Javelin throw at the Olympics

The javelin throw at the Summer Olympics is one of four track and field throwing events held at the multi-sport event. The men's javelin throw has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1908, being the last of the current throwing events to feature at the Olympics after the shot put, discus throw and hammer throw. The women's event was first contested at the 1932 Olympics, becoming the second women's throws event after the discus in 1928.

Javelin throw
at the Olympic Games
The 1948 javelin throw competition, Tapio Rautavaara (FIN)
Overview
SportAthletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen: 19082016
Women: 19322016
Olympic record
Men90.57 m Andreas Thorkildsen (2008)
Women71.53 m Osleidys Menéndez (2004)
Reigning champion
Men Thomas Röhler (GER)
Women Sara Kolak (CRO)

[1][2]

Two variants of the javelin have featured on the Olympic programme: a freestyle version was first contested at the 1906 Intercalated Games and then again the 1908 London Olympics. A one-off two-handed version was held at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

Medalists

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
Eric Lemming
 Sweden
Arne Halse
 Norway
Otto Nilsson
 Sweden
1912 Stockholm
Eric Lemming
 Sweden
Julius Saaristo
 Finland
Mór Kóczán
 Hungary
1920 Antwerp
Jonni Myyrä
 Finland
Urho Peltonen
 Finland
Pekka Johansson
 Finland
1924 Paris
Jonni Myyrä
 Finland
Gunnar Lindström
 Sweden
Eugene Oberst
 United States
1928 Amsterdam
Erik Lundqvist
 Sweden
Béla Szepes
 Hungary
Olav Sunde
 Norway
1932 Los Angeles
Matti Järvinen
 Finland
Matti Sippala
 Finland
Eino Penttilä
 Finland
1936 Berlin
Gerhard Stöck
 Germany
Yrjö Nikkanen
 Finland
Kalervo Toivonen
 Finland
1948 London
Tapio Rautavaara
 Finland
Steve Seymour
 United States
József Várszegi
 Hungary
1952 Helsinki
Cy Young
 United States
Bill Miller
 United States
Toivo Hyytiäinen
 Finland
1956 Melbourne
Egil Danielsen
 Norway
Janusz Sidło
 Poland
Viktor Tsybulenko
 Soviet Union
1960 Rome
Viktor Tsybulenko
 Soviet Union
Walter Krüger
 United Team of Germany
Gergely Kulcsár
 Hungary
1964 Tokyo
Pauli Nevala
 Finland
Gergely Kulcsár
 Hungary
Jānis Lūsis
 Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
Jānis Lūsis
 Soviet Union
Jorma Kinnunen
 Finland
Gergely Kulcsár
 Hungary
1972 Munich
Klaus Wolfermann
 West Germany
Jānis Lūsis
 Soviet Union
Bill Schmidt
 United States
1976 Montreal
Miklós Németh
 Hungary
Hannu Siitonen
 Finland
Gheorghe Megelea
 Romania
1980 Moscow
Dainis Kūla
 Soviet Union
Aleksandr Makarov
 Soviet Union
Wolfgang Hanisch
 East Germany
1984 Los Angeles
Arto Härkönen
 Finland
David Ottley
 Great Britain
Kenth Eldebrink
 Sweden
1988 Seoul
Tapio Korjus
 Finland
Jan Železný
 Czechoslovakia
Seppo Räty
 Finland
1992 Barcelona
Jan Železný
 Czechoslovakia
Seppo Räty
 Finland
Steve Backley
 Great Britain
1996 Atlanta
Jan Železný
 Czech Republic
Steve Backley
 Great Britain
Seppo Räty
 Finland
2000 Sydney
Jan Železný
 Czech Republic
Steve Backley
 Great Britain
Sergey Makarov
 Russia
2004 Athens
Andreas Thorkildsen
 Norway
Vadims Vasiļevskis
 Latvia
Sergey Makarov
 Russia
2008 Beijing
Andreas Thorkildsen
 Norway
Ainārs Kovals
 Latvia
Tero Pitkämäki
 Finland
2012 London
Keshorn Walcott
 Trinidad and Tobago
Antti Ruuskanen
 Finland
Vítězslav Veselý
 Czech Republic
2016 Rio de Janeiro
Thomas Röhler
 Germany
Julius Yego
 Kenya
Keshorn Walcott
 Trinidad and Tobago

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1Jan Železný Czechoslovakia (TCH)
 Czech Republic (CZE)
1988–20003104
2Eric Lemming Sweden (SWE)1908–19122002
Jonni Myyrä Finland (FIN)1920–19242002
Andreas Thorkildsen Norway (NOR)2004–20082002
5Jānis Lūsis Soviet Union (URS)1964–19721113
6Viktor Tsybulenko Soviet Union (URS)1956–19601012
Keshorn Walcott Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)2012–20161012
8Steve Backley Great Britain (GBR)1992–20000213
9Gergely Kulcsár Hungary (HUN)1960–19680123
Seppo Räty Finland (FIN)1988–19960123
11Sergey Makarov Russia (RUS)2000–20040022

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Finland (FIN)78722
2 Soviet Union (URS)3227
3 Sweden (SWE)3126
4 Norway (NOR)3115
5 Germany (GER)[nb]2103
6 Czech Republic (CZE)2013
7 Hungary (HUN)1247
8 United States (USA)1225
9 Czechoslovakia (TCH)1102
10 Trinidad and Tobago (TRI)1012
11 West Germany (FRG)1001
12 Great Britain (GBR)0314
13 Latvia (LAT)0202
14 Kenya (KEN)0101
 Poland (POL)0101
16 Russia (RUS)0022
17 East Germany (GDR)0011
 Romania (ROU)0011

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1932 Los Angeles
Babe Didrikson
 United States
Ellen Braumüller
 Germany
Tilly Fleischer
 Germany
1936 Berlin
Tilly Fleischer
 Germany
Luise Krüger
 Germany
Maria Kwaśniewska
 Poland
1948 London
Herma Bauma
 Austria
Kaisa Parviainen
 Finland
Lily Carlstedt
 Denmark
1952 Helsinki
Dana Zátopková
 Czechoslovakia
Aleksandra Chudina
 Soviet Union
Yelena Gorchakova
 Soviet Union
1956 Melbourne
Inese Jaunzeme
 Soviet Union
Marlene Ahrens
 Chile
Nadezhda Konyayeva
 Soviet Union
1960 Rome
Elvīra Ozoliņa
 Soviet Union
Dana Zátopková
 Czechoslovakia
Birutė Kalėdienė
 Soviet Union
1964 Tokyo
Mihaela Peneș
 Romania
Márta Rudas
 Hungary
Yelena Gorchakova
 Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
Angéla Németh
 Hungary
Mihaela Peneș
 Romania
Eva Janko
 Austria
1972 Munich
Ruth Fuchs
 East Germany
Jacqueline Todten
 East Germany
Kate Schmidt
 United States
1976 Montreal
Ruth Fuchs
 East Germany
Marion Becker
 West Germany
Kate Schmidt
 United States
1980 Moscow
María Caridad Colón
 Cuba
Saida Gunba
 Soviet Union
Ute Hommola
 East Germany
1984 Los Angeles
Tessa Sanderson
 Great Britain
Tiina Lillak
 Finland
Fatima Whitbread
 Great Britain
1988 Seoul
Petra Felke
 East Germany
Fatima Whitbread
 Great Britain
Beate Koch
 East Germany
1992 Barcelona
Silke Renk
 Germany
Natalya Shikolenko
 Unified Team
Karen Forkel
 Germany
1996 Atlanta
Heli Rantanen
 Finland
Louise McPaul
 Australia
Trine Hattestad
 Norway
2000 Sydney
Trine Hattestad
 Norway
Mirela Maniani-Tzelili
 Greece
Osleidys Menéndez
 Cuba
2004 Athens
Osleidys Menéndez
 Cuba
Steffi Nerius
 Germany
Mirela Maniani
 Greece
2008 Beijing
Barbora Špotáková
 Czech Republic
Christina Obergföll
 Germany[3]
Goldie Sayers
 Great Britain
2012 London
Barbora Špotáková
 Czech Republic
Christina Obergföll
 Germany
Linda Stahl
 Germany
2016 Rio de Janeiro
Sara Kolak
 Croatia
Sunette Viljoen
 South Africa
Barbora Špotáková
 Czech Republic

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1Barbora Špotáková Czech Republic (CZE)2008–20162013
2Ruth Fuchs East Germany (GDR)1972–19762002
3Dana Zátopková Czechoslovakia (TCH)1952–19601102
Mihaela Peneş Romania (ROU)1964–19681102
5Tilly Fleischer Germany (GER)1932–19361012
Trine Hattestad Norway (NOR)1996–20001012
Osleidys Menéndez Cuba (CUB)2000–20041012
8Fatima Whitbread Great Britain (GBR)1984–19880112
Mirela Maniani Greece (GRE)2000–20040112
Christina Obergföll Germany (GER)2008–20120112
11Yelena Gorchakova Soviet Union (URS)1952–19640022
Kate Schmidt United States (USA)1972–19760022

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 East Germany (GDR)3126
2 Germany (GER)24410
3 Soviet Union (URS)2248
4 Cuba (CUB)2013
 Czech Republic (CZE)2013
6 Finland (FIN)1203
7 Great Britain (GBR)1113
8 Czechoslovakia (TCH)1102
 Hungary (HUN)1102
 Romania (ROU)1102
11 United States (USA)1023
12 Austria (AUT)1012
 Norway (NOR)1012
14 Croatia (CRO)1001
15 Greece (GRE)0112
15 Australia (AUS)0101
 Chile (CHI)0101
 Russia (RUS)0101
 South Africa (RSA)0101
 Unified Team (EUN)0101
 West Germany (FRG)0101
21 Denmark (DEN)0011
 Poland (POL)0011

Intercalated Games

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[4]

A men's freestyle javelin event was contested at the 1906 Games – the first time the javelin featured on the Olympic programme. The competition was dominated by Swedish athletes, who took the first four places.[5] Eric Lemming was a comfortable winner by a margin of over eight metres and he would go on to win the first two Olympic titles proper in 1908 and 1912.[6] A 100 metres finalist, Knut Lindberg, was the silver medallist,[7] while the third placer, Bruno Söderström, also won a pole vault medal that year.[8]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1906 Athens
 Eric Lemming (SWE)  Knut Lindberg (SWE)  Bruno Söderström (SWE)

Variants

1908 freestyle javelin throw

Following the freestyle javelin contest at the 1906 Intercalated Games, the event was continued at the 1908 London Olympics in spite of the addition of the standard style javelin as well. Eric Lemming won his second freestyle title, and his first officially recognised Olympics gold, and also won the standard style event as well.[6] The freestyle event was dropped after 1908.[9]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
 Eric Lemming (SWE)  Mikhail Dorizas (GRE)  Arne Halse (NOR)

Two-handed javelin throw

At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics a two-handed variant of the standard javelin throw competition took place. Each athlete had three attempts using each hand and their score was calculated by adding their best performances for the left and right hands. It featured two rounds, with the top three after the first round receiving a further three attempts with each arm.[10]

Finnish athletes completed a podium sweep as Julius Saaristo, the runner-up in the 1912 standard javelin event, took the gold medal. Eric Lemming, champion in the one-handed event, performed poorly with his left hand and finished in fourth place.[10]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1912 Stockholm
 Julius Saaristo (FIN)  Väinö Siikaniemi (FIN)  Urho Peltonen (FIN)

References

Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
  1. Olympic Medalists Men. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  2. Olympic Medalists Women. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  3. Mariya Abakumova, from Russia, was disqualified in 2016, after retesting. Sayers was later confirmed as the bronze medalist.
  4. 1906 Athina Summer Games Archived 2013-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
  5. Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Javelin Throw, Freestyle Archived 2010-08-05 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  6. Eric Lemming Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  7. Knut Lindberg Archived 2014-08-04 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  8. Bruno Söderström Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  9. Athletics Men's Javelin Throw, Freestyle Medalists Archived 2014-08-04 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
  10. Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Javelin Throw, Both Hands Archived 2010-08-05 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-04-19.
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