In Good Company in 2010

If someone ask you which events the USA dominates in track and field what would be your response?  Most say sprints, hurdles and maybe relays.  I’m not sure why the depth of our field events goes unnoticed.  So I would like to take this opportunity to brag about our USA throwers, men and women, with a fun statistic which ranks the best countries for throwing published by all-athletics.  I am very proud to be part of this group of Elite Throwers!  USA Men #1 and USA Women #2!!!!

USA and Germany defended their first positions in the men’s and women’s Countries Throwing Rankings respectively.

Like last year, Germany is in second in the men’s ranking and Poland kept its third rank. Belarus improved from sixth to fourth and they are in number one position in men’s Hammer Throw.

USA is the unrivalled leader in Shot Put with a huge margin. The ranking of the men’s Discus Throw could not be any closer; one point between the first (Germany) and second (USA) and Estonia in third is just one point behind Germany.

Finland proved again that Javelin Throw is traditionally a Finnish event.

Germany represents a different class in women’s throwing. They are number one in three of the four events.

Cuba kept its leading position in Discus Throw, but they dropped from second to fifth in overall since last year. USA took the second position and China moved up to third.

All-Athletics.com Countries Rankings Throwing Events (combined) - Top 8:(Shot+Discus+Hammer+Javelin)

Men:
1.	Unites States	14406
2.	Germany	14337
3.	Poland	13926
4.	Belarus	13455
5.	Russia	13447
6.	Finland	13438
7.	Ukraine	13389
8.	Czech Republic	13268
Women:
1.	Germany	14272
2.	United States	13962
3.	China	13645
4.	Russia	13530
5.	Cuba	13367
6.	Poland	12514
7.	Great Britain	12303
8.	France	12170

 All-Athletics.com Countries Rankings by events - Top 3:(The full event rankings are available on All-Athletics.com with an All-Access Pass)

Shot Put:		Discus Throw:		Hammer Throw:		Javelin Throw:
Men:		Men:		Men:		Men:
1. United States	4045	1. Germany	3684	1. Belarus	3563	1. Finland	3720
2. Germany	3659	2. United States	3683	2. Germany	3523	2. Czech Rep.	3575
3. Belarus	3609	3. Estonia	3682	3. Poland	3438	3. Germany	3471
Women:		Women:		Women:		Women:
1. Belarus	3890	1. United States	3585	1. Germany	3539	1. Germany	3765
2. China	3571	2. China	3529	2. Russia	3450	2. Czech Rep.	3405
3. Germany	3569	3. Cuba	3512	3. United States	3449	3. South Africa	3389

or visit this link on all-athletics.com 

Shot Put Introduction

Shot Put Introduction

Homer makes mention of competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during the siege of Troy. In the XVI century King Henry VIII was noted for his prowess in court competitions of weight and hammer throwing and in the XVII century English soldiers organized cannonball throwing competitions.
The rules of the competition were first established in 1860, when the throw had to be made from a square with sides of seven feet (2.13m). This was replaced in 1906 by a seven foot diameter circle. The weight of the shot was fixed at 16 pounds (7.257 kg). Bent arm throws were outlawed for being too dangerous and competitors had to hold the shot in the crook of the neck prior to release.

The sidestep action in the circle was invented in the United States in 1876.In 1951 Parry O’Brien (USA) refined a new technique. From a start position facing the back of the circle, O’Brien rotated 180 degrees to move across the circle before making the final release. This helped him become the first to break the 18m (and subsequently the 19m) barrier.

In 1976 Aleksandr Baryshnikov pioneered the rotational technique, similar to that used by discus throwers, which has become increasingly popular.

A women’s shot put competition with a 4 kg implement was first held in France in 1917. The inaugural IAAF world record dates back to 1934 with the event making its Olympic debut in 1948. Until 1927 women’s contests were also held with shots weighing 8 pounds and 5 kilograms.

Women Landmarks

Landmarks
First official world record: 14.38 Gisela Mauermayer GER 1934
First over 16m: 16.00 Galina Zybina URS 1953
First over 18m: 18.55 Tamara Press URS 1962
First over 20m: 20.09 Nadezhda Chizhova URS 1969
First over 22m: 22.32 Helena Fibingerová TCH 1977
First over 22.50m: 22.53 Natalya Lisovskaya URS 1984

Click here for current World record

Click here for ALL-TIME lists

Most durable world record: 22.63 Natalya Lisovskaya 1987 (13 years)
Most competitions over 22m: Ilona Slupianek 14

Superlatives

Most Olympic titles: 2 Tamara Press URS 1960/1964
Most World titles:
3 Astrid Kumbernuss GER 1995/1997/1999
Youngest Olympic/World champion: Galina Zybina 1952 (21) Oldest: Ivanka Khristova BUL 1976 (34)

Three all time greats
Nadezhda Chizhova (URS): The successor to Tamara Press as world record holder crashed through both the 20m (1969) and 21m barriers, the latter when winning the 1972 Olympic gold medal.
Natalya Lisovskaya (URS): Her world record of 22.63m, dating back to 1987, has not been seriously threatened; no one has been within a metre of it since 1990. Other honours included world & Olympic titles.
Astrid Kumbernuss (GER): A superb competitor, she won the Olympic crown in 1996 as well as three consecutive world titles, the first of them in 1995 by a record 1.18m margin.

Men Landmarks

Landmarks
First official world record: 15.54 Ralph Rose USA 1909
First over 17m: 17.40 Jack Torrance USA 1934
First over 60ft: 18.42 Parry O’Brien USA 1954
First over 20m: 20.06 Bill Nieder USA 1960
First over 70ft: 21.52 Randy Matson USA 1965
First over 22m: 22.00 Aleksandr Baryshnikov URS 1976
First over 23m: 23.06 Ulf Timmermann GDR 1988

Click here for current World record

Click here for ALL-TIME lists

Most durable world record:
15.54 Ralph Rose 1909 (18 years)
Most competitions over 22m: Ulf Timmermann 21

Superlatives
Most Olympic titles:
2 Ralph Rose 1904/1908
2 Parry O’Brien 1952/1956
Most World titles: 3 Werner Günthör SUI 1987/1991/1993 and 3 John Godina USA 1995/1997/2001
Youngest Olympic/World champion: Ralph Rose 1904 (19) Oldest: Wladyslaw Komar POL 1972 (32)
Some all time greats
Parry O’Brien (USA): Winner of 116 consecutive contests between 1952 and 1956, this 10.8 100m man lifted two Olympic titles and was the first over 18m and 19m.
Randy Matson (USA): When becoming the first 70ft thrower with 21.52m he was nearly a metre ahead of the next best ever; he was Olympic champion in 1968.
Werner Günthör (SUI): A former 2m high jumper, he was world champion in 1987,1991 and 1993, and put the shot over 22m for five successive years.
John Godina (USA): Three time world champion, Olympic silver in 1996 and bronze 2000. World indoor champion in 2001, silver in 1999 and bronze 1997.

Is it for me?

Shot putters must be big, have strong arms and legs and natural speed. They must summon the dynamic power to propel a heavy, metal ball (7.26 kg for men, 4 kg for women) as far as possible. Performance improvement will depend on improving this strength by various means, particularly weight lifting.