María José Díaz-Roncero Villamayor 2ºC

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.

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.

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.

The world record of man is of Jan Zelezny in

1996. The released is 98.48 m

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