​From Jan Zeleny to Neeraj Chopra: The GOAT javelin athletes

Aug 9, 2024

By: Kapil Yadav

Credit: iStock

​Jan Železný (Czech Republic)

Hailing from the Czech Republic, Jan Železný is a former track and field athlete. With his longest throw of 98.48 m in the 1996 Olympics, Jan still holds the record of being the javelin world champion.

Credit: x @Neeraj_chopra1

​Johannes Vetter (Germany)

Ranking second on the list is Germany’s Johannes Vetter who holds the German record for javelin throw of 97.76 m. Currently, he is not active due to a shoulder injury.

Credit: x @jojo_javelin

​Thomas Rohler (Germany)

Thomas Rohler ranks third on the list due to his personal best record of 93.90 m which he did in 2017. Rohler has also been the 2016 Olympic champion, and along with that, he was also the 2018 European champion for javelin throw.

Credit: x @WorldAthletics

​Aki Parviainen (Finland)

Aki Parviainen is a retired Finnish track and field athlete who threw his personal best at 93.09m in 1999. This throw made him rank fourth on the list.

Credit: worldathletics

​Andersen Peters (Grenada)

Andersen Peters is a Grenadian javelin athlete, who made a significant mark in the world of athletics with his notable throw of 93.07 meters. Andersen recently won bronze in the javelin throw at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Credit: x @PanamSports

​Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan)

By throwing for a record distance of 92.97 m Nadeem made history for Pakistan by winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. This is a historical moment for Pakistan as the last medal they won in this category was 32 years ago.

Credit: x @PresOfPakistan

​Neeraj Chopra (India)

India’s star track and field athlete, Neeraj Chopra made headlines for his javelin throw of 89.94 m at the Stockholm Diamond League. Neeraj, again made history by winning a silver medal for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics making him India’s first athlete to achieve this feat.

Credit: x @Neeraj_chopra1

​Julius Yego (Kenya)

Julius Yego, a Kenyan javelin thrower, set a remarkable record with a throw of 92.72 meters in 2015. Yego is also known as "Mr. YouTube” because he learned the sport without professional coaching by watching YouTube videos.

Credit: x @inside_afric

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