Javelin Throw, Men

The favorite was Hungary’s Ferenc Paragi but he did not perform well, finishing 10th. East German Detlef Michel was also highly considered but did not even make the final. There were few other big names left in the final. The best Soviet thrower was the Latvian Dainis Kūla but in the final he opened with two fouls. On his third throw he got off a big toss, but it quite obviously landed flat and was a foul. However, the official waved the white flag, indicating a fair throw, and they measured it – at 88.88 (291-7¼) he was now in the lead. Writing in Track & Field News Jim Dunaway noted, )’Incompetent officiating’ is the kind of explanation one can make. ‘Cheating’ is the word many people used. Judge for yourself.) In the next round Kūla hit 91.20 (299-2½) which would win him the gold medal. His teammate, Aleksandr Makarov improved in the final round to 89.64 (294-1¼), which earned him silver. Dunaway concluded, )The competition should be voided by the IAAF and either held again at some future date, or removed from the Olympic records.)