The men's javelin throw was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics

At the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London, England, 26 athletics events were contested, all for men only.Each nation was allowed to enter up to 12 competitors in most of the events. In the team races , each nation entered one team. The medley relay was run by four athletes, with four alternates...

 programme in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The javelin

Javelin throw

The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...

 was required to be held in the middle. The competition was held on July 17, 1908.

42 throwers from eleven nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to this competition. Two days earlier in the freestyle javelin throw event

Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle javelin

The men's freestyle javelin throw was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The javelin could be held anywhere. The competition was held on July 15, 1908.33 throwers from nine nations competed....

 Eric Lemming

Eric Lemming

Eric Valdemar Lemming was a Swedish athlete who competed in a wide variety of events.Lemming won a total of 7 Olympic medals over three Olympics including 4 golds....

 improved his own world and Olympic record set at the 1906 Summer Olympics

1906 Summer Olympics

The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games in Athens" by the International Olympic Committee...

 with 53.90 m (he threw the javelin in a conventional manner).

World Record	54.44(*)	Eric Lemming Eric Lemming Eric Valdemar Lemming was a Swedish athlete who competed in a wide variety of events.Lemming won a total of 7 Olympic medals over three Olympics including 4 golds....	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... )	July 15, 1908
Olympic Record	54.44	Eric Lemming Eric Lemming Eric Valdemar Lemming was a Swedish athlete who competed in a wide variety of events.Lemming won a total of 7 Olympic medals over three Olympics including 4 golds....	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... )	July 15, 1908

(*) unofficial

Eric Lemming

Eric Lemming

Eric Valdemar Lemming was a Swedish athlete who competed in a wide variety of events.Lemming won a total of 7 Olympic medals over three Olympics including 4 golds....

 set a new world and Olympic record with 54.83 m.

Results

Place	Name	Nation	Distance
1	Eric Lemming Eric Lemming Eric Valdemar Lemming was a Swedish athlete who competed in a wide variety of events.Lemming won a total of 7 Olympic medals over three Olympics including 4 golds....		54.83 metres WR
2	Arne Halse Arne Halse Arne Halse was a Norwegian athlete who specialized in the different forms of javelin throw. He represented Trondhjems IF and later SK Brage, both in Trondheim....		50.57 metres
3	Otto Nilsson Otto Nilsson Sven Otto Nilsson was a Swedish athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.In 1908 he won the bronze medal in the javelin throw event...		47.11 metres
4	Aarne Salovaara Aarne Salovaara Aarne Salovaara was a Finnish gymnast and track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics....		45.89 metres
5	Armas Pesonen Armas Pesonen Armas Pesonen was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		45.18 metres
6	Juho Halme Juho Halme Juho Halme was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Helsinki and died in Helsinki....		44.96 metres
7	Jalmari Sauli Jalmari Sauli Jalmari Sauli was a Finnish writer and track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Hämeenlinna and died in Tampere....		Unknown
8-16	Carl Bechler Carl Bechler Carl Bechler was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Bechler finished second in his first round heat with a time of 11.4 seconds, just behind winner Patrick Roche...		Unknown
	Evert Jakobsson Evert Jakobsson Evert Brynolf Jakobsson was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		Unknown
	Jarl Jakobsson Jarl Jakobsson Jarl Gustav Anian Jakobsson was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		Unknown
	John Johansen		Unknown
	Henry Leeke		Unknown
	Ernest May Ernest May (athlete) Ernest Edmund Bedford May was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Bartlow and died in Chathill....		Unknown
	Jimmy Tremeer		Unknown
	Hugo Wieslander Hugo Wieslander Karl Hugo Wieslander was a Swedish athlete, who competed in combined events. He set the inaugural world record in the pentathlon in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1911 with a score of 5516 points. He was born in Ljuder....		Unknown
	Charalambos Zouras Charalambos Zouras Kharalambos Zouras was a Greek athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Vourvoura, Arcadia.In 1908 he finished fourth in the freestyle javelin competition. He also participated in the javelin throw event but he result is unknown....		Unknown

Sources

• Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908).
• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1908". Accessed 7 April 2006. Available electronically at .