Track-and-field sport of throwing a wooden or metal spear for distance.
It is hurled after a short run and must land point-first. The men's javelin is 8.5 ft (260 cm) long, the women's 7.2 ft (220 cm). Included in the ancient Greek Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon , the javelin throw has been part of the modern Olympic program since its inception in 1896. A women's event was added in 1932. See also decathlon ; heptathlon .