Olympic Projectiles
Built by Ralph Laughton in June 2012 for the Olympic Games Secretary’s Challenge
The Challenge for our June 2012 meeting was to produce models with an Olympic theme. As you can see, vast amounts of thought, design and years of building practice have all come together, culminating in the four models you see before you. The models are of the four projectiles used in the Olympic throwing events; javelin (no, not the train!) discus, shot-put and hammer.
Here is some information regarding the Olympic events supplied by Wikipedia.
- Javelin
Along with the discus, the javelin was the second throwing event in the ancient Olympic pentathlon. Records from 70S BC show two javelin competition types coexisting: throwing at a target and throwing the javelin for distance. It was the latter type from which the modern event was derived. - Discus
As one of the events within the ancient pentathlon, the history of the discus throw dates back to 708 BC. In ancient times a heavy circular disc was thrown from a set standing position on a small pedestal, and it was this style that was revived for the 1896 Olympics. This continued until the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, which featured both the ancient style and the increasingly popular modern style of turning and throwing.
- Shot-Putt
The genesis of the shot put can be traced to prehistoric competitions with rocks: In the middle ages the stone put was known in Scotland and the steinstossen was recorded in Switzerland. In the 17th century, cannon ball throwing competition within the English military provided a precursor to the modern sport.
- Hammer Throw
The earliest recorded precursors to the modern hammer throw stem from the Tailteann Games around 1800 BC, which featured events such as throwing either a weight attached to a rope, a large rock on a wooden handle, or even a chariot wheel on a wooden axle.