Track-and-field sport of throwing a wooden or metal spear for distance. It is hurled after a short run and must land point-first. The men's javelin is 8.5 ft (260 cm) long, the women's 7.2 ft (220 cm). Included in the ancient Greek Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon, the javelin throw has been part of the modern Olympic program since its inception in 1896. A women's event was added in 1932. Seealso decathlon; heptathlon.

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