WHAT IS DISCUS THROW?

Discus Throwing dates back to at least 708 BC. During that time, a Greek sculptor named Myron created his famous statue, Discobolus, of a discus thrower. The poet Homer even referenced discus throwing in his Iliad. Discus throwing formed an important part of the Greek pentathlon, though iron and bronze discs of that time were much heavier than the ones used these days. Today, both men and women of all ages participate in this Olympic event. In modern competition the discus must be thrown from a circle 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in diameter and fall within a 40° sector marked on the ground from the center of the circle. The athlete needs to throw a discus of 1 to 2Kg into the air as far as possible within the prescribed zone by remaining inside a circular area of 2.5m diameter. If the discus lands beyond the boundaries of the zone then the throw is counted as invalid. The discus as a sport was resurrected in Magdeburg, Germany, by Christian Georg Kohlrausch and his students in the 1870s. Organized Men's competition was resumed in the late 19th century, and has been a part of the modern Summer Olympic Games since the first modern competition, the 1896 Summer Olympics. Images of discus throwers figured prominently in advertising for early modern Games, such as fundraising stamps for the 1896 games, the main posters for the 1920 and 1948 Summer Olympics. Today the sport of discus is a routine part of modern track-and-field meets at all levels, and retains a particularly iconic place in the Olympic Games. The basic motion is a fore-handed sidearm movement. The discus is spun off the index finger or the middle finger of the throwing hand. In flight the disc spins clockwise when viewed from above for a right-handed thrower, and anticlockwise for a left-handed thrower. As well as achieving maximum momentum in the discus on throwing, the discus' distance is also determined by the trajectory the thrower imparts, as well as the aerodynamic behavior of the discus. Generally, throws into a moderate headwind achieve the maximum distance. Also, a faster-spinning discus imparts greater gyroscopic stability. The technique of discus throwing is quite difficult to master and needs much experience to perfect, thus most top throwers are 30 years old or more. Discus throw demands high physical strength and more importantly, one’s balance upon one’s body since weight of the discus, the grip on the discus and precise circular movement around oneself involved matters the most.  고스톱