ABSTRACT
Quantification of athletic performance during competition is rare and not well documented in the literature. Throwing has been scientifically documented for the most part under controlled conditions. Recently, however, results of analyses of throwing performances during elite competition have been documented on a large number of both male and female throwers (McCoy et al., 1984; Gregor & Pink, 1985; Finch et al., 1996). Some authors (Milanovic et al., 1998) differentiate 5 phases of the discus throw (preparation, entry, airborne, transition and delivery. The distance of a discus throw is determined primarily by the release velocity of the discus (Dapena, 1993). According to Bartlett (1992) the release speed of a discus throwing will determine the distance of a discus when the release angle and height are held constant. According to Finch et al. (1996) probably other kinematic components (angle and height) had bigger influence than release velocity. A line of theoretical reasoning suggests that it would be beneficial to release a discus while the feet are still in contact with the ground, but many throwers release a discus after the feet have left
the ground. The purpose of this investigation was to record the performance of all male competitors in the discus throw during the 2005 Daneˇk Meeting in Turnov. The two major objectives were to provide a kinematic analysis of the five male competitors (all 3 medalists from 2004 Olympic Games in discus throw and 1 Olympic winner in decathlon) and to provide information that might be used as a data base for future analyses of elite discus throwers.
