Thomas Rohler, photo by PhotoRun.net
This is a fun article from the Diamond League site. Watch a javelin fly through the air is exciting. Watching a javelin look as if it staying in the air forever gets a huge response from the crowd. Enjoy the story on the 90 meter monsters.
Throwback Thursday: 90 Metre Monsters
In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we take a trip down memory lane to some of the biggest and best javelin throws in Diamond League history.
Last season was a vintage year in the men’s javelin, but the IAAF Diamond League has seen some immense throws in all of the last few seasons.
Thomas Röhler and Johannes Vetter engaged in an incredible, season-long battle after the former set the tone with an enormous throw in Doha (more on that later). Röhler, though, was not the first to have broken the 90 metre mark in the IAAF Diamond League. We take a look back at some of the circuits biggest 90 metre monsters…
Keshorn Walcott in Lausanne – 90.16m
In 2015, Keshorn Walcott kicked off the men’s javelin in Lausanne in some style, throwing a huge 90.16m in the first round. Not only did the Trinidadian set a new national record, he also broke a 14-year-old meeting record held by none other than Jan Zelezny.
Walcott’s effort secured him victory on the day, and though he did not go on to win the Diamond Trophy that season, his place in the Diamond League history books was assured.
Julius Yego in Birmingham – 91.39m
Vitaly Vesely looked well set to take victory in the javelin when Julius Yego stepped up for his final throw in Birmingham in 2015.
The Kenyan launched an incredible 91.39m throw to snatch victory at the last, setting a new African record and a new IAAF Diamond League record as he did so.
Yego would go one better at that year’s World Championships, throwing 92.72m to claim Kenya’s first ever gold medal in a field event.
Thomas R̦hler in Doha Р93.90m
Thomas Röhler’s huge 93.90m throw in Doha last season set the stage for an incredible year in the javelin. Though the mark would be surpassed by his friend and compatriot Johannes Vetter later in the season, Röhler’s throw in Doha put him second in the all-time rankings and smashed Yego’s IAAF Diamond League record.
In a curious twist to this story, none of Walcott, Yego and Röhler would go on to win the Diamond Trophy in the year they threw over 90 metres. Röhler was the favourite going into the Final, but was beaten by reigning champion Jakub Vadlejch.
