Paris 2024 Olympics: Why the real men’s javelin throw world record will (probably) never be broken
Berlin, July 20, 1984. East German thrower Uwe Hohn has just changed the history of his sport. At the age of 22, he becomes the first athlete in history to throw his javelin beyond 100 meters. With his new mark of 104.80 meters, he improves the world record, previously held by American Tom Petranoff, by more than five meters.
His throw has both fascinated and worried the IAAF, the international athletics federation. The historic javelin went so far that it went off the competition floor, landing very close to the high jumpers’ warm-up area. Nor had the event organizers planned for a scoreboard large enough to display a three-digit result.
The IAAF’s reaction was immediate. To ensure the future of the discipline, on 1 April 1986 it introduced new regulations that changed the dimensions of the javelin. By moving its centre of gravity forward by just four centimetres, the object would glide less easily. A new list of throws was opened in September 1986 and it was a German… from the West this time, who took the new record at just 85.74 metres.
But athletes continue to push the limits. 87 metres in 1987, 90 in 1990, until a dangerous throw of 96.96 metres obtained by the Finn Steppo Räty on 2 June 1991, leading to a new modification. The use of the javelin with a ridged tail becomes illegal, the IAAF now imposes that of the smooth javelin. A new list has been opened since that date.
In 1996, the Czech Jan Zelezny achieved an impressive 98.48 meters that would never be beaten again. If this record is considered the official one, Uwe Hohn’s 104.80 meters remains that of the greatest javelin throw in history. A record considered unattainable for the throwers present this year at the Stade de France.
