TIL that the longest javelin throw was 99.52 meters using a now illegal technique that was considered "out of control". No one has broken this record with modern javelin rules.
To be fair: an athlete holding the spear by the end and hurling it... somewhere by accelerating it through rotating the body like a hammer thrower does sound slightly dangerous.
Also, the farthest throw was actually 104.8 meters.
using the technique holding the end of the javelin. Officials were so afraid of the out of control nature of the technique that the practice was banned through these rule specifications.
I've spent some time reading the Wikipedia article looking for the relevant part, I guess I was 10 mins early (didn't get the chance to see your comment before that). Here's the (probably) corresponding video, the first video result when searching for the freestyle javelin technique, in case it helps anyone: https://youtu.be/52rvqtiBoow?si=RiLjhJG2ttv-0s1W
The javelin was officially redesigned in 1986 to limit its distance to keep it in the field, and to ensure it doesn't land flat. They are likely only counting post-redesign throws.
Still the throw listed in the title is less than the one listed here. If it was broken before the change then it's not the longest throw of the old generation as the title says.
Javelin needs to be safe and stick within a reasonable field size to be an Olympic event. If runners were so fast they were tearing up the track and tossing debris into the audience, we would slow them down.
All sports would be better if they were full contact - especially golf. Hear me out.
Everybody goes at the same time; you get points for speed instead of number of shots. You can an use your clubs to attack other players, so pads and a helmet are needed. You play in the summer. You're caddy also brings water and Gatorade. Heat stroke/exhaustion is a DQ.
If we throw out the idea that the Games were meant to mark a cessation in hostilities, then let's not go halfway.
Get the SCA in there with their plastic armour and rattan swords and let's have 1:1 and M:M combat. I want chariot races. I want simulated boarding actions from 'ships'. I want a new colosseum built every 4 years and events 24/7 to a roaring crowd punctuated only by the sound of pneumatic t-shirt cannons. When they're done, use them for death-row criminals in actual gear to fight for PPV for victim compensation. MORTAL COMBAAAAAAAT
Yeah, lots of movies from that era are problematic now. I'm not going to apologize for them, trivialize the problematic parts, or forget about them. All of those characters were gross parodies of stereotypes and that type of humor is no longer palatable to many people. But, this particular scene felt relatively devoid of any actual malice.