Discus throwing dates back to the ancient Greek Olympic Games, as depicted in this Fifth Century B.C. statue from the British Museum, "Discobolus," by the sculptor Myron. The 8th century B.C. poet Homer also referred to discus throwing, which was a part of the Greeks' pentathlon event. The early discs were made of unwrought bronze and iron and were apparently heavier than today's competitive discus.
History of Discus Throw
The Ancient Greek pentathlon events of 708 BC included sprinting, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw, and wrestling. The competition was later rediscovered in the 1870s by Christian Georg Kohlrausch and his students. The men's discus throw event became part of the first edition of the 1986 Olympics in Athens. Women's competition was included in Amsterdam in 1928.
Czech athlete Frantisek Janda-Suk was the first modern athlete to throw a full-body rotation discus. With this technique, he won a silver medal at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.
Discus Throw
1. The flywheel is thrown from the circular area.
2. Whose diameter is 2.5 m.
3. The thickness of its lines is 5 cm and the lines are 75 cm long on both sides of the circle.
4. The degree of throw of the disc through the center of the sphere is 34.92 degrees.
5. In which the throwing sector is marked at an angle of 34.92 degrees from 2 lines ahead to 20.
6. If there are 12 or less than 12 contestants from this event, 6-6 trials are available.
7. Then the top 12 players get 3 - 3 more trials depending on the best teen trial result.
8. Rim is used inside a circular sphere.
9. Whose thickness is 6 mm.
Following is the specific description of Discus Throw
If we talk about the weight of the flywheel, then its male's flywheel is 2 kg and female's flywheel is 1 kg if we talk about the diameter, then the male's 219 mm to 221 mm and if we talk about the female's growth then 180 mm to 182 mm.
If we talk about the diameter of the metal plate in the middle, then the diameter of the metal plate in the middle of the male is 50 mm to 57 mm and that of the female is 50 mm to 57 mm and the thickness of the middle end i.e. near the metal rim is 12 mm is for male and 12 mm for female.
Discus can be made of wood, plastic, fiberglass, or metal with a rounded edge and metal rim. Its diameter should be 22 cm for males and 18 cm for females. The inner surface of the discus can be solid or hollow, while the cross-section of the edge must have a radius of 6 mm.
It should also be kept in mind that the edges of the discus should be even and there should not be any asymmetry in the design and the edges should not be sharp. The finishing of the disc should be in order to help athletes hold it properly.
World Record in the Discus Throw
1988 Olympic gold medalist Jurgen Schult set the men's world record in 1986 with a throw of 74.08m. Gabrielle Reinsch, representing East Germany at the 1988 Olympics, set the women's world record with a throw of 76.80 meters.
At the same time, Virgilijus Alekna set the Olympic men's record in Athens in 2004 with a throw of 69.89 meters. Germany's Martina Hellmann set the women's record in Seoul in 1988 with an effort of 72.30m.
Best Discus Thrower in India
Four-time Olympian Vikas Gowda is India's most successful discus thrower. He qualified for the Olympics in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. He has won two medals in Asian Games, as many in Commonwealth Games and five medals in Asian Championships.
Veteran Indian discus thrower and 2014 Asian Games gold medalist Seema Punia is one of the most accomplished female athletes in the event. However, the three-time Commonwealth Games silver medalist failed to secure a quota for Tokyo 2020.
On the other hand, Tokyo quota holder Kamalpreet Kaur is in progress. She became the first Indian woman to break the 65m barrier in the Discus throw at the 24th Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships and also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with the same effort.
