Dainis Kula
Encyclopedia
Dainis Kūla is a Latvia
n former javelin throw
er who represented the Soviet Union
at the international level for most of his career. He is most famous for controversially winning the gold medal in men's javelin throw at the 1980 Summer Olympics
, becoming the second Latvian to achieve this (after Jānis Lūsis
). He is also a World Championship bronze medalist, a three-time Soviet Champion and a two-time Universiade
champion.
, Kūla threw 90.30 meters and in the run-up to the Olympics, he threw even farther: 92.06 meters, a mark he would never exceed in an official competition. The favorite though was Hungary
's formidable Ferenc Paragi
, who had thrown a new world record of 96.72 in April.
At the Olympics in Moscow, Kūla cleared the qualification stage easily but fouled on both of his first two throws in the final. As only the top eight of twelve finalists would be allowed the full six attempts, this meant everything hung on his third throw. Although the third throw flew far, it apparently landed flat and failed to pierce the field, which meant it too should have been ruled illegal. However, in front of the home crowd, the officials raised a white flag indicating that the throw was good; it was measured at 88.88, easily enough to advance him to the last three rounds (indeed taking the lead at that point). On his fourth throw, Kūla threw 91.20 meters, the only mark in the competition to exceed 90 m, giving him the Olympic gold. The silver went to Aleksandr Makarov
with a last-round mark of 89.64, giving the Soviet Union both of the top spots, while Wolfgang Hanisch
of East Germany took the bronze medal. The pre-competition favorite Paragi had led the qualification with 88.76, but only managed 79.52 during the first three rounds in the final and had to be content with 10th place, missing the last rounds.
With the old javelin design still in use at the time, throws frequently landed flat or ambiguously, resulting in questionable official judgements. Kūla's case has gained particular notoriety as it landed him with an Olympic gold, and also because it could easily be seen as Soviet officials favoring their own athlete. (There were other claims of this occurring in the javelin final, including an allegation that the stadium gates were opened to let helping wind in whenever Soviets were throwing, and that Kūla's important third throw had not only been misjudged but mismeasured as well.) However, none of these controversies resulted in any official protest.
of 1983. His best throw in the rainy final was 85.58 meters, only two centimeters short of American Tom Petranoff
's silver throw. This was the smallest margin possible at the time not relying on second-best throws as a tie-breaker, as javelin throws have only been officially measured with one centimeter accuracy since 1998. Petranoff, who had thrown a new world record of 99.72 earlier that year, and the eventual winner Detlef Michel
of East Germany had been the pre-meet favorites.
Kūla was less successful after this, but continued to compete internationally up until the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
in Stuttgart
, by then representing his native Latvia. He failed to achieve any noticeable success there, as none of his throws crossed the 75 meter line.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n former javelin throw
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...
er who represented the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
at the international level for most of his career. He is most famous for controversially winning the gold medal in men's javelin throw at the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, becoming the second Latvian to achieve this (after Jānis Lūsis
Janis Lusis
Jānis Lūsis is a Latvian athlete who competed in javelin throw.Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society...
). He is also a World Championship bronze medalist, a three-time Soviet Champion and a two-time Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
champion.
1980 Summer Olympics
Early in the training season for the 1980 Summer Olympics1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, Kūla threw 90.30 meters and in the run-up to the Olympics, he threw even farther: 92.06 meters, a mark he would never exceed in an official competition. The favorite though was Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
's formidable Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi is a Hungarian athlete who, on April 23, 1980, established a world record of 96.72 in the javelin throw, eclipsing the global standard set by fellow countryman Miklós Németh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.This effort added more than two meters to the previous world record,...
, who had thrown a new world record of 96.72 in April.
At the Olympics in Moscow, Kūla cleared the qualification stage easily but fouled on both of his first two throws in the final. As only the top eight of twelve finalists would be allowed the full six attempts, this meant everything hung on his third throw. Although the third throw flew far, it apparently landed flat and failed to pierce the field, which meant it too should have been ruled illegal. However, in front of the home crowd, the officials raised a white flag indicating that the throw was good; it was measured at 88.88, easily enough to advance him to the last three rounds (indeed taking the lead at that point). On his fourth throw, Kūla threw 91.20 meters, the only mark in the competition to exceed 90 m, giving him the Olympic gold. The silver went to Aleksandr Makarov
Aleksandr Makarov (athlete)
Aleksandr Makarov was a Soviet athlete who mainly competed in the javelin throw.He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union, where he won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw, with a distance of 89.64 metres.-References:*...
with a last-round mark of 89.64, giving the Soviet Union both of the top spots, while Wolfgang Hanisch
Wolfgang Hanisch
Wolfgang Hanisch was an East German athlete who mainly competed in the javelin throw....
of East Germany took the bronze medal. The pre-competition favorite Paragi had led the qualification with 88.76, but only managed 79.52 during the first three rounds in the final and had to be content with 10th place, missing the last rounds.
With the old javelin design still in use at the time, throws frequently landed flat or ambiguously, resulting in questionable official judgements. Kūla's case has gained particular notoriety as it landed him with an Olympic gold, and also because it could easily be seen as Soviet officials favoring their own athlete. (There were other claims of this occurring in the javelin final, including an allegation that the stadium gates were opened to let helping wind in whenever Soviets were throwing, and that Kūla's important third throw had not only been misjudged but mismeasured as well.) However, none of these controversies resulted in any official protest.
Further career
Kūla won his second major championship medal, a bronze, at the Helsinki World Championships in Athletics1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
of 1983. His best throw in the rainy final was 85.58 meters, only two centimeters short of American Tom Petranoff
Tom Petranoff
Thomas Alan Petranoff is a former world record holder in the javelin throw; his May 1983 effort was greater than the length of an entire American football field at 99.72 meters . Tom Petranoff's world record added precisely three meters to the previous global standard of 96.72, set in 1980 by...
's silver throw. This was the smallest margin possible at the time not relying on second-best throws as a tie-breaker, as javelin throws have only been officially measured with one centimeter accuracy since 1998. Petranoff, who had thrown a new world record of 99.72 earlier that year, and the eventual winner Detlef Michel
Detlef Michel
Detlef Michel, born in Berlin, is a German track and field athlete. He represented East Germany during the 1980s and was one of the world's best in the javelin throw...
of East Germany had been the pre-meet favorites.
Kūla was less successful after this, but continued to compete internationally up until the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, by then representing his native Latvia. He failed to achieve any noticeable success there, as none of his throws crossed the 75 meter line.