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.
Stephen James Backley, OBE is an English retired track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He formerly held the world record, and his 91.46-metre (300.1 ft) throw from 1992 is the British record. During his career, he was a firm fixture in the British national athletics team. He won four gold medals at the European Championships, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the Olympic Games, and two silvers at the World Championships. Currently, he is an occasional commentator for athletics competitions, especially the field events.
The men's discus throw competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was held at the Olympic Stadium on 21–23 August. It was originally planned to hold the discus throw at the Ancient Olympia Stadium, but it was discovered that the field was not large enough to accommodate the range of modern discus throwers, and would have posed a danger to spectators. As such, it was decided to move the discus throw and to hold the shot put at the ancient stadium, despite the fact that the shot put was not contested at the Ancient Olympic Games. Thirty-nine athletes from 26 nations competed.
Andreas Thorkildsen is a retired Norwegian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He was the Olympic Champion in 2004 and 2008, European Champion in 2006 and 2010, and World Champion in 2009. He is the first male javelin thrower in history to simultaneously be European, World and Olympic Champion. He was also a three-time silver medalist at the World Championships, placing second in 2005, 2007 and 2011. His personal best of 91.59 m, set in 2006, is the Norwegian record.
Gerhardus "Hardus" Pienaar is a South African javelin thrower and former Junior World Champion from South Africa. His personal best throw is 84.50 metres, achieved in October 2003 in Hyderabad. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest javelin throwers in South African history.
The men's shot put at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 18, 2004, at the Ancient Olympia Stadium in Olympia, Greece. It was originally planned to hold the discus throw at this venue, but it was discovered that the field was insufficiently large to accommodate the range of modern discus throwers, and would have posed a danger to spectators. As such, it was decided instead to hold the shot put at the site, despite the fact that the shot put was not contested at the Ancient Olympic Games. All distances are given in metres. Thirty-nine athletes from 26 nations competed.
Yukifumi Murakami is a Japanese javelin thrower. He was the first Japanese athlete to win a World Championship medal in the javelin, taking bronze at the 2009 edition with a throw of 82.97 metres.
Vítězslav Veselý is a Czech javelin thrower. He won two bronze medals at the Olympic games, in 2012 and 2020.
Ari Pekka Mannio is a retired Finnish javelin thrower.
The athletics competitions at the 2012 Olympic Games in London were held during the last 10 days of the Games, on 3–12 August. Track and field events took place at the Olympic Stadium in east London. The road events, however, started and finished on The Mall in central London.
Maoulida Darouèche is a Comoran hurdler who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles and who has also competed in the javelin throw. Darouèche competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics. At both Olympics he competed in the 400 metres hurdles. He has also competed in two World Championships, an African athletics championships and a Jeux de la Francophonie.
Dmitriy Sergeyev Tarabin is a Russian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. His personal best for the event is 88.84 m. He was the winner of the javelin at Summer Universiade and the Russian Championships in 2013. Tarabin previously competed for Moldova and remains the country's national record holder.
Olivia Dalila Rugama Carmona is Nicaraguan javelin thrower. She represented her nation Nicaragua at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and also registered her own national record of 55.28 metres in the women's javelin throw at the 2007 Bolivarian Games in Caracas, Venezuela. Throughout her career, Rugama was part of the team of the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua's track and field squad.
Peter Zupanc is a retired Slovenian javelin thrower. He represented Slovenia at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and also recorded his own personal best of 78.60 metres from the Slovenian Championships in his native Ljubljana. Throughout his sporting career, Zupanc trained for Kronos Athletics Association.
Olga Nikolaevna Shchukina is a retired Uzbek shot putter. Shchukina was selected to the Uzbek Olympic squad in the shot put at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but her feat had been outweighed with a doping failure for testing positive on clenbuterol during the pre-competition screening, which resulted to her immediate expulsion from the Games. During her athletic career, Shchukina launched her personal best shot of 17.26 at the 2004 Asian Cup League Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Huang Shih-Feng is a Taiwanese track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He is the Taiwanese record holder for the event with a personal best of 83.82 m.
Kelsey-Lee Barber is an Australian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She won gold at the 2019 World Championships, and her personal best of 67.70 m ranks her 13th in the overall list.
Johannes Vetter is a German athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He won gold at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. His personal best of 97.76 m is the German record, and ranks him second on the overall list behind Jan Železný. Vetter currently trains under Boris Obergföll and is a member of LG Offenburg's track and field squad. He was previously with SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken and Dresdner SC.
The 1922 Women's Olympiad was the second international women's sports event, a 7-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 15– April 23 1922 in Monte Carlo at the International Sporting Club of Monaco. The tournament was formally called "Deuxiéme Meeting International d'Éducation Physique Féminine". It was also the second of three Women's Olympiads or "Monte Carlo Games" held annually at the venue in Monaco, and the second forerunner of the quadrennial Women's World Games, organised in 1922–34 by the International Women's Sports Federation founded by Milliat in late 1921.
The 1923 Women's Olympiad was the fourth international event in women's sports, the tournament was held 4 to 7 April 1923 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The tournament was formally called "Les Jeux Athlétiques Féminins à Monté Carlo". The games were a runner-up to the 1921 Women's Olympiad and 1922 Women's Olympiad.
France 
