Discus throw

Categories: Events in Athletics

Alternate meaning: Discus fish

The discus throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event. The discus, the object to be thrown, is a lens-shaped heavy disc with a diameter of 220 mm and a weight of two kilograms (4 lb 7 oz) for the men's event, and one kg (2 lb 3 oz) for the women's, with a smaller diameter of 182 mm. 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 women's disc. The discus usually has sides made of plastic, wood, or metal, with a metal rim and a metal core to attain the weight. Sometimes a discus will have a heavier rim in order to attain higher spin. A practice discus made of hard rubber is often used in high school; it is cheaper and more durable.

Discus throwing is an ancient sport. In the 5th century BC the sculptor Myron produced a statue of a discus thrower (Discobolus), which is world-famous today (although the technique obviously employed by that ancient thrower is no longer considered anywhere near optimal).

To make a throw, the competitor starts in a slightly recessed concrete-surfaced circle of 2.5 metres (8 feet 2½ inches) diameter. They typically wind up while facing away from the direction of the throw. The thrower then spins around one and a half times through the circle to build momentum. The discus must land within a 40-degree or 60-degree arc marked by lines on the landing zone, and the competitor must not leave the circle until the discus has landed. The distance from the circle to where the discus has landed is measured. The competitor's best throw from the allocated number of throws is recorded, and the competitor who legally throws the discus the furthest is declared the winner.

The basic motion is a forehanded sidearm movement. The discus is spun off the index 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's distance is also determined by the trajectory the thrower imparts, as well as the aerodynamic behaviour of the discus. Also, a faster-spinning discus imparts greater gyroscopic stability. The technique of discus throwing is quite hard to master and needs lots of experience to get right, thus most top throwers are about thirty years old or even older.


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World Records

The discus throw world record for men is:

And for women:

The discus is one of the few sports events in which the world record has never been set during the Olympics.de:Diskuswurf et:Kettaheide es:Lanzamiento de disco fr:Lancer du disque it:Lancio del disco ja:円盤投げ nl:Discuswerpen pl:Rzut dyskiem fi:Kiekonheitto sv:Diskus