The discus throw, also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight — called a discus — in an attempt to mark a farther distance than other competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by the fifth-century-BC Myron statue Discobolus. Although not part of the current pentathlon, it was one of the events of the ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be dated back to at least 708 BC, and it is part of the modern decathlon.
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.
Virgilijus Alekna is a Lithuanian former discus thrower and politician. He won medals at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, including two golds.
The men's discus throw event at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, 24 September and Monday, 25 September. Forty-five athletes from 28 nations competed. The event was won by Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania, the nation's second victory in the men's discus throw. Lars Riedel of Germany took silver, becoming the 13th man to win multiple discus throw medals. Frantz Kruger earned South Africa's first medal in the event with his bronze.
The men's discus throw was a competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium on 6–7 August. Forty-one athletes from 24 nations competed. The event was won by Robert Harting of Germany, the nation's first victory in the men's discus throw since 1996 and second overall. Ehsan Haddadi earned Iran's first medal in the event with his silver. Gerd Kanter of Estonia became the 15th man to win multiple medals in the event, adding a bronze to his 2008 gold. Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania narrowly missed being the second man to win four medals in the event, finishing fourth.
Fedrick Dacres is a Jamaican discus thrower.
The 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held at the Centro Paralímpico Nacional in Irapuato, Mexico from 6 to 8 July. It was the seventh edition of the biennial athletics competition for NACAC area athletes under 23 years of age. A total of 44 track and field events were contested, divided evenly between the sexes. It was the third time that Mexico had hosted the event, having done so in 2000 and 2008.
Traves Smikle is a Jamaican athlete. He competed for Jamaica in discus at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the 2024 Summer Olympics.. He is a five time National Champion winning the Jamaican National Senior Championships (Trials) in 2011, 2012, 2019, 2022 and 2023. He has represented Jamaica at the World Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
The discus throw is one of four track and field throwing events held at the Summer Olympics. The men's discus throw has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The women's event was first contested at the 1928 Olympics, being one of the five athletics events in the inaugural Olympic women's programme.
Ryan Crouser is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus. He specializes in the shot put, in which he is the only three-time Olympic gold medalist, having won in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris, and also a two-time World Champion. He holds the world record in the shot put, both indoors and outdoors. He set the outdoor world record at 23.56 meters in May 2023, improving upon his previous record of 23.37 m from July 2021. He has held the indoor record of 22.82 m since January 2021.
Matthew Denny is an Australian athlete specialising in the discus throw. He won the bronze medal in the men's discus throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Valarie Carolyn Allman is an American track and field athlete specializing in the discus throw. She is a two time Olympic champion, having won the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics. Allman earned bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, which made her the first American woman to win a world championship medal in the discus throw and later added a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships. She is the North American record holder for the event.
Claudio Ignacio Romero Beltrán is a Chilean track and field athlete competing in the discus throw.
Mykolas Alekna is a Lithuanian athlete who specializes in the discus throw. He is the current world record holder of the event with 74.35 metres. At the age of 19, he won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the youngest world discus medallist in history. Alekna was then the youngest ever winner in his discipline at the 2022 European Championships, setting the competition record in the process.
Jaydon Hibbert is a Jamaican track and field athlete. At the age of 17, he won the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2022 World Under-20 Championships, after silver in the previous 2021 edition.
Romaine Beckford is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes in the high jump.
Ralford Mullings is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw.
Samantha Hall is a Jamaican discus thrower and multiple-time national champion.
Jehlani Gordon is a Jamaican sprinter.
The men's discus throw at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in Paris, France, on 5 and 7 August 2024.
