Discus In the discus event the athlete throws a round lens shaped metal disc. The disc weighs 4 pounds 7 ounces and is 8.66 inches in diameter. When throwing the discus the athlete is in a round throwing area. Their feet can't leave this area before the discus lands or they will fault and the throw won't count. The athlete will spin around to gain momentum and speed and then release the discus in the proper direction. The one that throws it furthest from the front part of the circle (and within the legal area) wins. Javelin The javelin is something like a spear. This event isn't for kids and should be supervised at all levels to be sure no one is hurt. The official javelin size is 2.2 to 2.3 meters long and weighs 600 grams. The javelin must be thrown a specific way for it to be a legal throw. This is different from the other throwing events where, although there are proven good techniques to get a long throw, you don't have to throw them in a particular way. With the javelin an athlete has to:
Shot Put In the shot put throwing event athletes throw a 16kg (pretty heavy!) metal ball. This sport actually started with a cannonball throwing competition in the English army. In the shot put the athlete must stay in a circle until the shot put has landed. This is similar to the discus throw. In the shot put the athlete holds the shot put close to his/her neck in one hand. Then they spin around gaining momentum and finally they throw the shot put in a shoving manner in the direction of the legal landing area. Hammer Throw The hammer throw doesn't actually involve throwing a hammer like you would think. In this track and field throwing event the athletes throw a heavy ball (16 pounds) that is attached to a handle with a long (4 feet) chain. Like the discus and the shot put, the athlete must stay in a circle until the hammer lands. They spin several times to gain momentum prior to releasing and throwing the hammer. Balance is important due to the force generated by having the heavy ball at the end of the long chain.
Running Events Jackie Joyner-Kersee Biography for Kids |
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