The Only World Record That CANNOT BE BROKEN

It's July 20th of 1984. On a warm summer day in Berlin, Germany, one athlete would set a world record that was so unbelievable that the actual rules in this event would forever change. In the men's javelin, Uwe Hohn from Germany set an unprecedented world record, throwing the javelin 104.80 meters, breaking the previous world record by just over 5 meters, which translates to just over 16 feet. This was one of those moments that shook the entire foundation of track and field, because compared to the previous world record, this throw represented a massive improvement of 4.9%, which to this day, places this moment as the second greatest world record improvement in any event in history, only falling behind the great Bob Beeman's long jump from the 1968 Olympic Games. To say that this throw was unparalleled would still be an understatement. With a powerful run-up, a perfect angle of release, and one of the fastest follow-throughs that you'll ever see in any throwing discipline, Hohn's form in this moment was unmatched. And even in the eyes of the announcers at the time, they already understood that this world record just might stand forever. Here's a record that may never be broken. This really was a moment of pure athletics perfection, and if we fast forward some 38 years later, this world record still stands. However, this incredible record stands for a rather unique reason, which is much different from any other world record throughout track and field history. Soon after Hohn's throw back in 1984, the actual javelin instrument itself changed in overall form, a decision largely influenced by Hohn's world record that nearly exceeded the throwing area. Now, contrary to popular belief, Hohn's throw wasn't the only reason why this change was implemented. Even before this amazing world record was achieved, track and field's governing body had already been discussing moving the javelin's center of mass forward by 4 centimeters. There's going to be some changes in this event, the javelin next year, because of a few things that have happened over the last few years. First, a couple of years ago, Tom Petronoff of the United States threw it 327 feet. And last year, Hohn from East Germany threw it over 340 feet. Well, the IAAF is afraid they're going to throw it right out of the stadium, so they decided to change the javelin. Now, this is the old javelin, the new one's coming out in April, but what they've done is they've actually moved the weight forward in the javelin, and they've made the tail thicker so it won't go as far. These changes had been a part of regular discussion even before this 100 meter plus world record was set. However, after this world record, the process of change was quickly implemented into practice, making Hohn's world record throw a landmark moment in track and field history. Given the context of this historic rule change, Hohn's world record of 104.80 meters literally will never be broken. And since this throw back in 1984, the closest that any athlete has gotten with the new version of the javelin was Jan Jelezny's legendary record of 98.48 meters, which he threw back on May 25th of 1996. Heading into the 1984 Olympics, Hohn was the overwhelming favorite to take the gold medal, but given that East Germany unfortunately boycotted these 1984 Los Angeles Games, he was never able to compete for an Olympic gold medal. This was quite the unfortunate circumstance for this javelin legend, but there was at least some consolation during the 1984 season, as he won the gold medal in the Friendship Games with a throw of 94.44 meters, a throw that was almost 10 meters further than the eventual winner from the 1984 Olympics. For many around the world, Hohn's 94.44-meter victory was the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal placement, making this 1984 season one of the greatest ever for any athlete, not just because he shattered the world record and literally changed the rules in this event, but also because he maintained a completely undefeated record, throwing over 90 meters for each and every competition that he entered. Hohn's dominance in the javelin has only since been matched by the new world record holder Jan Jelezny, and even though it seemed like Hohn would go on to dominate this event for well over a decade, his career abruptly ended in 1986, after several setbacks due to unfortunate injury. Since becoming the only man in history to throw the spear beyond 100 meters, Hohn has since become a javelin coach, and just like his previous days of competition, he has also seen worldwide success in this endeavor as well, as his own athlete Neeraj Chopra won the Olympic gold medal in this event in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning the javelin with a throw of 87.58 meters, which made him the first and only Indian athlete in history to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field. Throughout the deep history of track and field, many world records have shifted the landscape of their respective events, however none have quite had the effect as Juve Hohn's world record from 1984. Thanks for watching everyone, and as always, until next time.