2. Javelin
is a track and field athletics event
where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m in
length, is thrown. Javelin throwing is an
event of both the men's decathlon and the
women's heptathlon. The javelin thrower
gains momentum by running within a
predetermined area.
3.
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. Instead of being confined to a circle,
javelin throwers have a runway 4 m wide and at least 30 m 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 (the runway) 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.
4.
During the era between the Mycenaean
times and the Roman Empire, the javelin
was a commonly used offensive weapon.
Being lighter than the spear, the javelin
would be thrown rather than thrust and thus
allowed long distance attacks against one’s
enemy. Athletes, however, used javelins that
were much lighter than military ones
because the idea of the event was to
demonstrate distance rather than
penetration. The one major difference
between the javelin of the ancient games
and the javelin of more modern times is a
leather thong, called an ankyle that was
wound around the middle of the shaft.
Athletes would hold the javelin by the thong
and when the javelin released this thong
unwound giving the javelin a spiraled flight.
The javelin throw has a particularly strong
tradition in the Nordic nations of Europe.
5. The
world record of man is of Jan Zelezny in
1996. The released is 98.48 m
6. The
world record of woman is of Barbora
Spotakova in the final competition world of
athletics in Stuttgart, Germany. The released
is 72.28 m
