Men · World record

Javelin Throw

The current record and its documented progression: 47 ratified records from 1912 to 1996.

Current record

98.48

Jan ŽeleznýCZEJena · 25 May 1996

30 years standing2.82 m improvementAll-time top 25 →

Record progression

Each step is a documented record

1912 · 62.32 Eric Lemming1919 · 66.10 Jonni Myyrä1924 · 66.62 Gunnar Lindström1927 · 69.88 Eino Penttilä1928 · 71.01 Erik Lundqvist1930 · 71.57 Matti Järvinen1930 · 71.70 Matti Järvinen1930 · 71.88 Matti Järvinen1930 · 72.93 Matti Järvinen1932 · 74.02 Matti Järvinen1933 · 74.28 Matti Järvinen1933 · 74.61 Matti Järvinen1933 · 76.10 Matti Järvinen1934 · 76.66 Matti Järvinen1936 · 77.23 Matti Järvinen1938 · 77.87 Yrjö Nikkanen1938 · 78.70 Yrjö Nikkanen1953 · 80.41 Bud Held1955 · 81.75 Bud Held1956 · 83.56 Soini Nikkinen1956 · 83.66 Janusz Sidło1956 · 85.71 Egil Danielsen1959 · 86.04 Albert Cantello1961 · 86.74 Carlo Lievore1964 · 87.12 Terje Pedersen1964 · 91.72 Terje Pedersen1968 · 91.98 Jānis Lūsis1969 · 92.70 Jorma Kinnunen1972 · 93.80 Jānis Lūsis1973 · 94.08 Klaus Wolfermann1976 · 94.58 Miklós Németh1980 · 96.72 Ferenc Paragi1983 · 99.72 Tom Petranoff1984 · 104.80 Uwe Hohn1986 · 85.74 Klaus Tafelmeier1987 · 87.66 Jan Železný1990 · 89.10 Patrik Bodén1990 · 89.58 Steve Backley1990 · 89.66 Jan Železný1990 · 90.98 Steve Backley1991 · 91.98 Seppo Räty1991 · 96.96 Seppo Räty1990 · 89.58 Steve Backley1992 · 91.46 Steve Backley1993 · 95.54 Jan Železný1993 · 95.66 Jan Železný1996 · 98.48 Jan Železný 104.8062.32

19121933 · Järvinen 74.611961 · Lievore 86.741987 · Železný 87.661996 · Železný 98.48

Documented records

47 ratified · most recent first · Wikipedia (EN) revision 1372027228, imported 2 Sep 2026

MarkAthleteNationVenueDateStood
98.48 Jan Železný CZE Jena, Germany 25 May 1996 30 yrs
95.66 Jan Železný CZE Sheffield, United Kingdom 29 Aug 1993 2 yrs
95.54 Jan Železný CZE Pietersburg, South Africa 6 Apr 1993 145 d
91.46 Steve Backley GBR North Shore City, New Zealand 25 Jan 1992 1 yr
96.96 Seppo Räty FIN Punkalaidun, Finland 2 Jun 1991 237 d
91.98 Seppo Räty FIN Shizuoka, Japan 6 May 1991 27 d
90.98 Steve Backley GBR London, England 20 Jul 1990 290 d
89.66 Jan Železný TCH Oslo, Norway 14 Jul 1990 6 d
89.58 Steve Backley GBR Stockholm, Sweden 2 Jul 1990 12 d
89.58 Steve Backley GBR Stockholm, Sweden 2 Jul 1990 0 d
89.10 Patrik Bodén SWE Austin, United States 24 Mar 1990 100 d
87.66 Jan Železný TCH Nitra, Czechoslovakia 31 May 1987 2 yrs
85.74 Klaus Tafelmeier FRG Como, Italy 21 Sep 1986 252 d
104.80 Uwe Hohn GDR East Berlin, East Germany 20 Jul 1984 2 yrs
99.72 Tom Petranoff USA Los Angeles, United States 15 May 1983 1 yr
96.72 Ferenc Paragi HUN Tata, Hungary 23 Apr 1980 3 yrs
94.58 Miklós Németh HUN Montreal, Canada 25 Jul 1976 3 yrs
94.08 Klaus Wolfermann FRG Leverkusen, West Germany 5 May 1973 3 yrs
93.80 Jānis Lūsis URS Stockholm, Sweden 6 Jul 1972 303 d
92.70 Jorma Kinnunen FIN Tampere, Finland 18 Jun 1969 3 yrs

Showing 20 of 47 · Show all · Rows link to a profile only where the athlete appears on a published list. Struck marks were rescinded or never ratified, and A marks a performance at altitude; both come from the source article's own key and markers, and eras are kept as it lists them. Nothing is inferred.