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Description
The discus, the object to be thrown, is a heavy lenticular disc with a diameter of 220 mm (8.66 inches) and a weight of two kilograms (4 lb 7 oz) for the men's event, and a diameter of 181 mm (7.17 inches) and a weight of one kg (2 lb 3 oz) for the women's event. In U.S. high school track and field, boys typically throw a discus weighing 1.616 kg (3 lb 9 oz) and the girls throw the 1 kg (2.2 lb) women's disc. The discus can be thrown starting at age 11 (midget division). Most children throw the 1 kg discus. The discus usually has sides made of rubber, plastic, wood, or metal with a metal rim and a metal core to attain the weight. A discus with more weight in the rim produces greater angular momentum for any given spin rate, and thus more stability, although it is more difficult to throw. A practice discus made of solid rubber is often used in High School; it is cheaper, more durable, and easier to learn to throw (due to its more equal distribution of weight, as opposed to the heavy rim weight of the metal rim/core discus).
To make a throw, the competitor starts in a slightly recessed concrete-surfaced circle of 2.5 meters (8 feet 2½ inches) diameter. The thrower typically takes an initial stance facing away from the direction of the throw. He then spins around one and a half times through the circle to build momentum, then releases his throw. The discus must land within a 40-degree or 60-degree arc marked by lines on the landing zone, and the competitor must not exit the circle until the discus has landed, then must wait for the judge to give clearance to exit the ring from the rear half. The distance from the front edge of the circle to where the discus has landed is measured, and distances are rounded down to the nearest centimeter or half-inch. The competitor's best throw from the allocated number of throws, typically three to six, is recorded, and the competitor who legally throws the discus the farthest is declared the winner. Ties are broken by determining which thrower has the longer second-best throw.
The basic motion is a forehanded sidearm movement. The discus is spun off the index finger or the middle finger of the throwing hand, spinning clockwise when viewed above for a right-handed thrower, and vice-versa. As well as achieving maximum momentum in the discus on throwing, the discus' distance is also determined by the trajectory the thrower imparts, as well as the aerodynamic behaviour of the discus. Generally, one wishes to throw into a moderate headwind to achieve maximum throws. Also, a faster-spinning discus imparts greater gyroscopic stability. The technique of discus throwing is quite difficult to master and needs lots of experience to get right, thus most top throwers are thirty years old or older.
A comon technique employed by younger people is to not spin at all, but to jump forward a step to gather momentum. Although it doesn't provide as much power, it is easier to do.
Olympic competition
Despite the long association of the discus with the Olympics, the Games have only twice produced a world record.[4] In the inaugural men's event in Athens, American Bob Garrett overcame an earlier world record-setting throw by Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos to win the gold.[5] Similarly, in the first women's event in 1928, Polish thrower Halina Konopacka set a world record in the event.[6]
Since these initial performances, however, world records have only been set outside Olympic venues.
Top Ten Performers
Accurate as of April 27, 2008.[7] All distances are in meters.
Men
| MARK | ATHLETE | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74.08 |  Jürgen Schult (GDR) |
Neubrandenburg | June 6, 1986 |
| 73.88 |  Virgilijus Alekna (LTU) |
Kaunas | August 3, 2000 |
| 73.38 |  Gerd Kanter (EST) |
Helsingborg | September 4, 2006 |
| 71.86 |  Yuriy Dumchev (URS) |
Moscow | May 29, 1983 |
| 71.70 |  Róbert Fazekas (HUN) |
Szombathely | July 14, 2002 |
| 71.50 |  Lars Riedel (GER) |
Wiesbaden | May 3, 1997 |
| 71.32 |  Ben Plucknett (USA) |
Eugene | June 4, 1983 |
| 71.26 | John Powell (USA) |
San Jose | June 9, 1984 |
| 71.26 |  Rickard Bruch (SWE) |
Malmö | November 15, 1984 |
| 71.26 |  Imrich Bugár (TCH) |
San Jose | May 25, 1985 |
Women
| MARK | ATHLETE | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76.80 | Gabriele Reinsch (GDR) |
Neubrandenburg | July 9, 1989 |
| 74.56 | Zdenka Šilhavá (TCH) |
Nitra | August 26, 1984 |
| 74.56 | Ilke Wyludda (GDR) |
Neubrandenburg | July 23, 1989 |
| 74.08 | Diana Sachse-Gansky (GDR) |
Karl-Marx-Stadt | June 20, 1987 |
| 73.84 | .svg){kind=small} Daniela Costian (ROU) |
Bucharest | April 30, 1988 |
| 73.36 | Irina Meszynski (GDR) |
Prague | August 17, 1984 |
| 73.28 | Galina Savinkova (URS) |
Donetsk | September 8, 1984 |
| 73.23 |  Tsvetanka Khristova (BUL) |
Kazanlak | April 19, 1987 |
| 73.10 | Gisela Beyer (GDR) |
Berlin | July 20, 1984 |
| 72.92 | Martina Hellmann (GDR) |
Potsdam | August 20, 1987 |
World Record Progress
Men
Women
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See also
External links
- International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) – official site
- World Record progression in athletics
- World Record
- World Masters Athletics - official site
- Masters T&F World Rankings
- Athletics all-time performances
References
- ^ Notations on the 1920 discus stamps at the Olympic Museum
- ^ Discus Thrower stamps sold to help build facilities at the 1896 games
- ^ Main 1948 poster at the Olympics Museum
- ^ This assertion does not include Martin Sheridan's world record at the 1906 Intercalated Games, which are not currently recognized by the IOC as "an Olympiad"
- ^ sports-reference.com entry on the 1896 Games
- ^ sports-reference.com entry on the 1928 games
- ^ - IAAF All-time top Discus throws URL last accessed on 2007-01-30
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