 7, 1987 |