Javelin throw

Eric Lemming , three-time Olympic champion, is considered to be the inventor of modern javelin throwing technology.

Javelin throwing is a discipline of athletics in which a javelin has to be thrown as far as possible after a run-up. Six attempts are available for this in the competition.

The best javelin throwers reach over 90 meters (world record: 98.48 m) for men and approx. 70 meters (world record: 72.28 m) for women. In the 1980s, different spears were common than in the present, with which much greater distances could be achieved (world records: 104.80 m for men, 80.00 m for women). For safety reasons, however, in 1986 (for men) and 1999 (for women) the standards for the nature of the spears were changed (shifting the center of gravity) so that they flew less far.

The javelin was already part of the Olympic Games in antiquity and in modern times it was first introduced into the program of the Olympic Intermediate Games in 1906 as a "freestyle javelin throw" . The javelin throw, which is common today, has been part of the Olympic Games for men since 1908 and for women since 1932 . In addition, two-handed javelins were thrown at the Olympic Games in 1912 .

Waiting for a clear path before starting

Auguste Hargus (1927)

history

A scene with javelin throwers and other pentathletes. Originally found on a Panathenaic amphora from ancient Greece, around 525 BC. British Museum.

The spear is the oldest hunting weapon known to man. When for the first time a worked stone tip was attached to a stick used for hunting, is lost in the darkness of prehistory, as is the first occasion when this tool was also used for a sporting test of strength. The oldest fully preserved finds are the Schöninger spears from the Paleolithic , whose age is estimated at 270,000 to 400,000 years.

According to Greek mythology , Heracles was already an excellent spear thrower. The enchanted, dwarf-forged spear of the Norse god Odin is called Gungnir . The Olympic Games of Antiquity v 708th It is said to have been part of the Olympic program for the first time as a pentathlon discipline . However, in the sub- disciplines long and target throw , the javelin was thrown with the help of a sling , the so-called ankyle . It was a string that was wound several times around the spear and at the end tied into a noose into which the thrower inserted two fingers. During the throw it unwound and gave the spear a twist and thus a smoother flight. In fact, modern experiments have shown that inexperienced javelin throwers can achieve greater distances with this technique than without a throwing loop.

In the 18th century it was again very popular in Scandinavia . For the Finns in particular , the spear, and thus the throwing of the javelin, became a national symbol of independence.

In its almost unchanged form (the long throw), the javelin was returned to the Olympic program in 1906 in Athens (men) and 1932 in Los Angeles (women).

Javelin throwing only became known in Germany after the inventor of modern javelin throwing technology, Eric Lemming , demonstrated it in May 1906 at the SC Komet Swedish meeting. The first German record was set by Ernst Mallwitz from Berlin with 37.70 m (world best at that time: Eric Lemming from Sweden, 53.90 m).

While Scandinavian throwers dominated the men's competitions for a long time, the picture was less homogeneous for women. Since the 1970s and 1980s, athletes from the Eastern Bloc have increasingly pushed themselves to the top of the world. As in all Olympic sports, athletes from the GDR were disproportionately represented.

At a top-class international sports festival in Berlin in 1984 , Uwe Hohn from Potsdam exceeded the 100-meter mark with 104.80 m for the first time so clearly that the IAAF changed the regulations and shifted the focus of the javelin. The associated shortening of the widths had become necessary for safety reasons - the stadiums were too small. Hohn's spear got stuck not far from the parallel jumping competitions and the running track.

In 1988 Petra Felke from Jena also set an all-time world record with exactly 80.00 m. In 1999 the IAAF also prescribed a modified spear for women.

Major athletes and advancement

Men

Women's spear (left) and men's spear (right)

• Mauritz Mexmontan ( FIN ) set the first record of modern times in 1883 with 30.58 m. However, the spear was lighter than 750 grams.
• Eric Lemming ( SWE ) set the first official record in 1899 with 49.32 m and dominated the development for about 15 years. Its 62.32 m from 1912 lasted until 1919.
• With his aluminum hollow spear, Franklin Held ( USA ) set record lengths in series in the 1950s - and for technical regulations. In 1953 he was the first to throw more than 80 meters: 80.41 m.
• With 91.72 m, the Norwegian Terje Pedersen broke the 90-meter barrier in 1964.

But as tangible as it seemed - it was not until the 1970s that the world's best throwers, with standard ranges well over 90 meters, slowly approached. In 1973 the German Klaus Wolfermann threw 94.08 m. Athletes like the Finn Seppo Räty , Steve Backley ( GBR ), Jan Železný (then still TCH ) competed in the 80s with the Germans Klaus Tafelmeier ( FRG ), Uwe Hohn and Detlef Michel ( GDR ) for the best distances. The latter was world champion in 1983 with "only" 89.48 m.

• Uwe Hohn finally shocked the competition in 1984. Spectators and officials at the Olympic Day in Berlin stared in amazement at the display board, which showed 4.80 m - it was only prepared for double-digit widths. The officials then decided to shift the focus forward. The new regulation came into force in 1986.
• Klaus Tafelmeier ( FRG ) set the first world record with the new device in September 1986: 85.74 m, but was only able to look forward to it for a few months.
• With 87.66 m, Jan Železný set a new record with the new spears in May 1987. The Czech - the most successful javelin thrower in history with three Olympic victories and three world championship titles - continuously raised the record to the value of 98.48 m that is still valid today until 1996. Always on his heels until the end of the 1990s, the old masters Räty and Backley remained.

Women

• The first recorded record for women comes from the Czech Božena Šrámková in 1922. She carried the 600 gram device to a width of 25.01 m.
• In 1928 Guschi Hargus threw 38.39 m, in the previous year, at the age of 18, at the international women's competitions in Berlin, she improved the world best in the javelin thrown by Lonta from Poland and became the youngest world record holder, and established a long tradition of successful German throwers, which she followed u. a. Ellen Braumüller , who in 1930 was the first to reach over 40 meters (40.27 m) and Annelie Steinheuer (47.24 m).
• The next two decades after World War II saw an overwhelming dominance of Soviet female athletes. Natalja Smimitskaja exceeded Steinheuer's 1942 record by more than 6 meters and clearly conquered the 50 mark: 53.41 m.
• In the following years, almost exclusively Soviet female throwers drove the record towards 60 meters. At 62.40 m, it was Jelena Gorchakova who broke this barrier in 1964.
• Ruth Fuchs from the GDR continued the German tradition in the 1970s and helped shape the top of the world for around a decade. She improved the world record twice in a row. There were eight years in between. Nevertheless, it was not granted to her to break the next sound barrier. At 69.96 m in 1980, she missed this by four centimeters. In the same year Tatyana Birjulina threw the spear to 70.08 m and once again set a historic record for the Soviet Union.
• But Fuchs' worthy successor for the GDR was already at the start. The fight between Petra Felke and the Finn Tiina Lillak for the top of the world determined the 80s. The Briton Fatima Whitbread , world champion in 1987 , also intervened. Felke first took the intermediate hurdle at 75.40 m in 1985 with a huge 5-meter step on Birjulina's mark, took 78.90 m in 1987 and set a barrier with a precisely fitting 80.00 m in 1988 that has never been reached again. With the Olympic victory in 1988 she crowned her career (width: 74.68 m).
• Since the 1990s there has been no getting around the Norwegian Trine Hattestad . The world champion from 1993 and 1997 still had to hand over the Olympic victory to the Finn Heli Rantanen in 1996 and be satisfied with bronze. The Germans Silke Renk and Karen Forkel first came over from Petra Felke and won among other international medals at the Olympic Games 1992 gold and bronze, respectively, but were able to compete in the long term nor with the exceptional Norwegian later Steffi Nerius and Tanja Damaske .
• In 1999, the International Athletics Federation also prescribed a modified javelin for women and thus moved Felke's record into an almost unattainable distance. The double world champion Osleidys Menéndez (Cuba) dominated the scene since her world record of 71.54 m in 2001 to 2005, when she was able to improve it to 71.70 m at the World Championships . After her European records in 2005 and 2007, the German Christina Obergföll seemed to be the next dominant thrower, but was already defeated at the 2007 World Championships by the Czech Barbora Špotáková , who not only achieved the Olympic victory in 2008 , but also the European record with 71.42 m and finally also the world record with 72.28 m.

If the strict doping controls enforced by all international associations since the 1990s are maintained and there are no drastic changes in materials and in the regulations, the historical records of Felke and Hohn are likely to last for many years to come.

Another world record development

After Uwe Hohn's record throw , the spear was modified to limit the rapidly growing distances that occurred due to new materials and improved flight characteristics. The changes were controversial, as they make it difficult to compare the record development and after a few years each would achieve distances of the same order of magnitude.

In 1992 the Briton Steve Backley threw the "new" javelin again over 91 meters. The exceptional Czech athlete Jan Železný , who was already among the best in the world in Hohn's time, improved the world record in series since 1993 up to the still current record of 98.48 m in 1996. Four female athletes have more than 70 Meters thrown, the first was the Cuban Osleidys Menéndez 2001 with 71.54 m, then Christina Obergföll, the current world record holder Barbora Špotáková with 72.28 m and the Russian Marija Abakumowa.

Technology and rules

Technology when dropping

The javelin is one of the most technically demanding disciplines. In contrast to other throwing disciplines, a short run-up is permitted, from which the phases of swinging and throwing are synchronized with each other.

The spear is a slim stick made of wood, metal, carbon or a combination of these, tapering at both ends. The length is in the men up in the ladies up . The mass of the spears is , respectively . All spears have a metal tip that is long or long. In the middle, at the grip point, there is a textile wrapping, including the diameter of which is no more than that of the men and women. The spears used in the youth and senior sector are lighter and, accordingly, shorter. ${\displaystyle 2{,}70\,{\text{m}}}$ ${\displaystyle 2{,}80\,{\text{m}}}$ ${\displaystyle 2{,}20\,{\text{m}}}$ ${\displaystyle 2{,}30\,{\text{m}}}$ ${\displaystyle 800\,{\text{g}}}$ ${\displaystyle 600\,{\text{g}}}$ ${\displaystyle 25\,{\text{cm}}}$ ${\displaystyle 30\,{\text{cm}}}$ ${\displaystyle 30\,{\text{mm}}}$ ${\displaystyle 25\,{\text{mm}}}$

The throwing area is a sector of a circle with an opening angle of 29 ° and a length of . It is limited at the drop point by a long, arched drop bar, which the thrower must not touch or cross. For a valid throw, the inrun may only be left when the spear has touched the ground in the sector. ${\displaystyle 95\,{\text{m}}}$ ${\displaystyle 4\,{\text{m}}}$

According to the regulations, the javelin must be held in the middle and the tip must point in the direction of the throw when it is thrown. In the 1950s, the Spaniard Félix Erausquin showed that this cannot be taken for granted with a turning technique that enabled distances of up to . It must hit head first and within the sector, but it need not get stuck. The measurement is made from the point of the first impression to the inside edge of the beam. ${\displaystyle 100\,{\text{m}}}$

All throwers initially complete three throws in the competition. The eight best have three more attempts and determine the top positions among themselves.

Handle styles

There are several types of grip. What these slightly different types of grip have in common is that two fingers enclose the grip at the rear end and ensure contact during the throw. The most common type of grip is the thumb-forefinger grip . Here the thumb and forefinger lie behind the textile winding of the spear. All other fingers are on the binding. At the time of the throw, the use of this type of grip can make it easier for the spear to move sideways. Other types of grip are the thumb-middle finger grip and the pincer grip . In contrast to the thumb-index finger grip, the wrapping of the spear is grasped from behind with the thumb and middle finger. The index finger stabilizes the spear by resting it slightly stretched below the coil. With pincer grips, the index and middle fingers form the point of contact with the handle. Here the thumb is used to stabilize the handle on the side.

The use of resin or magnesia is allowed to improve the contact between the fingers and the winding .

Approach and return of the spear

The run-up is an escalation run. In order to prepare the throwing display, the javelin position is changed during the approach; at first the spear is carried loosely above the head. Then the spear is led up and back before the last five steps in order to achieve the greatest possible twisting of the body.

This process ( usually over two to four steps) is called spear withdrawal . There are two common procedures here: the Finnish (arching from top-front over bottom to top-back) and the Swedish withdrawal (straight-line return next to the head).

The last three steps (impulse step and caulking step - left / right / left for the right thrower) are very important and form the basis for good bow tension and a powerful throw.

Physics of the javelin throw

The trajectory that the spear travels during a throw is subject to the laws of physics . There are two effects to consider:

1. The trajectory parabola : If the air resistance is neglected, the spear describes a parabola as a flight path. This is slightly asymmetrical because the drop point is slightly higher (approx. Shoulder height of the athlete) than the point of impact. Therefore, at a given speed, the maximum possible throw is achieved with a throw angle of just under 45 °.
2. 

   Aerodynamics of the javelin throw
   Aerodynamics: Due to its shape, the spear is subjected to a lift force caused by the air flow (similar to that of an airplane wing). This buoyancy force starts at the center of gravity of the form , which in this case coincides with the geometric center point (i.e. the bisecting point of the spear). The more the axis of the spear deviates from the direction of flight, the greater the force. In order to keep the lift smaller, the center of gravity of the new spears was placed further in front of the center of the spear (about 2 cm). As a result, the spear tips down faster with the tip during flight and experiences less lift.

statistics

Olympic Games medalist

Men

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1908	Eric Lemming	Arne Halse	Otto Nilsson
1912	Eric Lemming	Juho Saaristo	Mór Kóczán
1920	Jonni Myyra	Urho Peltonen	Pekka Johansson
1924	Jonni Myyra	Gunnar Lindström	Eugene Colonel
1928	Erik Lundqvist	Béla Szepes	Olav Sunde
1932	Matti Järvinen	Matti Sippala	Eino Penttila
1936	Gerhard Stock	Yrjö Nikkanen	Kalervo Toivonen
1948	Tapio Rautavaara	Steve Seymour	József Várszegi
1952	Cy Young	Bill Miller	Toivo Hyytiäinen
1956	Egil Danielsen	Janusz Sidło	Viktor Zybulenko
1960	Viktor Zybulenko	Walter Kruger	Gergely Kulcsár
1964	Pauli Nevala	Gergely Kulcsár	Jānis Lūsis
1968	Jānis Lūsis	Jorma Kinnunen	Gergely Kulcsár
1972	Klaus Wolfermann	Jānis Lūsis	Bill Schmidt
1976	Miklós Németh	Hannu Siitonen	Gheorghe Megelea
1980	Dainis Kūla	Alexander Makarov	Wolfgang Hanisch
1984	Arto Härkönen	David Ottley	Kenth Eldebrink
1988	Tapio Korjus	Jan Železný	Seppo Räty
1992	Jan Železný	Seppo Räty	Steve Backley
1996	Jan Železný	Steve Backley	Seppo Räty
2000	Jan Železný	Steve Backley	Sergei Makarov
2004	Andreas Thorkildsen	Vadim's Vasiļevskis	Sergei Makarov
2008	Andreas Thorkildsen	Ainārs Kovals	Tero Pitkämäki
2012	Keshorn Walcott	Antti Ruuskanen	Vítězslav Veselý
2016	Thomas Röhler	Julius Yego	Keshorn Walcott

Freestyle Javelin Throw, Men (1906, 1908)

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1906	Eric Lemming	Knut Lindberg	Bruno Söderström
1908	Eric Lemming	Michalis Dorizas	Arne Halse

Two-handed javelin throw, men (1912)

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1912	Juho Saaristo	Väinö Siikaniemi	Urho Peltonen

Women

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1932	Mildred Didrikson	Ellen Braumüller	Tilly Fleischer
1936	Tilly Fleischer	Luise Kruger	Maria Kwaśniewska
1948	Herma Bauma	Kaisa Parviainen	Lily Carlstedt
1952	Dana Zátopková	Alexandra Tschudina	Jelena Gorchakova
1956	Inese Jaunzeme	Marlene Ahrens	Nadeshda Konyaeva
1960	Elvīra Ozoliņa	Dana Zátopková	Birutė Kalėdienė
1964	Mihaela Penes	Márta Rudas	Jelena Gorchakova
1968	Angéla Németh	Mihaela Penes	Eva Janko
1972	Ruth Fuchs	Jacqueline Todten	Kate Schmidt
1976	Ruth Fuchs	Marion Becker	Kate Schmidt
1980	María Caridad Colón	Saida Gunba	Ute Hommola
1984	Tessa Sanderson	Tiina Lillak	Fatima Whitbread
1988	Petra Felke	Fatima Whitbread	Beate Koch
1992	Silke Renk	Natalia Schikolenko	Karen Forkel
1996	Heli Rantanen	Louise McPaul	Trine Hattestad
2000	Trine Hattestad	Mirela Maniani	Osleidys Menéndez
2004	Osleidys Menéndez	Steffi Nerius	Mirela Maniani
2008	Barbora Špotáková	Christina Obergföll	Goldie Sayers
2012	Barbora Špotáková	Christina Obergföll	Linda Stahl
2016	Sara Kolak	Sunette Viljoen	Barbora Špotáková

World Championships medalist

Men

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1983	Detlef Michel	Tom Petranoff	Dainis Kūla
1987	Seppo Räty	Viktor Jewsyukov	Jan Železný
1991	Kimmo Kinnunen	Seppo Räty	Vladimir Sassimovich
1993	Jan Železný	Kimmo Kinnunen	Mick Hill
1995	Jan Železný	Steve Backley	Boris Henry
1997	Marius Corbett	Steve Backley	Konstandinos Gatsioudis
1999	Aki Parviainen	Konstandinos Gatsioudis	Jan Železný
2001	Jan Železný	Aki Parviainen	Konstandinos Gatsioudis
2003	Sergei Makarov	Andrus Värnik	Boris Henry
2005	Andrus Värnik	Andreas Thorkildsen	Sergei Makarov
2007	Tero Pitkämäki	Andreas Thorkildsen	Breaux Greer
2009	Andreas Thorkildsen	Guillermo Martínez	Yukifumi Murakami
2011	Matthias de Zordo	Andreas Thorkildsen	Guillermo Martínez
2013	Vítězslav Veselý	Tero Pitkämäki	Dmitri Tarabin
2015	Julius Yego	Ihab Abdelrahman	Tero Pitkämäki
2017	Johannes Vetter	Jakub Vadlejch	Petr Frydrych
2019	Anderson Peters	Magnus Kirt	Johannes Vetter

Women

year	gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
1983	Tiina Lillak	Fatima Whitbread	Anna Verouli
1987	Fatima Whitbread	Petra Felke	Beate Peters
1991	Xu Demei	Petra Felke	Silke Renk
1993	Trine Hattestad	Karen Forkel	Natalia Schikolenko
1995	Natalia Schikolenko	Felicia Țilea-Moldovan	Mikaela Ingberg
1997	Trine Hattestad	Joanna Stone	Tanja Damaske
1999	Mirela Maniani	Tatiana Schikolenko	Trine Hattestad
2001	Osleidys Menéndez	Mirela Maniani	Sonia Bisset
2003	Mirela Maniani	Tatiana Schikolenko	Steffi Nerius
2005	Osleidys Menéndez	Christina Obergföll	Steffi Nerius
2007	Barbora Špotáková	Christina Obergföll	Steffi Nerius
2009	Steffi Nerius	Barbora Špotáková	Monica Stoian
2011	Barbora Špotáková	Sunette Viljoen	Christina Obergföll
2013	Christina Obergföll	Kimberley Mickle	Maria Abakumova
2015	Katharina Molitor	Lu Huihui	Sunette Viljoen
2017	Barbora Špotáková	Li Lingwei	Lu Huihui
2019	Kelsey-Lee Barber	Liu Shiying	Lu Huihui

See also

• Olympic medalist
• Medalist at world championships
• Olympic medalists
• Medal winners at world championships

World record development

Men

Width (m)	Surname	date	place
Old spear (type required before 1986)
62.32	Eric Lemming	September 29, 1912	Stockholm
66.10	Jonni Myyra	August 24, 1919	Stockholm
66.62	Gunnar Lindström	December 12, 1924	Eksjö
69.88	Eino Penttila	October 1, 1927	Viipuri
71.01	Erik Lundqvist	August 15, 1928	Stockholm
71.57	Matti Järvinen	August 8, 1930	Viipuri
71.70	Matti Järvinen	17th August 1930	Tampere
71.88	Matti Järvinen	August 31, 1930	Vaasa
72.93	Matti Järvinen	September 14, 1930	Viipuri
74.02	Matti Järvinen	June 27, 1932	Turku
74.28	Matti Järvinen	May 25, 1933	Mikkeli
74.61	Matti Järvinen	June 7, 1933	Vaasa
76.10	Matti Järvinen	July 15, 1933	Helsinki
76.66	Matti Järvinen	September 7, 1933	Turin
77.23	Matti Järvinen	June 18, 1934	Helsinki
77.87	Yrjö Nikkanen	August 25, 1938	Karhula
78.70	Yrjö Nikkanen	October 16, 1938	Kotka
80.41	Bud hero	August 8, 1953	Pasadena
81.75	Bud hero	May 21, 1955	Modesto
83.56	Soini Nikkinen	June 24, 1956	Cow mines
83.66	Janusz Sidło	June 30, 1956	Milan
85.71	Egil Danielsen	November 26, 1956	Melbourne
86.04	Al Cantello	5th June 1959	Compton
86.74	Carlo Lievore	June 1, 1961	Milan
87.12	Terje Pedersen	July 1, 1964	Oslo
91.72	Terje Pedersen	2nd September 1964	Oslo
91.98	Jānis Lūsis	July 23, 1968	Saarijärvi
92.70	Jorma Kinnunen	June 18, 1969	Tampere
93.80	Jānis Lūsis	July 6, 1972	Stockholm
94.08	Klaus Wolfermann	May 5th 1973	Leverkusen
94.58	Miklós Németh	July 26, 1976	Montreal
96.72	Ferenc Paragi	April 23, 1980	Tata
99.72	Tom Petranoff	May 15, 1983	los Angeles
104.80	Uwe Mockery	July 20, 1984	Berlin
New spear (mandatory design since 1986)
85.74	Klaus Tafelmeier	September 20, 1986	Como
87.66	Jan Železný	May 31, 1987	Nitra
89.10	Patrik Bodén	March 24, 1990	Austin
89.58	Steve Backley	2nd July 1990	Stockholm
91.46	Steve Backley	January 25, 1992	Auckland
95.54	Jan Železný	April 6, 1993	Pietersburg
95.66	Jan Železný	August 29, 1993	Sheffield
98.48	Jan Železný	May 25, 1996	Jena

Women

*: World record recognized by the women's sports organization FSFI , prior to the registration of women's world records by the International Athletics Federation IAAF

**: World best at the beginning of the introduction of the new spear design in 1999, not an official world record

Width (m)	Surname	date	place
Old spear (type required before 1999)
25.01 *	Božena Šrámková	August 6, 1922	Prague
25.325 *	Božena Šrámková	August 13, 1922	Prague
27.24 *	Marie Janderová	May 25, 1924	Ostrava
37.575 *	Guschi Hargus	June 12, 1927	Berlin
38.39 *	Guschi Hargus	August 18, 1928	Berlin
40.27 *	Ellen Braumüller	July 12, 1930	Berlin
42.28 *	Elisabeth Schumann	August 2, 1931	Magdeburg
44.64 *	Elisabeth Schumann	June 12, 1932	Berlin
46.745	Nan Gindele	June 18, 1932	Chicago
47.24	Anneliese Steinheuer	June 21, 1942	Frankfurt am Main
48.21	Herma Bauma	June 29, 1947	Vienna
48.63	Herma Bauma	September 12, 1948	Vienna
49.59	Natalia Smirnitskaya	July 25, 1949	Moscow
53.41	Natalia Smirnitskaya	August 5, 1949	Moscow
53.56	Nadezhda Konjayeva	5th February 1954	Leningrad
55.11	Nadezhda Konjayeva	May 22, 1954	Kiev
55.48	Nadezhda Konjayeva	August 6, 1954	Kiev
55.73	Dana Zátopková	June 1, 1958	Prague
57.40	Anna Pazera	July 24, 1958	Cardiff
57.49	Birutė Zalogaitytė	October 30, 1958	Tbilisi
57.92	Elvīra Ozoliņa	May 3, 1960	Leselidse
59.55	Elvīra Ozoliņa	June 4th 1960	Bucharest
59.78	Elvīra Ozoliņa	3rd July 1963	Moscow
62.40	Jelena Gorchakova	October 16, 1964	Tokyo
62.70	Ewa Gryziecka	June 11, 1972	Bucharest
65.06	Ruth Fuchs	June 11, 1972	Potsdam
66.11	Ruth Fuchs	7th September 1973	Edinburgh
67.22	Ruth Fuchs	3rd October 1974	Rome
69.12	Ruth Fuchs	July 10, 1976	Berlin
69.32	Kate Schmidt	September 11, 1977	Fuerth
69.52	Ruth Fuchs	June 13, 1979	Dresden
69.96	Ruth Fuchs	04/29/1980	Split
70.80	Tatyana Birjulina	July 12, 1980	Podolsk
71.88	Antoaneta Todorova	August 15, 1981	Zagreb
72.40	Tiina Lillak	July 29, 1982	Helsinki
74.20	Sofia Sakorafa	September 26, 1982	Chania
74.76	Tiina Lillak	June 13, 1983	Tampere
75.26	Petra Felke	June 4th 1985	Schwerin
75.40	Petra Felke	June 4th 1985	Schwerin
77.44	Fatima Whitbread	August 28, 1986	Stuttgart
78.90	Petra Felke	July 29, 1987	Leipzig
80.00	Petra Felke-Meier	September 9, 1988	Potsdam
New spear (mandatory design since 1999)
68.19 **	Trine Solberg-Hattestad	July 28, 1999	Fana
68.22 **	Trine Solberg-Hattestad	June 30, 2000	Rome
69.48 **	Trine Solberg-Hattestad	July 28, 2000	Oslo
71.54	Osleidys Menéndez	July 1, 2001	Rethymno
71.70	Osleidys Menéndez	August 14, 2005	Helsinki
72.28	Barbora Špotáková	September 13, 2008	Stuttgart

World best list

Men

All javelin throwers with a distance of or more (the list only includes throws with the "new" competition javelin, which has been mandatory since 1986). A = width achieved under altitude conditions. ${\displaystyle 87,23\;{\text{m}}}$

Last change: April 27, 2020

1. 98.48 m Jan Železný , Jena , May 25, 1996 
2. 94.44 m Johannes Vetter , Lucerne , July 11, 2017 ( German record ) 
3. 93.90 m Thomas Röhler , Doha , May 5, 2017 
4. 93.09 m Aki Parviainen , Kuortane , June 26, 1999 
5. 92.72 m Julius Yego , Beijing , August 26, 2015 
6. 92.61 m Sergei Makarow , Sheffield , June 30, 2002 
7. 92.60 m Raymond Hecht , Oslo , July 21, 1995 
8. 92.06 m Andreas Hofmann , Offenburg , June 2, 2018 
9. 91.69 m Konstadinós Gatsioúdis , Kuortane , June 24, 2000 
10. 91.59 m Andreas Thorkildsen , Oslo , June 2, 2006 
11. 91.53 m Tero Pitkämäki , Kuortane , June 26, 2005 
12. 91.46 m Steve Backley , Auckland , January 25, 1992 
13. 91.36 m Cheng Chao-tsun , Taipei , August 26, 2017 
14. 31.29m Breaux Greer , Indianapolis , June 21, 2007 
15. 90.73 m Vadims Vasiļevskis , Tallinn , July 23, 2007 
16. 90.61 m Magnus Kirt , Kuortane , June 22, 2019 
17. 90.60 m Seppo Räty , Nurmijärvi , July 20, 1992 
18. 90.44 m Boris Henry , Linz , July 9, 1997 
19. 90.16 m Keshorn Walcott , Lausanne , July 9, 2015 
20. 89.73 m Jakub Vadlejch , London , 12 August 2017 
21. 89.21 m Ihab Abdelrahman , Shanghai , May 18, 2014 
22. 89.17 m Edis Matusevičius , Palanga , July 27, 2019 
23. 89.16 m A Tom Petranoff , Potchefstroom , March 1, 1991 
24. 89.15 m Zhao Qinggang , Incheon , October 2, 2014 
25. 89.10 m Patrik Bodén , Austin , March 24, 1990 
26. 89.06 m Bernhard Seifert , Offenburg , May 26, 2019 
27. 89.02 m Jarrod Bannister , Brisbane , February 29, 2008 
28. 88.98 m Antti Ruuskanen , Pori , August 2, 2015 
29. 88.90 m Aleksandr Ivanov , Tula , June 7, 2003 
30. 88.84 m Dmitri Tarabin , Moscow , July 24, 2013 
31. 88.75 m Marius Corbett , Kuala Lumpur , September 21, 1998 
32. 88.70 m Peter Blank , Stuttgart , June 30, 2001 
33. 88.36 m Matthias de Zordo , Brussels , September 16, 2011 
34. 88.34 m Vítězslav Veselý , London , 8 August 2012 
35. 88.32m Petr Frydrych , London , 12th August 2017 
36. 88.29 m Julian Weber (athlete) , Berlin , September 3, 2016 
37. 88.24 m Matti Närhi , Soini , July 27, 1997 
38. 88.22 m Juha Laukkanen , Kuortane , June 20, 1992 
39. 88.20 m Gavin Lovegrove , Oslo , July 5, 1996 
40. 88.09 m Marcin Krukowski , Bialystok , July 21, 2017 
41. 88.06 m Neeraj Chopra , Jakarta , August 27, 2018 
42. 88.02 m Oliver Helander , Pietarsaari , 7 July 2018 
43. 88.01m Ioannis Kiriazis , Austin , April 1, 2017 
44. 88.00 m Vladimir Ovchinnikow , Togliatti , May 14, 1995 
45. 87.83 m Andrus Värnik , Valga , August 19, 2003 
46. 87.82 m Harri Hakkarainen , Kuortane , June 24, 1995 
47. 87.60 m Kazuhiro Mizoguchi , San José , May 27, 1989 
48. 87.40 m Uladzimir Sassimowitsch , Kuortane , June 24, 1995 
49. 87.34 m Andrei Morujew , Birmingham , June 25, 1994 
50. 87.23 m Teemu Wirkkala , Joensuu , July 22, 2009 

• Austrian record: Gregor Högler - 84.03 m on July 17, 1999 in Kapfenberg
• Swiss record: Stefan Müller - 82.07 m on September 16, 2006 in Bern

Women

All throwers with a performance of or more (the list only contains throws with the competition javelin, which has been prescribed since 1999). ${\displaystyle 64,61\;{\text{m}}}$

Last change: January 10, 2020

1. 72.28 m Barbora Špotáková , Stuttgart , September 13, 2008 
2. 71.70 m Osleidys Menéndez , Helsinki , August 14, 2005 
3. 70.53 m Marija Abakumowa , Berlin , September 1, 2013 
4. 70.20 m Christina Obergföll , Munich , June 23, 2007 ( German record ) 
5. 69.48 m Trine Hattestad , Oslo , July 28, 2000 
6. 69.35 m Sunette Viljoen , New York , June 9th 2012 
7. 68.92 m Kathryn Mitchell , Gold Coast , April 11, 2018 
8. 68.43 m Sara Kolak , Lausanne , July 6, 2017 
9. 68.34 m Steffi Nerius , Elstal , August 31, 2008 
10. 67.98 m Lü Huihui , Shenyang , August 2, 2019 
11. 67.90 m Christin Hussong , Berlin , August 10, 2018 
12. 67.70 m Kelsey-Lee Barber , Lucerne , July 9, 2019 
13. 67.69 m Katharina Molitor , Beijing , August 30, 2015 
14. 67.67 m Sonia Bisset , Salamanca , July 6, 2005 
15. 67.51 m Mirela Maniani , Sydney , September 30, 2000 
16. 67.47 m Tazzjana Chaladowitsch , Oslo , June 7, 2018 
17. 67.40 m Nikola Ogrodníková , Offenburg , May 26, 2019 
18. 67.32 m Linda Stahl , New York City , June 14, 2014 
19. 67.30 m Wira Rebryk , Adler , February 19, 2016 
20. 67.29 m Hanna Hazko-Fedussowa , Kirovohrad , July 26, 2014 
21. 67.21 m Eda Tuğsuz , Baku , May 18, 2017 
22. 67.20 m Tatjana Schikolenko , Monaco , August 18, 2000 
23. 67.16 m Martina Ratej , Doha , May 14, 2010 
24. 67.12 m Liu Shiying , Osaka , May 20, 2018 
25. 67.11 m Maria Andrejczyk , Rio de Janeiro , August 16, 2016 
26. 66.91 m Tanja Damaske , Erfurt , July 4th 1999 
27. 66.83 m Kimberley Mickle , Melbourne , March 22, 2014 
28. 66.80 m Louise Currey , Runaway Bay , August 5, 2000 
29. 66.67m Kara Winger , Des Moines , June 25, 2010 
30. 66.53 m Marcelina Witek , Białogard , May 5, 2018 
31. 66.25m Li Lingwei , London , 8th August 2017 
32. 66.18 m Madara Palameika , Brussels , 9 September 2016 
33. 66.17m Goldie Sayers , London , July 14th 2012 
34. 66.00 m Haruka Kitaguchi , Kitakyushu , October 27, 2019 
35. 65.91 m Nikola Brejchová , Linz , August 2, 2004 
36. 65.47 m Zhang Li , Incheon , October 1, 2014 
37. 65.30 m Claudia Coslovich , Ljubljana , June 10, 2000 
38. 65.29 m Xiomara Rivero , Santiago de Cuba , March 17, 2001 
39. 65.17 m Karen Forkel , Erfurt , July 4th 1999 
40. 65.08 m Ana Mirela Țermure , Bucharest , June 10, 2001 
41. 64.90 m Paula Tarvainen , Helsinki , 10 August 2003 
42. 64.89 m Jekaterina Iwakina , Oslo , July 28, 2000 
43. 64.87m Kelly Morgan , Birmingham , July 14, 2002 
44. 64.87 m Līna Mūze , Shanghai , May 18, 2019 
45. 64.83 m Christina Scherwin , Stuttgart , September 9, 2006 
46. 64.83 m Elizabeth Gleadle , Kawasaki , May 10, 2015 
47. 64.75m Brittany Borman , Kawasaki , May 10, 2015 
48. 64.62 m Joanna Stone-Nixon , Runaway Bay , August 5, 2000 
49. 64.62 m Nikolett Szabó , Patras , July 22, 2001 
50. 64.61 m Oxana Makarowa , Paris , June 19, 1999 

• Austrian record: Elisabeth Pauer - 61.43 m on July 10, 2010 in Villach
• Swiss record: Géraldine Ruckstuhl - 58.31 m on May 28, 2017 in Götzis

swell

• Javelin Throw All Time - Eternal world best list of the IAAF, javelin throw men
• Javelin Throw All Time - Eternal world best list of the IAAF, javelin throw women
• Progression of World best performances and official IAAF World Records. 2003 edition. Monaco, 2003, pp. 201 ff. And 330 ff. (English)

See also

• List of Olympic team abbreviations

Web links

Commons : Javelin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: javelin  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations