Ferenc Paragi
Encyclopedia
Ferenc Paragi is a Hungarian
athlete who, on April 23, 1980, established a world record of 96.72 in the javelin throw
, eclipsing the global standard set by fellow countryman Miklós Németh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
.
This effort added more than two meters to the previous world record, fueling discussion and speculation regarding the likelihood of alterations to the javelin's design and flight characteristics. Proposed changes would finally take effect in 1986, following another two sizable improvements to the javelin world record; the first coming in 1983, when Tom Petranoff
, then of the United States
, added precisely three meters to Paragi's mark, and the other in 1984, when East German Uwe Hohn
launched the 800 gram implement to 104.80 meters.
Hohn's mark only came after the new design had already been officially proposed, and contrary to a popular myth had nothing to do with the change. Indeed, the primary reason for the change was 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.
Paragi also competed at the Moscow Olympics. Even though his form had dipped a bit after another monster mark of 96.20 on May 18, there could be no question he was among the leading favorites. However, the Olympics were for him a major disappointment. He had problems already in the qualification, languishing more than five meters from a spot in the finals after two rounds with a sub-standard mark of 72.60, but saved himself by throwing 88.76 with his third and final attempt – the best mark in the whole qualifying competition by almost three meters. Next day in the final however, he could do no better than 79.52 and had to be content with a tenth place finish. His qualification performance would have been enough for a bronze.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
athlete who, on April 23, 1980, established a world record of 96.72 in the javelin throw
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...
, eclipsing the global standard set by fellow countryman Miklós Németh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
This effort added more than two meters to the previous world record, fueling discussion and speculation regarding the likelihood of alterations to the javelin's design and flight characteristics. Proposed changes would finally take effect in 1986, following another two sizable improvements to the javelin world record; the first coming in 1983, when Tom Petranoff
Tom Petranoff
Thomas Alan Petranoff is a former world record holder in the javelin throw; his May 1983 effort was greater than the length of an entire American football field at 99.72 meters . Tom Petranoff's world record added precisely three meters to the previous global standard of 96.72, set in 1980 by...
, then of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, added precisely three meters to Paragi's mark, and the other in 1984, when East German Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn is a German athlete and coach. Hohn was the only athlete to throw a javelin more than 100 meters....
launched the 800 gram implement to 104.80 meters.
Hohn's mark only came after the new design had already been officially proposed, and contrary to a popular myth had nothing to do with the change. Indeed, the primary reason for the change was 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.
Paragi also competed at the Moscow Olympics. Even though his form had dipped a bit after another monster mark of 96.20 on May 18, there could be no question he was among the leading favorites. However, the Olympics were for him a major disappointment. He had problems already in the qualification, languishing more than five meters from a spot in the finals after two rounds with a sub-standard mark of 72.60, but saved himself by throwing 88.76 with his third and final attempt – the best mark in the whole qualifying competition by almost three meters. Next day in the final however, he could do no better than 79.52 and had to be content with a tenth place finish. His qualification performance would have been enough for a bronze.