Uwe Hohn
Encyclopedia
Uwe Hohn is a German athlete and coach. Hohn was the only athlete to throw a javelin
more than 100 meters.
On 20 July 1984, competing in the Olympic Day of Athletics competition at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark
, Berlin
, Uwe Hohn threw the javelin a distance of 104.8 metre. Hohn's incredible throw had shattered the previous world standard of 99.72 meters set by Tom Petranoff of the United States
in May 1983. Contrary to a popular myth however, this was not the primary reason for the change in javelin design rules that came into force starting in 1986; the relevant changes had already been officially proposed prior to Hohn's record throw, not only to shorten distances but even more to get rid of the then frequent flat or ambiguous landings, which often made it hard to assess if a throw should be declared legal – most famously in the high-profile case at the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow
where the eventual winner Dainis Kūla
only progressed to the last three rounds with an apparently flat throw. Ambiguous landings were also much more difficult to measure accurately, compared to clearly legal ones where the javelin would stick in the ground at the landing spot.
The record statistics therefore had to be restarted, and the mark of Uwe Hohn became an "eternal world record". The current world record under the new rules is Jan Železný's 98.48 metres (323 ft 1 in), set in 1996.
The GDR
boycotted the 1984 Olympic Games
, and Hohn was included in that boycott and could not win an international medal in the year that he achieved his world record. Two years later, his career ended after several setbacks due to surgery. He then became an assistant coach, and since 1999 he has worked as a coach at SC Potsdam, the successor of ASK Vorwärts Potsdam, where he started his career as a sportsman.
Hohn has been married since 1983 and has two children. He is 1.98 metre tall and had a match weight of 112 kg.
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...
more than 100 meters.
On 20 July 1984, competing in the Olympic Day of Athletics competition at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark
The Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark is a sports site in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. In the south it borders on the Eberswalder Straße, in the north on the Max Schmeling Halle, in the west on the Mauerpark, where part of the Berlin Wall once stood. It includes a football and athletics...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Uwe Hohn threw the javelin a distance of 104.8 metre. Hohn's incredible throw had shattered the previous world standard of 99.72 meters set by Tom Petranoff of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in May 1983. Contrary to a popular myth however, this was not the primary reason for the change in javelin design rules that came into force starting in 1986; the relevant changes had already been officially proposed prior to Hohn's record throw, not only to shorten distances but even more to get rid of the then frequent flat or ambiguous landings, which often made it hard to assess if a throw should be declared legal – most famously in the high-profile case 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...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where the eventual winner Dainis Kūla
Dainis Kula
Dainis Kūla is a Latvian former javelin thrower 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...
only progressed to the last three rounds with an apparently flat throw. Ambiguous landings were also much more difficult to measure accurately, compared to clearly legal ones where the javelin would stick in the ground at the landing spot.
The record statistics therefore had to be restarted, and the mark of Uwe Hohn became an "eternal world record". The current world record under the new rules is Jan Železný's 98.48 metres (323 ft 1 in), set in 1996.
The GDR
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
boycotted the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, and Hohn was included in that boycott and could not win an international medal in the year that he achieved his world record. Two years later, his career ended after several setbacks due to surgery. He then became an assistant coach, and since 1999 he has worked as a coach at SC Potsdam, the successor of ASK Vorwärts Potsdam, where he started his career as a sportsman.
Hohn has been married since 1983 and has two children. He is 1.98 metre tall and had a match weight of 112 kg.
Achievements
- 1976 to 1980: GDR champion for his age group
- 1981: Junior European champion for the GDR starting in UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
with 86.58 m; Junior European record with 86.58 m - 1982: European Champion1982 European Championships in AthleticsThe 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
with 91.34 m - 1984: GDR sportsman of the year. Threw the longest men's javelin throw ever at 104.80 m.
- 1985: Won the javelin event at the 1985 IAAF World Cup in AthleticsIAAF World Cup in AthleticsThe IAAF Continental Cup is an international athletics competition which comprises track and field events. It is the only world cup contested by teams representing entire continents, rather than just those of individual nations...
- CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
with 96.96 m (best performance in the world of the year)