Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

The men's discus throw at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 20 competitors from 14 nations, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on August 10, 1984.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Rolf Danneberg of West Germany, the nation's first medal in the men's discus throw and the first victory by any German athlete in the event (East Germany had won two silvers, neither pre-war Germany nor the United Team had won any medals). Mac Wilkins and John Powell of the United States won silver and bronze; they were the eighth and ninth men to win multiple discus throw medals (both had medaled in 1976). The United States continued its 19-Games streak of earning at least one medal every time it appeared, missing the podium only in the boycotted 1980 Games; however, this would be the last Games in that streak—and, in fact, the last medals the United States would earn in the event through at least 2020.

Men's discus throw
at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad
VenueLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Dates8 August 1984 (qualifying)
10 August 1984 (final)
Competitors20 from 14 nations
Winning distance66.60
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Rolf Danneberg
 West Germany
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Mac Wilkins
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) John Powell
 United States
← 1980
1988 →

Background

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This was the 20th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from the 1980 Games returned, mainly due to the Soviet-led boycott. The 1980 silver medalist Imrich Bugár of Czechoslovakia had won the first world championships in 1983, as well as the 1982 European championships; bronze medalist Luis Delís of Cuba was the 1983 Pan American champion; and fifth-place finisher Yuriy Dumchev of the Soviet Union set the world record in 1983. In their absence, the home nation American team was favored.[2]

The Bahamas, Egypt, Mauritius, and Samoa each made their debut in the men's discus throw. The United States made its 19th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Competition format

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The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final. In qualifying, each athlete received three attempts; those recording a mark of at least 62.00 metres advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 athletes achieved that distance, the top 12 would advance. The results of the qualifying round were then ignored. Finalists received three throws each, with the top eight competitors receiving an additional three attempts. The best distance among those six throws counted.[2][3]

Records

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Prior to the competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World record   Yuriy Dumchev (URS) 71.86 Moscow, Soviet Union 29 May 1983
Olympic record   Mac Wilkins (USA) 68.28 Montréal, Canada 24 July 1976

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

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All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)

Date Time Round
Wednesday, 8 August 1984 9:30 Qualifying
Friday, 10 August 1984 17:30 Final

Results

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Qualifying round

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The qualifying round was held on August 8, 1984.

Rank Athlete Nation 1 2 3 Distance Notes
1 Mac Wilkins   United States 60.54 65.86 65.86 Q
2 Rolf Danneberg   West Germany 59.66 63.48 63.48 Q
3 Luciano Zerbini   Italy 63.44 63.44 Q
4 John Powell   United States 62.92 62.92 Q
5 Stefan Fernholm   Sweden X 62.84 62.84 Q
6 Art Burns   United States 62.60 62.60 Q
7 Erik de Bruin   Netherlands 60.76 61.06 61.56 61.56 q
8 Alwin Wagner   West Germany X 61.56 X 61.56 q
9 Kostas Georgakopoulos   Greece 60.74 60.66 60.94 60.94 q
10 Robert Weir   Great Britain X X 60.92 60.92 q
11 Knut Hjeltnes   Norway 60.80 59.32 X 60.80 q
12 Marco Martino   Italy 59.58 60.76 X 60.76 q
13 Werner Hartmann   West Germany 57.90 59.88 59.92 59.92
14 Robert Gray   Canada 56.38 56.62 59.34 59.34
15 Richard Slaney   Great Britain 56.02 56.78 57.66 57.66
16 Bradley Cooper   Bahamas X 52.06 53.70 53.70
17 Henry Smith   Samoa 51.28 50.94 51.90 51.90
18 Dominique Béchard   Mauritius 39.84 41.10 40.24 41.10
Mohamed Naguib Hamed   Egypt X No mark
Vésteinn Hafsteinsson   Iceland 59.02 55.98 59.58 59.58 DPG[4]
Marco Bucci   Italy DNS

Final

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Rank Athlete Nation 1 2 3 4 5 6 Distance
  Rolf Danneberg   West Germany 64.74 X 63.64 66.60 X 66.22 66.60
  Mac Wilkins   United States 65.96 X 65.20 X 66.30 X 66.30
  John Powell   United States 64.68 63.34 64.12 64.06 65.14 65.46 65.46
4 Knut Hjeltnes   Norway 64.72 62.40 65.28 63.78 62.50 64.32 65.28
5 Art Burns   United States 63.72 X X X 63.32 64.98 64.98
6 Alwin Wagner   West Germany 61.82 62.76 62.70 63.94 61.16 64.72 64.72
7 Luciano Zerbini   Italy 60.18 61.14 63.50 X X 60.14 63.50
8 Stefan Fernholm   Sweden 63.08 X 62.20 63.22 62.20 59.82 63.22
9 Erik de Bruin   Netherlands 56.88 62.32 60.10 Did not advance 62.32
10 Robert Weir   Great Britain 59.86 61.36 X Did not advance 61.36
11 Kostas Georgakopoulos   Greece X 59.16 60.30 Did not advance 60.30
Marco Martino   Italy X X X Did not advance No mark

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, vol. 2, p. 288.
  4. ^ Vésteinn Hafsteinsson finished seventh at 59.98 metres, but was subsequently disqualified as his doping test proved positive.
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