German track and field star Uwe Hohn once threw an incredible 104.80m in javelin throw, a record that stunned the whole world. (Getty images)
Know the athlete whose record in javelin throw remains ‘eternal’ even after Arshad Nadeem’s 92.97 meter feat
Arshad Nadeem who won the Olympic gold in javelin throw this year has set a new record with his 92.97 meter feat. However, there is another athlete who had created history for registering the longest throw in the game. Unfortunately, his throw was declared invalid later.
German track and field star Uwe Hohn once threw an incredible 104.80m in javelin throw, a record that stunned the whole world. But unfortunately, his record was later invalidated. Uwe Hohn achieved this feat on Olympic Day in an athletics championship in Berlin in 1984. Hohn is the only athlete to throw the javelin over 100 meters. His throw is considered an ‘Eternal World Record’.
In 1986, a new design of the spear was introduced, due to which the record book needed to be reset. Then Hohn’s record was declared indestructible and eternal.
Arshad Nadeem’s throw of 92.97m is a modern-era record, which has come at a time when technology and methods of training have improved. His success is a proud moment for Pakistan and it shows that Asian athletes are also capable of competing at the world stage. Arshad Nadeem’s record shows that new records are being set consistently in Javelin throw.
Uwe Hohn’s throw of 104.80m would have still been unbeaten, if his feat had not been invalidated. The 62-year-old Hohn may not have won a single Olympic medal for Germany in his career, but he had mastered the sport. Hohn played for East Germany and won the gold medal in the 1982 European Championships and then the 1985 Athletics World Cup javelin throw event.
It was Uwe Hohn, under whose coaching Neeraj Chopra’s performance continued to improve. After the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Neeraj came under coach Hohn’s mentorship and started learning the nuances of javelin throw. Hohn not only improved Neeraj in his game, but also worked a lot on his technique and fitness.
This was evident when Neeraj delivered his career’s best throw of 88.07 meters at the Indian Grand Prix held in Patiala in March 2021, just before the Tokyo Olympics. Following his performance, talks of winning a medal in Olympics for javelin throw gained momentum which finally materialized when Neeraj came back with a gold in the Tokyo Olympics. However, he could not cross his record of 88.07 meters.
Hohn, who taught Neeraj the tricks of the game, left the club in June 2021, just before the Olympics, after an alleged rift with the Athletics Association of India and the Sports Authority of India.