Decoding the best throws in men's javelin throw at Olympics
Ace javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem scripted history by handing Pakistan an Olympic gold medal for the first time in 40 years. Nadeem's monstrous throw of 92.97m in men's javelin at the 2024 Paris Olympics, secured him a top-podium finish. He further made a throw of 91.97m on his sixth attempt. Let's decode the best throws in men's javelin throw at the Olympics.
Nadeem scripts history with multiple 90m-throws
While Nadeem's first attempt was a foul, he recorded a monstrous 92.97m throw on his second try. The 27-year-old clocked 88.72m, 79.40m, and 84.87m on his next three attempts before unleashing 91.79m in his final one. No other athlete has breached the 91m-mark at the Olympics. Hence, Nadeem owns the top two spots on this list.
Andreas Thorkildsen's brilliance at the 2008 event
Nadeem broke the Olympic record of Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen, who managed 90.57m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The latter recorded 84.72m, 85.91m, 87.93m, and 85.13m in his first four throws in the final round. Though his 87.93m throw would have been enough to secure gold, Thorkildsen clocked 90.57 on his next attempt. He claimed the gold despite his final attempt being a foul.
Jan Zelezny's 90.17m throw
Czech's Jan Zelezny walked away with the gold in the 2000 Sydney Games. He started the final round with an 89.41m throw before attempting a foul. Zelezny had to better his first attempt as Great Britain's Steve Backley's second throw traveled 89.85m. The Czech star then unleashed a 90.17m monster to secure the gold. Zelezny's final three attempts were - foul, foul, 88.97m.
Thomas Rohler's timely 90.30m throw
Germany's Thomas Röhler claimed gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. His first four attempts in the final read 87.40m, 85.61m, 87.07m, and 84.84m. As Kenya's Julius Yego's first throw traveled 88.24m, Röhler had to go further big in his final two throws. He clocked 90.30m on his fifth attempt before registering a foul. Yego hence had to settle for the silver.
