The discus throw ( pronunciation ), 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 further 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 .
26-547: The Discophoros , also spelled Discophorus (Greek – " Discus -Bearer"), was a bronze sculpture by the classical Greek sculptor Polyclitus , creator of the Doryphoros and Diadumenos , and its many Roman marble copies. It is not, however, to be confused with Discobolus of Myron , which shows a discus being thrown, not carried. Like the Doryphoros and Diadumenos , it was created as an example of Polyclitus's "canon" of
52-474: A half rotation and an implement at the end of one arm. Thus, a good discus thrower needs to maintain balance within the circle. For a right handed thrower, the next stage is to move the weight over the left foot. From this position the right foot is raised, and the athlete 'runs' across the circle. There are various techniques for this stage where the leg swings out to a small or great extent, some athletes turn on their left heel (e.g. Ilke Wylluda ) but turning on
78-558: A lighter-weight discus in high school competition. His suggestion was adopted by the National High School Athletic Association in 1938. The typical discus has sides made of plastic, wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber or metal with a metal rim and a metal core to attain the weight. The rim must be smooth, with no roughness or finger holds. A discus with more weight in the rim produces greater angular momentum for any given spin rate, and thus more stability, although it
104-705: A lively bending motion, with the discus high above his head, creating a vivid representation of the sport. World Athletics Indoor Championships The World Athletics Indoor Championships are a biennial indoor track and field competition served as the global championship for that version of the sport. Organised by the World Athletics , the competition was inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed to IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1987. The current name
130-451: A men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon were successfully introduced as non-championship events, and have remained on the program since. In 1997 the women's pole vault entered the fray, two years before it made an appearance at the event's outdoor counterpart. Despite the event's popularity, the 200 m was removed from the program after the 2004 championships, as the event was deemed unfair to all participants and too predictable, with
156-407: A more powerful throw. They then begin the wind-up, which sets the tone for the entire throw; the rhythm of the wind-up and throw is very important. Focusing on rhythm can bring about the consistency to get in the right positions that many throwers lack. Executing a sound discus throw with solid technique requires perfect balance. This is due to the throw being a linear movement combined with a one and
182-434: A named event in the funeral games of Patroclus . Discus throwers have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins. One of the recent samples is the €10 Greek Discus commemorative coin , minted in 2003 to commemorate the 2004 Summer Olympics . On the obverse of the coin a modern athlete is seen in the foreground in a half-turned position, while in the background an ancient discus thrower has been captured in
208-516: Is high, and speed is built up during the throw (slow to fast). Correct technique involves the buildup of torque so that maximum force can be applied to the discus on delivery. Initially, the thrower takes up their position in the throwing circle, distributing their body weight evenly over both feet, which are roughly shoulder width apart. They crouch in order to adopt a more efficient posture to start from whilst also isometrically preloading their muscles; this will allow them to start faster and achieve
234-495: Is more difficult to throw. However, a higher rim weight, if thrown correctly, can lead to a longer throw. In some competitions, a solid rubber discus is used (see in the United States ). To make a throw, the competitor starts in a circle of 2.5 m ( 8 ft 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) diameter, which is recessed in a concrete pad by 20 millimetres (0.79 in). The thrower typically takes an initial stance facing away from
260-415: Is not used and there are no form rules concerning how the discus is to be thrown. The basic motion is a fore-handed sidearm movement. The discus is spun off the index finger or the middle finger of the throwing hand. In flight the disc spins clockwise when viewed from above for a right-handed thrower, and anticlockwise for a left-handed thrower. As well as achieving maximum momentum in the discus on throwing,
286-511: Is sometimes contested indoors, but it is not included at the World Athletics Indoor Championships . World Athletics used to keep "world indoor best" discus records, but since 2023 they now combine both indoor and outdoor marks. The discus technique can be broken down into phases. The purpose is to transfer from the back to the front of the throwing circle while turning through one and a half circles. The speed of delivery
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#1732868820320312-406: Is the delivery of the discus, from this 'power position' the hips drive through hard, and will be facing the direction of the throw on delivery. Athletes employ various techniques to control the end-point and recover from the throw, such as fixing feet (to pretty much stop dead ), or an active reverse spinning onto the left foot (e.g. Virgilijus Alekna ). Sports scientist Richard Ganslen researched
338-468: The 1896 Summer Olympics . Images of discus throwers figured prominently in advertising for early modern Games, such as fundraising stamps for the 1896 Games, and the main posters for the 1920 and 1948 Summer Olympics . Today the sport of discus is a routine part of modern track-and-field meets at all levels, and retains a particularly iconic place in the Olympic Games. The first modern athlete to throw
364-575: The Aerodynamics of the Discus , reporting the discus will stall at an angle of 29°. The discus throw has been the subject of a number of well-known ancient Greek statues and Roman copies such as the Discobolus and Discophoros . The discus throw also appears repeatedly in ancient Greek mythology , featured as a means of manslaughter in the cases of Hyacinth , Crocus , Phocus , and Acrisius , and as
390-534: The attempted running of the meetings in both 2021 and 2023. In the meantime, two standard editions of the Championships were held at other sites in 2022 and 2024. Therefore, an 'extra' edition , between the normal even-year cycle, will be held in Nanjing , China in early 2025, before reverting to the normal cycle in 2026. The events held have been composed of a regular disciplines, with the main alterations coming in
416-414: The ball of the foot is far more common. The aim is to land in the 'power position', the right foot should be in the center and the heel should not touch the ground at any point. The left foot should land very quickly after the right. Weight should be mostly over the back foot with as much torque as possible in the body—so the right arm is high and far back. This is very hard to achieve. The critical stage
442-411: The direction of the throw. They then spin anticlockwise (for right-handers) 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 times while staying within the circle to build momentum before releasing the discus. The discus must land within a 34.92º circular sector that is centered on the throwing circle. The rules of competition for discus are virtually identical to those of shot put , except that the circle is larger, a stop board
468-451: The discus traces back to it being an event in the original Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. The discus as a sport was resurrected in Magdeburg , Germany, by gymnastics teacher Christian Georg Kohlrausch and his students in the 1870s. Organized men's competition was resumed in the late 19th century, and has been a part of the modern Summer Olympic Games since the first modern competition,
494-423: The discus while rotating the whole body was František Janda-Suk from Bohemia (the present Czech Republic ). Janda-Suk invented this technique when studying the position of the statue of Discobolus . After a year of developing the technique, he earned a silver medal in the 1900 Olympics. Women's competition began in the first decades of the 20th century. Following competition at national and regional levels, it
520-439: The discus' distance is also determined by the trajectory the thrower imparts, as well as the aerodynamic behavior of the discus. Generally, throws into a moderate headwind achieve the maximum distance. Also, a faster-spinning discus imparts greater gyroscopic stability. The technique of discus throwing is quite difficult to master and needs much experience to perfect; thus most top throwers are 30 years old or more. The discus throw
546-406: The earlier years. The 4 x 400 m relay race for both men and women was added to the full schedule in 1991 with the women's triple jump , the latter as an exhibition event, and gaining full status at the following championships. Racewalking events were dropped after 1993, and a 1600 m medley relay was tried but was discontinued were due to alleged poor interest. This same year,
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#1732868820320572-494: The ideal human form in sculpture. It features a young, muscular, solidly-built athlete in a moment of thought before throwing a discus. Most marble copies feature the addition of a marble tree stump – marble is weaker but heavier than bronze- as the stump is needed for support. These copies are also often missing their arms, which are often restored. A variant is at the Louvre Museum . Discus throw The sport of throwing
598-588: The official medal table. In the World Athletics placing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight place. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs. Updated after 2022 Championships ^[2] Does not include results achieved by Authorized Neutral Athletes in 2018. ^[3] Includes results achieved by East Germany and West Germany between 1987 and 1989. A total of 8 men and 19 women have won five or more medals at
624-437: The tighter bends of an indoor track causing any athletes not drawn in either of the outside lanes having minimal or no chance of winning. Key to tables : Disqualified X = annulled due to doping violation Medal table includes 1985–2024 Championships. ^[1] [REDACTED] ANA was the name, under which Russian athletes competed in the 2018 Championships . Their medals were not included in
650-577: Was adapted with the name change of the sports governing body in 2019. They have been held every two years except for when they were held in consecutive years 2003 and 2004 to facilitate the need for them to be held in alternate years to the main World Athletics Championships (outdoors) in the future. The Championships due to be held in China in 2020 were postponed because of the COVID pandemic, as were
676-482: Was added to the Olympic program for the 1928 games . The event consists of throwing a heavy disc, with the weight or size depending on the competitor. Men and women throw different sized discs, with varying sizes and weights depending on age. The weight of the discus is either governed by World Athletics for international or USA Track & Field for the United States. In the United States, Henry Canine advocated for
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