The discus is an
athletics event contested during
outdoor track and during the
olympics. Due to the nature of the event, it is
rarely thrown
indoors.
The discus is
circular and
aerodynamically designed. When looking for a discus, the main thing experienced throwers look at is
rim weight, or the percentage of weight of the discus that is in the outside rim of the discus. Higher quality discuses have rim weights in excess of 88%. Discuses are made of a rim, 2 outside plates, and a central fastening device. A discus with higher rim weight is
superior in general, since the discus spins faster, which adds distance to the throw.
Women always throw the 1 kilogram discus. The American
high school boys weight is 1.6 kilograms. In Europe,
high school aged
boys throw mainly the 1.5 kilogram discus, but when they are younger they throw the 1 kilogram discus. The weight for
junior throwers is 1.75 kilograms.
College men and
open men throw the 2 kilogram discus.
The current men's world record is held by
Jurgen Schult of Germany, with a throw of 74.08
meters. The woman's world record is held by
Gabriele Reinsch with a throw of 76.80 meters. She is also German.
There are two major
technical styles for the discus throw. One is the
non-reversing style, and the other is the
reversing style. The two styles are differentiated by what happens at the release of the discus. In the
reversing style, after the discus is delivered, the thrower's front and back feet switch positions and the thrower spins around to stay in the circle.
Non-reversing throwers
block extremely hard during the release and end the throw
balanced with their feet in the same position as they were at the start of the
release phase of the throw.