Track and Field

THROWING EVENTS
SHOT PUT
 SHOT PUT
History
• The origin of the shot put can be
traced to pre-historic competitions
with rocks: in the middle ages.
• In the 17th century, cannonball
throwing competitions within the
English military provided a precursor
to the modern sport.
 SHOT PUT
History
• The modern rules were first laid out in
1860 and legal throws had to be taken
within a square throwing area of seven
feet (2.13 m) on each side.
• This was amended to a circle area with
a seven foot diameter in 1906 and the
weight of the shot was standardized to
16 pounds (7.26 kg).
 SHOT PUT
History
• Throwing technique was also refined
over this period, with bent arm
throws being banned as they were
deemed too dangerous and the side-
step and throw technique arising in
the United States in 1876.
 SHOT PUT
History
• The shot put has been an
Olympic sport for men since 1896
and a women's competition using
a 4 kg (8.82 lb) shot was added in
1948.
 SHOT PUT
History
• Further throwing techniques have arisen since
the post-war era:
• in the 1950s PARRY O'BRIEN popularized the
180 degree turn and throw technique
commonly known as the "glide," breaking the
world record 16 times along the way, while
Aleksandr Baryshnikov and Brian Oldfield
introduced the "spin" or rotational technique
in 1976.
 How to perform Shot Put
• The shot put is a track and field event
involving "putting" (throwing in a pushing
motion) a heavy metal ball—the shot—as
far as possible.
• It is common to use the term "shot put"
to refer to both the shot itself and to the
putting action.

Shot putter at the University
of Nebraska, 1942, showing
the circle and stopboard
Czechoslovakian shot putter
Jiří Skobla showing the correct
technique for keeping the shot
near the neck
 How to?... continuation
• Competitors take their throw
from inside a marked circle
2.135 meters (7.00 ft) in
diameter, with a stop-board
approximately 10 centimeters
(3.9 in) high at the front of the
circle.
How to: Shot Put

Throwing Area
 How to?... continuation
• The distance thrown is measured
from the inside of the
circumference of the circle to the
nearest mark made in the ground
by the falling shot, with distances
rounded down to the nearest
centimeter
The following rules are adhered to for
a legal throw:
• Upon calling the athlete's name, they have
sixty (60) seconds to commence the throwing
motion.
• The athletes are not allowed to wear gloves;
IAAF rules permit the taping of individual
fingers to cover a cut or open wound.
• The athlete must rest the shot close to the
neck, and keep it tight to the neck throughout
the motion.
The following rules are adhered to for
a legal throw:
• The shot must be released above the height of
the shoulder, using only one hand.
• The athlete may touch the inside surface of
the circle or stop-board, but must not touch
the top or outside of the circle or stop-board,
or the ground beyond the circle.
• Limbs may however extend over the lines of
the circle in the air.
The following rules are adhered to for
a legal throw:
• The shot must land in the legal
sector (34.92°) of the throwing
area.
• The athlete must exit the
throwing circle from the back.
How to: Shot Put

Throwing Area
FOUL THROWS occur when an athlete:
• Does not pause within the circle
before beginning the throwing
motion.
• Does not begin the throwing
movement within sixty seconds
of having his or her name called.
FOUL THROWS occur when an athlete:

• Allows the shot to drop below his

shoulder or outside the vertical
plane of his shoulder during the
put.
FOUL THROWS occur when an athlete:

• During the throwing motion, touches

with any part of the body (including
shoes):
–the top or ends of the stop-board
–the top of the iron ring
–anywhere outside the circle.
FOUL THROWS occur when an athlete:
• Throws a shot which either falls
outside the throwing sector or
touches a sector line on the initial
impact.
• Leaves the circle before the shot has
landed.
• Does not exit from the rear half of
the circle.
 DISCUS THROW
• As one of the events within the ancient
pentathlon, the history of the discus throw
dates back to 708 BC.
• In ancient times a heavy circular disc was
thrown from a set standing position on a small
pedestal, and it was this style that was revived
for the 1896 Olympics.
 DISCUS THROW
• This continued until the 1906 Intercalated
Games in Athens, which featured both the
ancient style and the increasingly popular
modern style of turning and throwing.
• By the 1912 Olympics, the ancient standing
throw style had fallen into disuse and contests
starting within a 2.5 m squared throwing area
became the standard.
 DISCUS THROW
• The discus implement was standardized to
2 kg (4.4 pounds) in weight and 22 cm
(8 inches) in diameter in 1907. The women's
discus was among the first women's events on
the Olympic program , being introduced in
1928.
How to: Discus Throw
Legal Throw
• The discus is thrown from a circle measuring
2.5 meters, or 8.2 feet, in diameter.
• The circle has a white rim 6 mm thick.
• Athletes may touch the inside of the rim only.
• The athlete must begin each attempt from a
stationary position within the circle.
• Once the throw is completed the athlete
must exit the circle from the back half.
Legal Throw
Throwing Aids
• In the discus throw the athlete is permitted to
use chalk on both hands and the discus to
assist in properly gripping the implement.
There should be no taping of the hand or
fingers other than to cover an injury.
Legal Throw
Foul Throw
• Dropping of the discus outside of the circle during
initial swings before the turn and throw results in
a foul attempt.
• An attempt is considered a foul if the athlete
touches the top or outside of the rim during the
throw.
• If the discus lands on or outside of the sector
lines the throw is determined to be foul.
• The athlete should not leave the circle until the
discus has touched the ground or the attempt will
be foul.
Legal Throw
Measurement
• The measurement of each throw is conducted
immediately following the attempt. An
attempt is measured from the nearest mark of
the discus to the inside of the circumference
of the circle.
JAVELIN THROW
 JAVELIN THROW
• As an implement of war and hunting,
javelin throwing began in prehistoric
times.
• Along with the discus, the javelin was
the second throwing event in the
ancient Olympic pentathlon.
 JAVELIN THROW
• Records from 708 BC show two javelin
competition types co-existing: throwing
at a target and throwing the javelin for
distance.
• It was the latter type from which the
modern event was derived. In ancient
competitions, athletes would wrap an
ankyle (thin leather strip) around the
javelin which acted as a sling to gain
extra distance.
 JAVELIN THROW
• The javelin throw gained much popularity
in Scandinavia in the late 18th century
and athletes from the region continue to
be among the most dominant throwers
in men's competitions.
• The modern event features a short run
up on a track and then the thrower
releases the javelin before the foul line.
 JAVELIN THROW
• The first Olympic men's javelin throw
contest was held in 1908 and a women's
competition was introduced in 1932.
• The first javelins were made of various
types of wood, but in the 1950s, former
athlete Bud Held introduced a hollow
javelin, then a metal javelin, both of
which increased throwers performances.
 JAVELIN THROW
• The women's javelin underwent a similar
redesign in 1999. The current javelin
specifications are 2.6 to 2.7 m in length
and 800 grams in weight for men, and
between 2.2 to 2.3 m and 600 g for
women.
The Javelin
Construction.
The javelin shall consist of three main parts:
1. head,
2. shaft
3. cord grip.
The shaft may be solid or hollow and shall be
constructed of metal or other suitable
material so as to constitute a fixed and
integrated whole. The shaft shall have fixed to
it a metal head terminating in a sharp point.
The javelin shall have no mobile parts or other
apparatus, which during the throw could
change its centre of gravity or throwing
characteristics.
The Competition
The size, shape, minimum weight, and center of
gravity of the javelin implement itself are all
defined by IAAF rules.
weight length
MEN 800 grams 2.6-2.7m
WOMEN 600 grams 2.2-2.3m
The Competition

The javelin is equipped with a cord grip,

approximately 150 mm wide, made of cord
and located at the javelin's center of gravity.
The Competition
Unlike the other throwing, the technique used
to throw the javelin is dictated by IAAF rules
and "non-orthodox" techniques are not
permitted.
The javelin must be held at its grip and thrown
overhand, over the athlete's shoulder or
upper arm.
Further, the athlete is prohibited from turning
completely around such that his back faces
the direction of throw.
The Competition

Javelin throwers are provided with a runway 4

meters wide and at least 30 meters in length,
ending in a curved arc from which their throw
will be measured; athletes typically use this
distance to gain momentum in a "run-up" to
their throw.
The Competition

Like the other throwing events, the competitor

may not leave the throwing area (the runway)
until after the implement lands.
The javelin is thrown towards a "sector"
covering an angle of 29 degrees extending
outwards from the arc at the end of the
runway.
The Competition

A throw is legal only if the tip of the javelin lands

within this sector, and the tip strikes the
ground before any other part of the javelin.
The distance of the throw is measured from the
throwing arc to the point where the tip of the
javelin landed, rounded down to the nearest
centimeter
The Competition

Competition rules are similar to other throwing

events: a round consists of one attempt by
each competitor in turn, and competitions
typically consist of three (3) to six (6) rounds.
The competitor with the longest single legal
throw (over all rounds) is the winner; in the
case of a tie the competitors' second-longest
throws are also considered.
The Competition

Competitions involving large numbers of

athletes sometimes use a "cut": all
competitors compete in the first three rounds,
but only athletes who are currently among the
top eight or have achieved some minimum
distances are permitted to attempt to improve
on their distance in additional rounds
(typically three).
 END

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