The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m 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.
Lillian Copeland was an American track and field Olympic champion athlete, who excelled in discus, javelin throwing, and shot put, setting multiple world records. She has been called "the most successful female discus thrower in U.S. history". She also held multiple titles in shot put and javelin throwing. She won a silver medal in discus at the 1928 Summer Olympics, a gold medal in discus at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and gold medals in discus, javelin, and shot put at the 1935 Maccabiah Games in Mandatory Palestine.
Theresa Ione Sanderson is a British former javelin thrower. She appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1984 Olympics. She was the second track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics, and the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The athletics program traces its earliest roots to events used in the ancient Greek Olympics. The modern program includes track and field events, road running events, and race walking events. Cross country running was also on the program in earlier editions but it was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics.
József Várszegi was a Hungarian athlete who competed in the javelin throw. Among his best results are a European Championships bronze medal from 1938 and an Olympic Games bronze from 1948. Várszegi won the Hungarian national championships a record 20 times between 1932 and 1952 and also broke the Hungarian national record six times during his career.
Ottilie "Tilly" Fleischer was a German athlete who competed in a variety of track and field athletic events. She competed for Germany in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in three different events, taking the bronze medal in the javelin. Four years later in her home country at the 1936 Games she won the gold medal in the javelin in front of the Berlin crowds.
Germany was the host nation and top medal recipient at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. 433 competitors, 389 men and 44 women, took part in 143 events in 22 sports.
These are the official results of the Women's Javelin Throw at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
These are the official results of the women's javelin throw event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total of 25 participating athletes. The top 12 and ties, and all those reaching 62.50 metres advanced to the final. The javelin used was an "old design" rough surfaced javelin.
The Women's Javelin Throw event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 29 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on Monday September 26, 1988. The top 12 and all those reaching 63.00 metres advanced to the final. All results were made with a rough surfaced javelin.
Sunette Stella Viljoen-Louw is a South African sportswoman who has represented her country in both cricket and athletics. In athletics, she competes as a javelin thrower and has won an Olympic silver medal and two Commonwealth Games gold medals, as well as medals in various other competitions. As a cricketer, she represented the South African national team between 2000 and 2002, including at the 2000 World Cup in New Zealand.
The Women's Javelin Throw event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union had an entry list of 22 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on Friday July 25, 1980. The top 12 and ties, and all those reaching 60.00 metres advanced to the final. All results were made with a rough surfaced javelin.
The Women's Javelin Throw event at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program went held at the Olympic Stadium on Friday, 29 September and Saturday, 30 September.
The men's javelin throw event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on August 6, 1936. The final was won by Gerhard Stöck of Germany.
Kara Estelle Winger is an American track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is the American record holder in the javelin throw with a distance of 68.11 m.
The Men's Javelin Throw event at the 1972 Summer Olympics took place on September 2–3 at the Olympic Stadium, Munich. The qualifying standard was 80 m.
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.
Combined events at the Summer Olympics have been contested in several formats at the multi-sport event. There are two combined track and field events in the current Olympic athletics programme: a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon.
Mary Jane Logan was a New Zealand athlete. Mainly remembered as a javelin thrower, she represented her country at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, where she finished fourth in the women's javelin with a best throw of 118 feet 1⁄2 inch (35.98 m).
The women's javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 3 and 6 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. Approximately 35 athletes competed; the exact number was dependent on how many nations use universality places to enter athletes in addition to the 32 qualifying through distance or ranking.
