Javelin throw

The javelin throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear-like object made of metal, fibreglass and in some javelins, carbon fibre.

Javelin redesigns

In 1986, the men's javelin (800 g) was redesigned because of the prodigious distances being thrown culminating in a world record throw of over 104m by the then East German thrower, Uwe Höhn. The javelin throw was in danger of being banished to outside the arena on safety grounds so the javelin was redesigned so that the centre of gravity was moved further away from the centre of pressure (the point at which the aerodynamic forces of lift and drag act) so that the javelin had a downward pitching moment. This brings the nose down earlier, reducing the flight distance by around 10% and also causing the javelin to stick in. In 1999, the women's javelin (600g) was similarly redesigned.

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