(Reuters) – Germany’s Johannes Vetter produced the second longest javelin throw in history when he threw 97.76 metres at the Tour Gold event in Chorzow, Poland on Sunday.
Jan Zelezny’s record has stood the test of time since he threw 98.48 metres in 1996 but 27-year-old Vetter’s effort on his third attempt came close, landing 72 centimetres shy of the Czech’s mark.
“I just don’t know what to say, it was really close to a perfect moment. You can feel it in your body when you have a good throw,” Vetter said after he beat his own personal best by more than three metres.
“I think that lots of people didn’t think it was possible to throw a javelin more than 95 metres in a closed stadium.
“I did it and I think there is a lot space for improvement. Very small differences, tiny differences, can make a difference of many metres.”
Vetter had another colossal effort on his fifth throw which measured 94.84 metres, the fifth best throw ever.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
