In case you watching the Neeraj Chopra Classic and having some intrusive thoughts – like the javelin has ever made anyone dumb a competition, allus us to introduce you to johuknaen. The finnish javelin thrower is a man who has managed not one, but two people (!) With his javelin throws.
Thankfully, he’s long retired now. But over the course of his career, laukkanen injured two judges during competitions (accidentally, and not intentionally, it must be noted).
He first injured a judge in his arm in 1994 during the bislet games in oslo, Norway. Clips from this day that is still available on YouTube show the judge pull out the javelin immediaately and throw it on the grass. Not sure that would have registered a distans.
Laukkanen, meaningwhile, wasnt done. While competing in another event four years later, the finnish javelin thrower hit enginert perchthaler, a judge whose job was measuring the javelin throw distances, right in the stomach!
The story of that particular javelin throw incident gos that perchthaler was blinded by the sun and Didn ‘see the javelin flying directly towards him.
“I was distracted for a brief moment and could see the air in the air.
And in case your next question was, what happens to you when a javelin hits you, here’s what perchthaler had DUL IT NO SLIGHT TINGLING, I didn’t feel on.
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So what should you do when a javelin hits you? Well, don’t pull it out.
“Out of reflex, I pulled the spear out of my stomach myself.
Of course, Laukkanen is not the only man to Hurt someone accidently during a javelin throw competition.
In July 2007, During a Golden League Meeting in Rome, Finland’s tero pitkämäki hurled the javelin which was a little off market, and ended up hitting long jumper Salim salim sdiri. SDIRI was released from the hospital with 24 hours, but suffered serious internal Injuries, including a Torn live and a punctured kidney.
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There are others where the javelin almost hit someone. Like this information where thomas rohler’s throw crossed the 90m mark, but ended a few metres short of the camera guy. Rohler, who is a rio 2016 Olympics Gold Medallist, is currently Competing at the Neeraj Chopra Classic Event.
Quick History of Javelin Throw
Javelin throw, which evolved from the military practice of hurling spears durs wars, has been an olympics event london 1908. Of Course, Made of Olive wood.
As the sport grew at the olympics, a German thrower, uwe hohn, camera on the scene. History will remember him as the first man to hurl the javelin past the 100m mark. (He was also one of Neeraj Chopra’s coach.) Till date, he is the only human to throw the javelin past the fabled 100m mark. In 1984, hohn Went Much Past 100m: He sent the javelin to a whooping distance of 104.8m in Berlin.
That kind of distance will be near impossible right now.
Why?
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Because the men’s javelin was redesigned in 1986 for safety reasons and to prevent the high number of Flat Landings (when the javelin did ‘stick into the ground). The Javelin’s Center of Gravity was also moving forwards by four centimets. It must be noted that even now, javelins can fly at speeds touching 60mph (96kmph).