Javelin throw

The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon.

Athletics
Javelin throw
image
German javelin thrower Thomas Röhler in 2011
World records
Menimage Jan Železný 98.48 m (323 ft 1 in) (1996)
Womenimage Barbora Špotáková 72.28 m (237 ft 1 in) (2008)
Olympic records
Menimage Arshad Nadeem 92.97 m (305 ft 0 in) (2024)
Womenimage Osleidys Menéndez 71.53 m (234 ft 8 in) (2004)
World Championship records
Menimage Jan Železný 92.80 m (304 ft 5 in) (2001)
Womenimage Osleidys Menéndez 71.70 m (235 ft 2 in) (2005)
World junior (U20) records
Menimage Neeraj Chopra 86.48 m (283 ft 8 in) (2016)
Womenimage Ziyi Yan 65.89 m (216 ft 2 in) (2025)

History

image
Javelin thrower on an Athenian red-figure cup, 5th century BCE (Berlin Antikensammlung F 2728)

The javelin throw was added to the Ancient Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon in 708 BC. It included two events, one for distance and the other for accuracy in hitting a target. The javelin was thrown with the aid of a thong (ankyle in Greek) that was wound around the middle of the shaft. Athletes held the javelin by the ankyle, a leather strap around the shaft, so when they released the javelin, the unwinding of the thong gave the javelin a spiral trajectory.

Throwing javelin-like poles into targets was revived in Germany and Sweden in the early 1870s. In Sweden, these poles developed into the modern javelin, and throwing them for distance became a common event there and in Finland in the 1880s. The rules continued to evolve over the next decades; originally, javelins were thrown with no run-up, and holding them by the grip at the center of gravity was not always mandatory. Limited run-ups were introduced in the late 1890s, and soon developed into the modern unlimited run-up.: 435–436 

Sweden's Eric Lemming, who threw his first world best (49.32 metres) in 1899 and ruled the event from 1902 to 1912, was the first dominant javelin thrower.: 436, 441 : 478  When the men's javelin was introduced as an Olympic discipline at the 1906 Intercalated Games, Lemming won by almost nine metres and broke his own world record; Sweden swept the first four places, as Finland's best throwers were absent and the event had yet to become popular in any other country.: 437  Though challenged by younger talents, Lemming repeated as Olympic champion in 1908 and 1912; his eventual best mark (62.32 m, thrown after the 1912 Olympics) was the first javelin world record to be officially ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.: 436–441 

image
Julius Saaristo in 1912 Summer Olympics

In the late 19th and early 20th century, most javelin competitions were two-handed; the implement was thrown with the right hand and separately with the left hand, and the best marks for each hand were added together. Competitions for the better hand only were less common, though not unknown. At the Olympics, a both-hands contest was held only once, in 1912; Finland swept the medals, ahead of Lemming.: 441  After that, this version of the javelin rapidly faded into obscurity, together with similar variations of the shot and the discus; Sweden's Yngve Häckner, with his total of 114.28 m from 1917, was the last official both-hands world record holder.

Another early variant was the freestyle javelin, in which holding the javelin by the grip at the center of gravity was not mandatory; such a freestyle competition was held at the 1908 Olympics, but it was dropped from the program after that.: 478  Hungary's Mór Kóczán used a freestyle end grip to break the 60-metre barrier in 1911, a year before Lemming and Julius Saaristo first did so with a regular grip.: 440 : 214 

The first known women's javelin marks were recorded in Finland in 1909. Originally, women threw the same implement as men; a lighter, shorter javelin for women was introduced in the 1920s. Women's javelin throw was added to the Olympic program in 1932; Mildred "Babe" Didrikson of the United States became the first champion.: 479 

For a long time, javelins were made of solid wood, typically birch, with a steel tip. The hollow, highly aerodynamic Held javelin, invented by American thrower Bud Held and developed and manufactured by his brother Dick, was introduced in the 1950s; the first Held javelins were also wooden with steel tips, but later models were made entirely of metal.: 478–479  These new javelins flew further, but were also less likely to land neatly point first; as a response to the increasingly frequent flat or ambiguously flat landings, experiments with modified javelins started in the early 1980s. The resulting designs, which made flat landings much less common and reduced the distances thrown, became official for men starting in April 1986 and for women in April 1999, and the world records (then 104.80 m by Uwe Hohn, and 80.00 m by Petra Felke) were reset. The current (as of 2017) men's world record is held by Jan Železný at 98.48 m (1996); Barbora Špotáková holds the women's world record at 72.28 m (2008).

Of the 69 Olympic medals that have been awarded in the men's javelin, 32 have gone to competitors from Norway, Sweden or Finland. Finland is the only nation to have swept the medals at a currently recognized official Olympics, and has done so twice, in 1920 and 1932, in addition to its 1912 sweep in the two-handed javelin; in 1920 Finland swept the first four places, which is no longer possible as only three entrants per country are allowed. Finland has, however, never been nearly as successful in the women's javelin.: 479 

The javelin throw has been part of the decathlon since the decathlon was introduced in the early 1910s; the all-around, an earlier ten-event contest of American origin, did not include the javelin throw. The javelin was also part of some (though not all) of the many early forms of women's pentathlon and has always been included in the heptathlon after it replaced the pentathlon in 1981.

Rules and competitions

The size, shape, minimum weight, and center of gravity of the javelin are all defined by World Athletics rules. In international competition, men throw a javelin between 2.6 and 2.7 m (8 ft 6 in and 8 ft 10 in) in length and 800 g (28 oz) in weight, and women throw a javelin between 2.2 and 2.3 m (7 ft 3 in and 7 ft 7 in) in length and 600 g (21 oz) in weight. The javelin has a grip, about 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, made of cord and located at the javelin's center of gravity (0.9 to 1.06 m (2 ft 11 in to 3 ft 6 in)) from the javelin tip for the men's javelin and 0.8 to 0.92 m (2 ft 7 in to 3 ft 0 in) from the javelin tip for the women's javelin.

image
Matti Järvinen throwing the javelin at the 1932 Olympics

Unlike the other throwing events (shot put, discus, and hammer), the technique used to throw the javelin is dictated by World Athletics 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 or starting with their back facing the direction of the throw. This prevents athletes from attempting to spin and hurl the javelin sidearm in the style of a discus throw. This rule was put in place when a group of athletes began experimenting with a spin technique referred to as "free style". On 24 October 1956, Pentti Saarikoski threw 99.52 m (326 ft 6 in) using the technique holding the end of the javelin. Officials were so afraid of the out of control nature of the technique that the practice was banned through these rule specifications.

Instead of being confined to a circle, javelin throwers have a runway 4 m (13 ft) wide and at least 30 m (98 ft) in length, ending in an 8 m (26 ft) radius throwing arc from which their throw is 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.

The javelin is thrown towards a 28.96º circular sector that is centered on the center point of the throwing arc. The angle of the throwing sector (28.96º) provides sector boundaries that are easy to construct and lay out on a field. A throw is only legal if the tip of the javelin lands within this sector and first strikes the ground before any other part of the javelin. The distance of the throw is measured from the throwing arc to the point where the tip of the javelin landed, rounded down to the nearest centimetre.

Competition rules are similar to other throwing events: a round consists of one attempt by each competitor in turn, and competitions typically consist of three to six rounds. The competitor with the longest single legal throw (over all rounds) is the winner; in case of a tie, the competitors' second-longest throws are also considered. Competitions involving large numbers of athletes sometimes use a cut whereby all competitors compete in the first three rounds but only those who are currently among the top eight or have achieved some minimum distances are permitted to attempt to improve on their distance in additional rounds (typically three).

The javelin is almost always thrown outdoors, though it is rarely thrown indoors. The world record for men's indoor javelin throw is 85.78 metres by Matti Närhi in 1996.

Javelin redesigns

image
Uwe Hohn (pictured in 1984) holds the "eternal world record" with a throw of 104.80 m, as a new type of javelin (less debate of landing spot, less danger of reaching the spectators) was implemented in 1986.

On 1 April 1986, the men's javelin (800 grams (1.76 lb)) was redesigned by the governing body (the IAAF Technical Committee). They decided to change the rules for javelin design because of the increasingly frequent flat landings and the resulting discussions and protests when these attempts were declared valid or invalid by competition judges. The world record had also crept up to a potentially dangerous level, 104.80 m (343.8 ft) by Uwe Hohn. With throws exceeding 100 metres, it was becoming difficult to safely stage the competition within the confines of a stadium infield. The javelin was redesigned so that the centre of gravity was moved 4 cm (1.6 in) forward. In addition, the surface area in front of centre of gravity was reduced, while the surface area behind the centre of gravity was increased. This had an effect similar to that produced by the feathers on an arrow. The javelin turns into the relative wind. This relative wind appears to originate from the ground as the javelin descends, thus the javelin turns to face the ground. As the javelin turns into the wind less lift is generated, reducing the flight distance by around 10% but also causing the javelin to stick in the ground more consistently. In 1999, the women's javelin (600 grams (1.32 lb)) was similarly redesigned.

Modifications that manufacturers made to recover some of the lost distance, by increasing tail drag (using holes, rough paint or dimples), were forbidden at the end of 1991 and performances made using implements with such modifications removed from the record books. Seppo Räty had achieved a world record of 96.96 m (318.1 ft) in 1991 with such a design, but this record was nullified.

Weight rules by age group

The weight of the javelin in the Under-20 category is the same as the senior level.

Men Women
Age group Weight Weight
U14 400 g (14 oz)
U16 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
U18 700 g (1 lb 9 oz)
Junior (U20) 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)
Senior
35–49
50–74 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
50–59 700 g (1 lb 9 oz)
60–69 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)
70–79 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
75+ 400 g (14 oz)
80+ 400 g (14 oz)

Technique and training

Unlike other throwing events, javelin allows the competitor to build speed over a considerable distance. In addition, the core and upper body strength is necessary to deliver the implement, javelin throwers benefit from the agility and athleticism typically associated with running and jumping events. Thus, the athletes share more physical characteristics with sprinters than with others, although they still need the skill of heavier throwing athletes.

Traditional free-weight training is often used by javelin throwers. Metal-rod exercises and resistance band exercises can be used to train a similar action to the javelin throw to increase power and intensity. Without proper strength and flexibility, throwers can become extremely injury prone, especially in the shoulder and elbow. Core stability can help in the transference of physical power and force from the ground through the body to the javelin. Stretching and sprint training are used to enhance the speed of the athlete at the point of release, and subsequently, the speed of the javelin. At release, a javelin can reach speeds approaching 113 km/h (70 mph).

The javelin throw consists of three separate phases: the run-up, the transition, and the delivery. During each phase, the position of the javelin changes while the thrower changes his or her muscle recruitment. In the run-up phase as Luann Voza states, "your arm is bent and kept close to your head, keeping the javelin in alignment with little to no arm movement". This allows the thrower's bicep to contract, flexing the elbow. In order for the javelin to stay up high, the thrower's deltoid flexes. In the transition phase, the thrower's "back muscles contract" as "the javelin is brought back in alignment with the shoulder with the thrower's palm up". This, according to Voza, "stretches your pectoral, or chest, muscles. From there, a stretch reflex, an involuntary contraction of your chest, helps bring your throwing arm forward with increased force". During the final phase, the rotation of the shoulders initiates the release, which then "transfers movement through the triceps muscles, wrists and fingers to extend the throwing arm forward to release the javelin".

Culture

image
A women's (600-g, left) and men's (800-g, right) javelin.

In 1994, Michael Torke composed Javelin, commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games in celebration of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's 50th anniversary season, in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Javelin throwers have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins. One of the recent samples is the €5 Finnish 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics commemorative coin, minted in 2005 to commemorate the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. On the obverse of the coin, a javelin thrower is depicted. On the reverse, legs of hurdle runners with the Helsinki Olympic Stadium tower in the background can be seen.

All-time top 25 (current models)

Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 javelin throw marks and the top 25 athletes:
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 javelin throw marks
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 javelin throw marks, by repeat athletes
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 javelin throw marks

Men

  • Correct as of August 2025.
Ath.# Perf.# Mark Athlete Nation Date Place Ref.
1 1 98.48 m (323 ft 1 in) Jan Železný image Czech Republic 25 May 1996 Jena
2 2 97.76 m (320 ft 8 in) Johannes Vetter image Germany 6 September 2020 Chorzów
3 96.29 m (315 ft 10 in) Vetter #2 29 May 2021 Chorzów
4 95.66 m (313 ft 10 in) Železný #2 29 August 1993 Sheffield
5 95.54 m (313 ft 5 in) A Železný #3 6 April 1993 Pietersburg
6 94.64 m (310 ft 5 in) Železný #4 31 May 1996 Ostrava
7 94.44 m (309 ft 10 in) Vetter #3 11 July 2017 Luzern
8 94.20 m (309 ft 0 in) Vetter #4 19 May 2021 Ostrava
9 94.02 m (308 ft 5 in) Železný #5 26 March 1997 Stellenbosch
3 10 93.90 m (308 ft 0 in) Thomas Röhler image Germany 5 May 2017 Doha
11 93.88 m (308 ft 0 in) Vetter #5 18 August 2017 Thum
12 93.59 m (307 ft 0 in) Vetter #6 26 June 2021 Kuortane
13 93.20 m (305 ft 9 in) Vetter #7 21 May 2021 Dessau
4 14 93.09 m (305 ft 4 in) Aki Parviainen image Finland 26 June 1999 Kuortane
5 15 93.07 m (305 ft 4 in) Anderson Peters image Grenada 13 May 2022 Doha
6 16 92.97 m (305 ft 0 in) Arshad Nadeem image Pakistan 8 August 2024 Saint-Denis
17 92.80 m (304 ft 5 in) Železný #6 12 August 2001 Edmonton
7 18 92.72 m (304 ft 2 in) Julius Yego image Kenya 26 August 2015 Beijing
19 92.70 m (304 ft 1 in) Vetter #8 11 March 2018 Leiria
8 20 92.61 m (303 ft 10 in) Sergey Makarov image Russia 30 June 2002 Sheffield
9 21 92.60 m (303 ft 9 in) Raymond Hecht image Germany 14 August 1996 Zurich
22 92.42 m (303 ft 2 in) Železný #7 28 May 1997 Ostrava
23 92.41 m (303 ft 2 in) Parviainen #2 24 June 2001 Vaasa
24 92.28 m (302 ft 9 in) Železný #8 9 September 1995 Monaco
Hecht #2 14 August 1996 Zurich
10 92.06 m (302 ft 0 in) Andreas Hofmann image Germany 2 June 2018 Offenburg
11 91.69 m (300 ft 9 in) Konstadinós Gatsioúdis image Greece 24 June 2000 Kuortane
12 91.59 m (300 ft 5 in) Andreas Thorkildsen image Norway 2 June 2006 Oslo
13 91.53 m (300 ft 3 in) Tero Pitkämäki image Finland 26 June 2005 Kuortane
14 91.51 m (300 ft 2 in) Julian Weber image Germany 28 August 2025 Zurich
15 91.46 m (300 ft 0 in) Steve Backley image United Kingdom 25 January 1992 Auckland
16 91.36 m (299 ft 8 in) Cheng Chao-tsun image Chinese Taipei 26 August 2017 Taipei
17 91.29 m (299 ft 6 in) Breaux Greer image United States 21 June 2007 Indianapolis
18 91.00 m (298 ft 6 in) Luiz Maurício da Silva image Brazil 3 August 2025 São Paulo
19 90.88 m (298 ft 1 in) Jakub Vadlejch image Czech Republic 13 May 2022 Doha
20 90.82 m (297 ft 11 in) Kimmo Kinnunen image Finland 26 August 1991 Tokyo
21 90.73 m (297 ft 8 in) Vadims Vasiļevskis image Latvia 22 July 2007 Tallinn
22 90.61 m (297 ft 3 in) Magnus Kirt image Estonia 22 June 2019 Kuortane
23 90.60 m (297 ft 2 in) Seppo Räty image Finland 20 July 1992 Nurmijärvi
24 90.44 m (296 ft 8 in) Boris Henry image Germany 9 July 1997 Linz
25 90.23 m (296 ft 0 in) Neeraj Chopra image India 16 May 2025 Doha

Women

  • Correct as of September 2025.
Ath.# Perf.# Mark Athlete Nation Date Place Ref.
1 1 72.28 m (237 ft 1 in) Barbora Špotáková image Czech Republic 13 September 2008 Stuttgart
2 2 71.70 m (235 ft 2 in) Osleidys Menéndez image Cuba 14 August 2005 Helsinki
3 71.58 m (234 ft 10 in) Špotáková #2 2 September 2011 Daegu
4 71.54 m (234 ft 8 in) Menéndez #2 1 July 2001 Rethymno
5 71.53 m (234 ft 8 in) Menéndez #3 27 August 2004 Athens
6 71.42 m (234 ft 3 in) Špotáková #3 21 August 2008 Beijing
3 7 71.40 m (234 ft 3 in) Maria Andrejczyk image Poland 9 May 2021 Split
4 8 70.53 m (231 ft 4 in) Mariya Abakumova image Russia 1 September 2013 Berlin
5 9 70.20 m (230 ft 3 in) Christina Obergföll image Germany 23 June 2007 Munich
10 70.03 m (229 ft 9 in) Obergföll #2 14 August 2005 Helsinki
11 69.82 m (229 ft 0 in) Menéndez #4 29 August 2001 Beijing
12 69.81 m (229 ft 0 in) Obergföll #3 31 August 2008 Elstal
13 69.75 m (228 ft 10 in) Abakumova #2 25 August 2013 Elstal
14 69.57 m (228 ft 2 in) Obergföll #4 8 September 2011 Zurich
15 69.55 m (228 ft 2 in) Špotáková #4 9 August 2012 London
16 69.53 m (228 ft 1 in) Menéndez #5 6 August 2001 Edmonton
6 17 69.48 m (227 ft 11 in) Trine Hattestad image Norway 28 July 2000 Oslo
18 69.45 m (227 ft 10 in) Špotáková #5 22 July 2011 Monaco
7 19 69.35 m (227 ft 6 in) Sunette Viljoen image South Africa 9 June 2012 New York City
20 69.34 m (227 ft 5 in) Abakumova #3 16 March 2013 Castellón
8 21 69.19 m (227 ft 0 in) Christin Hussong image Germany 30 May 2021 Chorzów
22 69.15 m (226 ft 10 in) Špotáková #6 31 May 2008 Zaragoza
23 69.09 m (226 ft 8 in) Abakumova #4 16 August 2013 Moscow
24 69.05 m (226 ft 6 in) Obergföll #5 18 August 2013 Moscow
25 68.94 m (226 ft 2 in) Abakumova #5 29 August 2013 Zurich
9 68.92 m (226 ft 1 in) Kathryn Mitchell image Australia 11 April 2018 Gold Coast
10 68.43 m (224 ft 6 in) Sara Kolak image Croatia 6 July 2017 Lausanne
11 68.34 m (224 ft 2 in) Steffi Nerius image Germany 31 August 2008 Elstal
12 68.11 m (223 ft 5 in) Kara Winger image United States 2 September 2022 Brussels
13 67.98 m (223 ft 0 in) Lü Huihui image China 2 August 2019 Shenyang
14 67.76 m (222 ft 3 in) Victoria Hudson image Austria 28 June 2025 Maribor
15 67.70 m (222 ft 1 in) Kelsey-Lee Barber image Australia 9 July 2019 Lucerne
16 67.69 m (222 ft 0 in) Katharina Molitor image Germany 30 August 2015 Beijing
17 67.67 m (222 ft 0 in) Sonia Bisset image Cuba 6 July 2005 Salamanca
18 67.51 m (221 ft 5 in) Mirela Manjani image Greece 30 September 2000 Sydney
19 67.47 m (221 ft 4 in) Tatsiana Khaladovich image Belarus 7 June 2018 Oslo
20 67.40 m (221 ft 1 in) Nikola Ogrodníková image Czech Republic 26 May 2019 Offenburg
Maggie Malone image United States 17 July 2021 East Stroudsburg
22 67.38 m (221 ft 0 in) Haruka Kitaguchi image Japan 8 September 2023 Brussels
23 67.32 m (220 ft 10 in) Linda Stahl image Germany 14 June 2014 New York City
24 67.30 m (220 ft 9 in) Vera Rebrik image Russia 19 February 2016 Sochi
25 67.29 m (220 ft 9 in) Hanna Hatsko-Fedusova image Ukraine 26 July 2014 Kirovohrad
Liu Shiying image China 15 September 2020 Shaoxing

Annulled marks

  • In 2011, Mariya Abakumova threw 71.99 metres. This performance was annulled due to doping offences.

All-time top 5 (dimpled models 1990–1991)

Marks set using dimpled rough-tailed javelins manufactured by several companies were nullified effective 20 September 1991.: 208–209 

Rank Mark Athlete Date Place Ref
1 96.96 image Seppo Räty (FIN) 2 June 1991 Punkalaidun
2 91.36 image Steve Backley (GBR) 15 September 1991 Sheffield
3 90.84 image Raymond Hecht (GER) 8 September 1991 Gengenbach
4 90.82 image Kimmo Kinnunen (FIN) 26 August 1991 Tokyo
5 90.72 image Jan Železný (TCH) 10 July 1991 Lausanne

All-time top 15 (old models)

Men

Rank Mark Athlete Date Place Ref
1 104.80 image Uwe Hohn (GDR) 21 July 1984 Berlin
2 99.72 image Tom Petranoff (USA) 15 May 1983 Westwood
3 96.72 image Ferenc Paragi (HUN) 23 April 1980 Tata
image Detlef Michel (GDR) 9 June 1983 Berlin
5 95.80 image Bob Roggy (USA) 29 August 1982 Stuttgart
6 95.10 image Brian Crouser (USA) 5 August 1985 Eugene
7 94.58 image Miklós Németh (HUN) 26 July 1976 Montreal
8 94.22 image Michael Wessing (FRG) 3 August 1978 Oslo
9 94.20 image Heino Puuste (URS) 5 June 1983 Birmingham
10 94.08 image Klaus Wolfermann (FRG) 5 May 1973 Leverkusen
11 94.06 image Duncan Atwood (USA) 26 July 1985 Eugene
12 93.90 image Hannu Siitonen (FIN) 6 June 1973 Helsinki
13 93.84 image Pentti Sinersaari (FIN) 27 January 1979 Auckland
14 93.80 image Jānis Lūsis (URS) 6 July 1972 Stockholm
15 93.70 image Viktor Yevsyukov (URS) 17 July 1985 Kyiv

Women

image
Tessa Sanderson appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin at the 1984 Olympics. She was the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal, and the second track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics. Sanderson won gold medals at three Commonwealth Games and at the 1992 IAAF World Cup. She set five Commonwealth records and ten British national records in the javelin, as well as records at junior and masters levels. Sanderson had a rivalry with fellow Briton Fatima Whitbread, who took the bronze in the 1984 Olympics.
Rank Mark Athlete Date Place Ref
1 80.00 image Petra Felke (GDR) 8 September 1988 Potsdam
2 77.44 image Fatima Whitbread (GBR) 28 August 1986 Stuttgart
3 74.76 image Tiina Lillak (FIN) 13 June 1983 Tampere
4 74.20 image Sofia Sakorafa (GRE) 26 September 1982 Hania
5 73.58 image Tessa Sanderson (GBR) 26 June 1983 Edinburgh
6 72.70 image Anna Verouli (GRE) 20 May 1984 Hania
7 72.16 image Antje Kempe (GDR) 5 May 1984 Celje
8 72.12 image Trine Hattestad (NOR) 10 July 1993 Oslo
9 71.88 image Antoaneta Todorova (BUL) 15 August 1981 Zagreb
10 71.82 image Ivonne Leal (CUB) 30 August 1985 Leverkusen
11 71.40 image Natalya Shikolenko (BLR) 5 June 1994 Sevilla
12 71.00 image Silke Renk (GDR) 25 June 1988 Rostock
13 70.76 image Beate Koch (GDR) 22 June 1989 Rostock
14 70.42 image Zhang Li (CHN) 6 August 1990 Tianjin
15 70.20 image Karen Forkel (GER) 9 May 1991 Halle

Olympic medalists

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
details
Eric Lemming
image Sweden
Arne Halse
image Norway
Otto Nilsson
image Sweden
1912 Stockholm
details
Eric Lemming
image Sweden
Julius Saaristo
image Finland
Mór Kóczán
image Hungary
1920 Antwerp
details
Jonni Myyrä
image Finland
Urho Peltonen
image Finland
Pekka Johansson
image Finland
1924 Paris
details
Jonni Myyrä
image Finland
Gunnar Lindström
image Sweden
Eugene Oberst
image United States
1928 Amsterdam
details
Erik Lundqvist
image Sweden
Béla Szepes
image Hungary
Olav Sunde
image Norway
1932 Los Angeles
details
Matti Järvinen
image Finland
Matti Sippala
image Finland
Eino Penttilä
image Finland
1936 Berlin
details
Gerhard Stöck
image Germany
Yrjö Nikkanen
image Finland
Kalervo Toivonen
image Finland
1948 London
details
Tapio Rautavaara
image Finland
Steve Seymour
image United States
József Várszegi
image Hungary
1952 Helsinki
details
Cy Young
image United States
Bill Miller
image United States
Toivo Hyytiäinen
image Finland
1956 Melbourne
details
Egil Danielsen
image Norway
Janusz Sidło
image Poland
Viktor Tsybulenko
image Soviet Union
1960 Rome
details
Viktor Tsybulenko
image Soviet Union
Walter Krüger
image United Team of Germany
Gergely Kulcsár
image Hungary
1964 Tokyo
details
Pauli Nevala
image Finland
Gergely Kulcsár
image Hungary
Jānis Lūsis
image Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
details
Jānis Lūsis
image Soviet Union
Jorma Kinnunen
image Finland
Gergely Kulcsár
image Hungary
1972 Munich
details
Klaus Wolfermann
image West Germany
Jānis Lūsis
image Soviet Union
Bill Schmidt
image United States
1976 Montreal
details
Miklós Németh
image Hungary
Hannu Siitonen
image Finland
Gheorghe Megelea
image Romania
1980 Moscow
details
Dainis Kūla
image Soviet Union
Aleksandr Makarov
image Soviet Union
Wolfgang Hanisch
image East Germany
1984 Los Angeles
details
Arto Härkönen
image Finland
David Ottley
image Great Britain
Kenth Eldebrink
image Sweden
1988 Seoul
details
Tapio Korjus
image Finland
Jan Železný
image Czechoslovakia
Seppo Räty
image Finland
1992 Barcelona
details
Jan Železný
image Czechoslovakia
Seppo Räty
image Finland
Steve Backley
image Great Britain
1996 Atlanta
details
Jan Železný
image Czech Republic
Steve Backley
image Great Britain
Seppo Räty
image Finland
2000 Sydney
details
Jan Železný
image Czech Republic
Steve Backley
image Great Britain
Sergey Makarov
image Russia
2004 Athens
details
Andreas Thorkildsen
image Norway
Vadims Vasiļevskis
image Latvia
Sergey Makarov
image Russia
2008 Beijing
details
Andreas Thorkildsen
image Norway
Ainārs Kovals
image Latvia
Tero Pitkämäki
image Finland
2012 London
details
Keshorn Walcott
image Trinidad and Tobago
Antti Ruuskanen
image Finland
Vítězslav Veselý
image Czech Republic
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Thomas Röhler
image Germany
Julius Yego
image Kenya
Keshorn Walcott
image Trinidad and Tobago
2020 Tokyo
details
Neeraj Chopra
image India
Jakub Vadlejch
image Czech Republic
Vítězslav Veselý
image Czech Republic
2024 Paris
details
Arshad Nadeem
image Pakistan
Neeraj Chopra
image India
Anderson Peters
image Grenada

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1932 Los Angeles
details
Babe Didrikson
image United States
Ellen Braumüller
image Germany
Tilly Fleischer
image Germany
1936 Berlin
details
Tilly Fleischer
image Germany
Luise Krüger
image Germany
Maria Kwaśniewska
image Poland
1948 London
details
Herma Bauma
image Austria
Kaisa Parviainen
image Finland
Lily Carlstedt
image Denmark
1952 Helsinki
details
Dana Zátopková
image Czechoslovakia
Aleksandra Chudina
image Soviet Union
Yelena Gorchakova
image Soviet Union
1956 Melbourne
details
Inese Jaunzeme
image Soviet Union
Marlene Ahrens
image Chile
Nadezhda Konyayeva
image Soviet Union
1960 Rome
details
Elvīra Ozoliņa
image Soviet Union
Dana Zátopková
image Czechoslovakia
Birutė Kalėdienė
image Soviet Union
1964 Tokyo
details
Mihaela Peneș
image Romania
Márta Rudas
image Hungary
Yelena Gorchakova
image Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
details
Angéla Németh
image Hungary
Mihaela Peneș
image Romania
Eva Janko
image Austria
1972 Munich
details
Ruth Fuchs
image East Germany
Jacqueline Todten
image East Germany
Kate Schmidt
image United States
1976 Montreal
details
Ruth Fuchs
image East Germany
Marion Becker
image West Germany
Kate Schmidt
image United States
1980 Moscow
details
María Caridad Colón
image Cuba
Saida Gunba
image Soviet Union
Ute Hommola
image East Germany
1984 Los Angeles
details
Tessa Sanderson
image Great Britain
Tiina Lillak
image Finland
Fatima Whitbread
image Great Britain
1988 Seoul
details
Petra Felke
image East Germany
Fatima Whitbread
image Great Britain
Beate Koch
image East Germany
1992 Barcelona
details
Silke Renk
image Germany
Natalya Shikolenko
image Unified Team
Karen Forkel
image Germany
1996 Atlanta
details
Heli Rantanen
image Finland
Louise McPaul
image Australia
Trine Hattestad
image Norway
2000 Sydney
details
Trine Hattestad
image Norway
Mirela Maniani-Tzelili
image Greece
Osleidys Menéndez
image Cuba
2004 Athens
details
Osleidys Menéndez
image Cuba
Steffi Nerius
image Germany
Mirela Maniani
image Greece
2008 Beijing
details
Barbora Špotáková
image Czech Republic
Christina Obergföll
image Germany
Goldie Sayers
image Great Britain
2012 London
details
Barbora Špotáková
image Czech Republic
Christina Obergföll
image Germany
Linda Stahl
image Germany
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Sara Kolak
image Croatia
Sunette Viljoen
image South Africa
Barbora Špotáková
image Czech Republic
2020 Tokyo
details
Liu Shiying
image China
Maria Andrejczyk
image Poland
Kelsey-Lee Barber
image Australia
2024 Paris
details
Haruka Kitaguchi
image Japan
Jo-Ane van Dyk
image South Africa
Nikola Ogrodníková
image Czech Republic

World Championships medalists

Men

Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
image Detlef Michel (GDR) image Tom Petranoff (USA) image Dainis Kūla (URS)
1987 Rome
details
image Seppo Räty (FIN) image Viktor Yevsyukov (URS) image Jan Železný (TCH)
1991 Tokyo
details
image Kimmo Kinnunen (FIN) image Seppo Räty (FIN) image Vladimir Sasimovich (URS)
1993 Stuttgart
details
image Jan Železný (CZE) image Kimmo Kinnunen (FIN) image Mick Hill (GBR)
1995 Gothenburg
details
image Jan Železný (CZE) image Steve Backley (GBR) image Boris Henry (GER)
1997 Athens
details
image Marius Corbett (RSA) image Steve Backley (GBR) image Konstadinos Gatsioudis (GRE)
1999 Seville
details
image Aki Parviainen (FIN) image Konstadinos Gatsioudis (GRE) image Jan Železný (CZE)
2001 Edmonton
details
image Jan Železný (CZE) image Aki Parviainen (FIN) image Konstadinos Gatsioudis (GRE)
2003 Saint-Denis
details
image Sergey Makarov (RUS) image Andrus Värnik (EST) image Boris Henry (GER)
2005 Helsinki
details
image Andrus Värnik (EST) image Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) image Sergey Makarov (RUS)
2007 Osaka
details
image Tero Pitkämäki (FIN) image Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) image Breaux Greer (USA)
2009 Berlin
details
image Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) image Guillermo Martínez (CUB) image Yukifumi Murakami (JPN)
2011 Daegu
details
image Matthias de Zordo (GER) image Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) image Guillermo Martínez (CUB)
2013 Moscow
details
image Vítězslav Veselý (CZE) image Tero Pitkämäki (FIN) image Dmitriy Tarabin (RUS)
2015 Beijing
details
image Julius Yego (KEN) image Ihab Abdelrahman (EGY) image Tero Pitkämäki (FIN)
2017 London
details
image Johannes Vetter (GER) image Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) image Petr Frydrych (CZE)
2019 Doha
details
image Anderson Peters (GRN) image Magnus Kirt (EST) image Johannes Vetter (GER)
2022 Eugene
details
image Anderson Peters (GRN) image Neeraj Chopra (IND) image Jakub Vadlejch (CZE)
2023 Budapest
details
image Neeraj Chopra (IND) image Arshad Nadeem (PAK) image Jakub Vadlejch (CZE)
2025 Tokyo
details
image Keshorn Walcott (TRI) image Anderson Peters (GRD) image Curtis Thompson (USA)

Women

Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
image Tiina Lillak (FIN) image Fatima Whitbread (GBR) image Anna Verouli (GRE)
1987 Rome
details
image Fatima Whitbread (GBR) image Petra Felke-Meier (GDR) image Beate Peters (FRG)
1991 Tokyo
details
image Xu Demei (CHN) image Petra Felke-Meier (GER) image Silke Renk (GER)
1993 Stuttgart
details
image Trine Solberg-Hattestad (NOR) image Karen Forkel (GER) image Natalya Shikolenko (BLR)
1995 Gothenburg
details
image Natalya Shikolenko (BLR) image Felicia Țilea-Moldovan (ROU) image Mikaela Ingberg (FIN)
1997 Athens
details
image Trine Solberg-Hattestad (NOR) image Joanna Stone (AUS) image Tanja Damaske (GER)
1999 Seville
details
image Mirela Manjani-Tzelili (GRE) image Tatyana Shikolenko (RUS) image Trine Solberg-Hattestad (NOR)
2001 Edmonton
details
image Osleidys Menéndez (CUB) image Mirela Manjani-Tzelili (GRE) image Sonia Bisset (CUB)
2003 Saint-Denis
details
image Mirela Maniani (GRE) image Tatyana Shikolenko (RUS) image Steffi Nerius (GER)
2005 Helsinki
details
image Osleidys Menéndez (CUB) image Christina Obergföll (GER) image Steffi Nerius (GER)
2007 Osaka
details
image Barbora Špotáková (CZE) image Christina Obergföll (GER) image Steffi Nerius (GER)
2009 Berlin
details
image Steffi Nerius (GER) image Barbora Špotáková (CZE) image Monica Stoian (ROM)
2011 Daegu
details
image Barbora Špotáková (CZE) image Sunette Viljoen (RSA) image Christina Obergföll (GER)
2013 Moscow
details
image Christina Obergföll (GER) image Kim Mickle (AUS) image Mariya Abakumova (RUS)
2015 Beijing
details
image Katharina Molitor (GER) image Lü Huihui (CHN) image Sunette Viljoen (RSA)
2017 London
details
image Barbora Špotáková (CZE) image Li Lingwei (CHN) image Lü Huihui (CHN)
2019 Doha
details
image Kelsey-Lee Barber (AUS) image Liu Shiying (CHN) image Lü Huihui (CHN)
2022 Eugene
details
image Kelsey-Lee Barber (AUS) image Kara Winger (USA) image Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN)
2023 Budapest
details
image Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN) image Flor Ruiz (COL) image Mackenzie Little (AUS)
2025 Tokyo
details
image Juleisy Angulo (ECU) image Anete Sietiņa (LAT) image Mackenzie Little (AUS)

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